You knew it inside out. Now your heart's racing and your mind's blank.
For professionals who freeze, blank, or lose their voice when presenting. Built on 15 years in nuclear engineering.
Free, on Zoom. By the end of it you'll know whether this is right for you.
This is you if:
You won't recognize all of these. Most people read two or three and think: that's me.
Waiting your turn
For most people this is the worst part. It's in your head for days beforehand. You prepare more than anyone else in the room — but that never makes you feel comfortable. Then it starts coming around the table toward you, and you stop taking in what anyone else is saying.
In the room
Your heart is going. Your breathing is shallow. And the thing you came in to say is simply not there.
Years of this
You've had it as long as you can remember. Some of them went badly. Along the way you decided this is just how you are.
Since the role got bigger
You were very good at the job before this one. But now you have to stand up in front of people, and nobody warned you.
What you avoid
There's a senior role you didn't apply for. A room full of clients is fine — it's standing up in front of your own colleagues you can't do.
From the outside you're doing fine. The feedback is good. You know how it actually feels.
“I'm able to quite comfortably present in front of forty to fifty people at a company all-hands meeting — even when it's quite last minute.”
Luke, VP of Design · three sessions
Three minutes, and he was skeptical going in — he says so in the first minute.
Book Your Free 30 Minute Call“Something I've not been able to do in many, many years, let alone ever in my professional career.”
Luke, in the video
Expertise is a technical skill. Performance is a biological one.
Why you go blank
When it's your turn, your amygdala sounds the alarm and your prefrontal cortex — the part that holds what you know and finds the words — goes quiet. It isn't a memory problem. It's what the alarm does.
Why yours fires
The alarm learned this somewhere. In session one we find where: the specific early moment speaking up first felt unsafe. That's what we work on, not the symptoms.
What I work on
Not your slides or your delivery. You already have those. The alarm itself, so it stops firing when it's your turn.
What it involves
It's called EFT. You tap a sequence of points on the face and hands while holding the situation in mind. Repeated, it teaches the alarm that the situation is safe. It sounds odd. Luke thought so too.
If you want to check the research first
Two randomized controlled trials, both measuring cortisol before and after a single one-hour session. The second is a different research team repeating the first, and finding a larger effect.
−24%
cortisol, 2012 trial
83 adults
−43%
cortisol, 2020 repeat
53 adults
What cortisol has to do with presenting
Cortisol is what your body releases when the fight-or-flight response fires — and that response is the thing that stops you presenting. It speeds your heart, shortens your breath and quiets the part of your brain that finds the words. So when cortisol falls, that reaction is firing less.
And what happens in my own practice
21
booked the three sessions since April
0
have asked for the refund
Both trials, in full
Church, Yount & Brooks · 2012
Randomized controlled trial, 83 adults, three groups. Cortisol fell 24.4% in the EFT group against 14.3% for a supportive interview and 14.4% for no treatment.
PubMed ID 22986277
Stapleton, Crighton, Sabot & O'Neill · 2020
A different team repeated that trial with 53 adults. Cortisol fell 43.2% in the EFT group against 19.7% for the comparison group.
PubMed ID 32162958
Both trials measure what your body does under pressure, which is what I work on. Neither is about presenting specifically — for that, the video above is a VP of Design describing what changed.
“MRI and EEG scans show that EFT targets the Amygdala — the brain's alarm system — effectively ‘regulating’ the fight-or-flight response even when triggered by high-stakes thoughts.”
Prof. Peta Stapleton — Bond University, Australia
You'll also find people online who call EFT fringe. That's why the numbers above come from randomized trials, with the reference printed so you can check them. And why session one is the real test: after it, you decide. If you want the refund on sessions two and three you take it — your call, any reason, and you don't have to explain it to me.
Who you'd be working with
Over 70 professional clients since 2025, with all my work now focused on presenting and public speaking.
15 years · Nuclear power
I worked where a mistake isn't a bad quarter.
APM project manager
The metrics, deadlines and board updates you carry, I carried.
Master EFT practitioner
Certified to master level through The Priority Academy.
Hiring manager
Years on the other side of the table.
I've been the person in the meeting with the answer, unable to get it out.
What people ask before they book
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Ninety minutes on Zoom. You bring the situation — the meeting, the room, the moment it goes. We work through it with tapping while you hold specific moments in mind. Nothing to prepare, and nothing to present.
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You decide after session one, and you decide for any reason — you don't have to justify it to me. If you want it, sessions two and three are refunded in full. Nobody has taken it yet.
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Those train delivery, and you already have delivery. This works on the reaction that stops you using it.
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Yes — that's the whole point of doing it this way. You're not learning to manage it on the day; the alarm stops firing, so there's nothing to manage. Luke's words: "something I will take with me for the rest of my life."
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Usually, yes. Sessions are normally about a week apart, so the three of them run across two to three weeks. If your date is sooner than that I can bring them closer together — I've done that before for people with a big event coming up. Have the date with you on the call and we'll build the sessions around it.
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Often, yes. It isn't the kind of thing a benefits plan covers, but plenty of clients have used a training or development budget — usually by paying me and claiming it back. I can invoice your company instead if you'd rather.
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Every session is on Zoom, and it works exactly the same way.
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Almost certainly not. If the words are there in every other meeting and only disappear when it's your turn to present, your English is working fine. The thing that takes them away is the same thing it takes away from everyone on this page.
Book your free call
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1
You tell me what happens and exactly when. Have your next presentation date to hand.
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2
I tell you straight whether this will work for you. Sometimes it's no, and I'll say so.
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3
If it's a yes, we set your session dates on the call, so it's sorted before your next one.
If we go ahead: 3 × 90-minute sessions · $800
After session one you decide. Want the refund on sessions two and three? Any reason, and you don't have to explain it to me.
It needs to be about speaking: presenting, meetings, being put on the spot. How strong the reaction is doesn't matter.
It's a 1-to-1 call with me, not a recording or a sales team. I hold a small number each week, so if you book one, please come.
From people who did the three sessions
“I'm the CFO and a CFO should be able to do these things. Instead my heart would race, my voice would shake and I could never think of the right words. Sitting in a meeting waiting for my time to speak was the worst.”
“My heart didn't race, I appeared confident, and the answers came to my head so much easier than before.”
Alex — CFO
“In every pitch I have to present to multiple executives in a boardroom. The boardroom was not a place I felt comfortable, and each time I was there I presented poorly.”
“I've started to enjoy the presenting, and I now close deals much more frequently.”
Liam — founder, enterprise software
More from clients
“I was a bit unsure when I booked, but James explained everything well and really gave me the confidence that we could overcome my presenting issues — racing heart and tight throat. Since working together I no longer worry about presenting, because I know I can control my body if anything comes up.”
Mark — [add role]
“I used to suffer terribly before — dread, poor sleep — and during presentations and meetings: stuttering voice, tight throat. Since then it's been a night and day difference, and I'm finally able to present the way I want to.”
Callum — [add role]
“My nerves around presenting were getting worse and worse and it was really beginning to affect my performance at work. In the three sessions we discovered the cause of this and managed to eliminate it. I'm now much more confident and relaxed presenting.”
Ryan — [add role]
“For years, just the thought of speaking in front of people made my throat tight. In the work with James we found the reason for it — I was so afraid of being judged — and then we broke that belief down until it no longer existed. Thank you so much!”
Peter — [add role]
“James, you're a miracle worker. The roundtable session couldn't have gone better. I have never been this calm, and it was as if for the first time I could be myself on stage. Never felt this free.”
Daniel — [add role]
Another year of this, or three sessions?
Most people arrive having had this for as long as they can remember, assuming it would ease off as they got more senior. It doesn't — and you don't have to keep putting up with it.
Free, 30 minutes on Zoom. You'll leave knowing whether this is for you.
Who you'd be working with
Over 70 professional clients, with all my work now focused specifically on presenting and public speaking.
15 years · Nuclear power
I worked where a mistake isn't a bad quarter. I know what performing under real pressure asks of you.
APM project manager
I've carried the metrics, the deadlines and the board updates you carry.
Master EFT practitioner
Certified to master level through The Priority Academy.
Hiring manager
Years on the other side of the table, watching capable people undersell themselves.
I've been the person in the meeting with the answer, unable to get it out.
What the free call actually is
Thirty minutes on Zoom. Three things happen:
You tell me what happens and exactly when. I'm listening for the specific situation, not the general feeling.
I tell you straight whether I think this will work for you. Sometimes the answer is no, and I'll say so on the call.
If it's a yes, I explain what the three sessions involve and we look at next steps.
If you decide to proceed after the free audit, the program is 3 x 90-minute sessions at $560 - There is no obligation during or after this call to book the paid package.
Not the right fit after session 1? You're refunded in full for the remaining two sessions.
From people who did the three sessions
Expertise is a technical skill. Performance is a biological one.
Why you go blank
When it's your turn, your amygdala sounds the alarm and your prefrontal cortex — the part that holds what you know and finds the words — goes quiet. It isn't a memory problem. It's what the alarm does.
Why yours fires
The alarm learned this somewhere. In session one we find where: the specific early moment speaking up first felt unsafe. That's what we work on, not the symptoms.
What I work on
Not your slides or your delivery. You already have those. The alarm itself, so it stops firing when it's your turn.
What it involves
It's called EFT. You tap a sequence of acupressure points while holding the situation in mind. These points quiet the amygdala. Repeated, it teaches the brain that the situation is safe — so in the future the alarm doesn't fire. You probably think it sounds odd. So did Luke (video above) — and now he can present to 50 people.
This is you if:
Waiting your turn
It sits in the background of everything else. You lie awake fixating on what could go wrong. And you over-prepare, because walking in without an answer for every question isn't a risk you'll take.
In the room
Heart racing, breathing shallow, and the thing you came in to say simply isn't there.
Years of this
You've had it as long as you can remember. You've got through every one of them, and somewhere along the way you half-decided this is just how you're built.
Since the roll got bigger
You were excellent at the job below this one. Far more of this one is standing in front of people, and nobody warned you. There's a date in the diary.
What you’ve built around it
You can name the role you didn't go for. Ten customers, fine. Your own peers, with you as the only speaker, not a chance.
If you work in your second language
You've put all of this down to your English. But if the words are there in every other meeting and vanish only when it's your turn, it isn't your English.