Toastmasters Talk About Whatevah!

Listen and find out how Toastmasters bought them together and how it helps to keep their relationship FUN!

Is the fear of public speaking lessened if family members are in the same club? These 3 sisters answer this question and more, listen in as Debra, Diana, and Diona regale us with their stories of sharing the Toastmaster stage with each other in the Reynoldsburg Toastmasters club.

Tara Brown is the youngest of 7. She works at Nicor Gas, which is an Illinois utility, in the energy efficiency department. She is a wife of 25 years and a mother of one son and a brand new Toastmaster. More important than any of this she is my sister.

Don Schulze has been in Toastmasters for 15 years, he is District 40's Immediate Past District Director, and he is a 3-time Distinguished Toastmaster, DTMx3.  He has been selected as District 40's Area, Division, and Toastmaster of the Year. More than all of this and probably the most important of all of his accomplishments he is my mentor.

Anthony Windsor II is an award-winning local Columbus filmmaker. When there isn't a global pandemic threatening the world, he co-hosts the Columbus Improv Comedy Meetup. You can watch his movies on YouTube under his production "Incompetent Films", or "The Meowhatten Project." When he's not contributing to the arts, Anthony enjoys working out, pretending to be an advocate for dieting and exercise, rock climbing, and formerly speed running Kingdom Hearts 0.2. Carly Simon once wrote a song about him. 

Munira Zahabi, the Niche Navigator, is an author, speaker, influencer and entrepreneur from Chicago, IL. Through her business, she has influenced many people to navigate to their niche. She firmly believes that all people have a niche but are afraid to explore the deep dark waters within themselves and take a voyage through the raging waters within to find it. Munira's mission is to integrate the concept of nicheology, businessology, and confidenceology. 

Michael J. Pope has worked for International Paper for 25 years in the IT department. He is also a certified speaker, coach and trainer with the John Maxwell Team. In 2017 he appeared live on the Dave Ramsey show and now serves as a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Coordinator for his church. In 2016 he earned his DTM in Toastmasters and in 2019 he was recognized as District 40s' Toastmaster of the year. He earned a degree in Computer Science from NC A&T State University and he resides in Fairfield with his wife and 3 boys

Rebecca 'Bekah' Yoxthimer is a wife, a mother, a Dentist, a philanthropist, a triathlete, a hiker, a leader and a Toastmaster, with  a passion for serving others.  I sat down with Bekah and asked her about why serving others is so important to her. 

Ge-Ge Hall is the founder of Live Again.  Hall has over thirty years of experience as a licensed cosmetologist with the State Board Of Ohio.  She has extensive training in various styles of hair care. She is the owner of G’Opulence Image Consultants, which enhances beauty through personal styling and shopping. Hall received her counseling certification from Breakthrough College.  Her areas of focus were enriching and building life skills, self-awareness, and self-esteem in others. She is known as a great listener, critical thinker, and a problem solver. Ge-Ge provides etiquette skills in others to augment one’s “Best Self”. She is joyfully involved in the community which includes 2015 and 2016 Site-Chair for In Christy’s Shoes. Also,  she is a member of Strong Women in Action, which is an organization that provides a support system for the empowerment of women, feeds the homeless and provides scholarships for females pursuing college endeavors. Ge-Ge assists the teaching staff and students in various activities at Columbus City and Pickerington Local School Districts. Ge-Ge’s philosophy of life is, “Daily enrich your strengths. Daily fortify your weaknesses.  You always have something great to give…  You’re the best You I know.”

You may know them as the deranged clown, the mad scientist, or that guy with the chainsaw who won't stop chasing crowds of shrieking victims down a dimly lit hallway. But behind the fake blood spatters, masks and caked on makeup, they're just regular people trying to have some fun while making a little extra money.  My guest is going to tell us more about what it means to be professionally terrifying. Ron Gillespie is a musician, he is a martial artist, he is a Toastmaster but what he is going to talk more about right now is being a "scare-actor" also known as a "Haunt" actor.

Knowing  yourself is very important. Deb Lowe talks about why it is important to know yourself and how you can begin to know your strengths, weaknesses, fears, your desires and dreams.  

Don DeHoff is passionate about helping others achieve their goals, and believes that Toastmasters is an incredible resource to do just that. In the 9 years he has been a Toastmaster, he has been a club President, 2 years as Area Director, Assistant Program Quality Director and 2 years as District Public Relations Manager. He was also an International Speech Contest semifinalist in Las Vegas in 2015. In this episode Don Breaks down the elements of crafting and presenting an International speech.

Felicia Mann-Osei began her Toastmasters journey in April of 2009 at Unity Toastmasters and now is a member of Defensively Speaking Toastmasters. She has served in various club officer positions including secretary, treasurer and VP of Public Relations. She is currently the District 40 Administration Manager. Felicia has achieved Advanced Communicator Silver and Advanced Leader Bronze education levels under the legacy Toastmasters education program. She is on track to complete her Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM, award by June of this year. In this episode I talk to Felicia about her DTM Journey.

Joe Pokorski has been a committed member of Toastmasters International for 54 years. He is a cornerstone of the Megacity toastmasters, club #553; a mentor and inspiration to his fellow club members and the entire district 40. When I was asked by our Public Relations Manager Scott Holahan to interview Joe regarding his long time membership I was ecstatic and jumped at the chance. What you are about to hear is Joe telling us just a spattering about his experience in this amazing organization we call Toastmasters.

Fon Holloway husband, father, Toastmaster, servant leader and up and coming motivational speaker shares his tips and tricks on staying motivated and motivating others.

Rae Scott is a poet, actress, activist and accountant. Listen in as she shares her thoughts on the spoken word. She even shares one of her pieces.

Myself and long time Toastmaster Bob Genton share our thoughts on the Toastmaster educational program Pathways, more specifically we share our thoughts on the Presentation Mastery Path. Listen in as we reflect on our path.

Johnny Randolph, Husband, Father, accomplished speaker and newly awarded Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM, shares his thoughts on becoming a DTM.

Challenges will come to everyone eventually, it isn't that the challenges will come it is how you handle yourself when they come. Scott Holahan shares his story on how he rebranded himself after a job layoff.

Leadership is one of the cornerstones of the Toastmasters program one way to practice and hone your leadership skills in Toastmasters is to become an officer, either at the club, area, division or district levels. In this episode David Hill, newly elected Club Growth Director, shares his insight on being an officer in Toastmasters.

Brand new Toastmaster and first time competitor, Chiquita Toure, shares her experience, thoughts, tips and tricks on competing in the Table Topics and International Speech contests.

When somebody that we love dies, we feel powerful, overwhelming emotions that can be difficult to talk about. Society labels these emotions as 'Grief'. But how can such a simple word sum up such complex feelings? Writer, Spoken Word Artist, and Teacher, Anita Jones helps unpack this  word by discussing her own experiences with overwhelming grief.

Kayla Feagin, new Toastmaster and owner of Inspired by the Tee and Inspired Finances, shares her insight on entrepreneurship, life lessons and of course Toastmasters.

Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Its more than just a bout of the blues. Depression isn't a weakness and you can't simply "snap out" of it.  Toastmaster, Derryck Boyer, shares his thoughts and experience with depression. More than anything Derryck says you shouldn't be embarrassed if you suffer from depression, you should seek out help.

Health and wellness coach Yvonne Pryor talks about being President of the Reynoldsburg Community Toastmasters club. She also shares information about her health and wellness business, Naturally4U, geared towards woman 50+.