Tackling Stage Fakery: Authenticity in Speaking and Presenting

Want to stand out without selling out, start here. John sits down with Marianne Hickman to call time on stage fakery, trauma dumping, and confidence without competence. We cover why the mic is a sacred space, tell stories from scars not open wounds, how humour speeds learning, and the white belt mindset that keeps you sharp and bookable. We also unpack the Utah bro archetype, Dunning–Kruger, and practical ways to hold a room when slides die or plans change.

You will learn:

· How to open by connecting, then perform with the room behind you

· Scars vs open wounds, where the ethical line really is

· Using humour and open mics to teach better and stick in memory

· White belt mindset for authority without the guru ick

· Handling onstage mishaps with “yes, and” calm

· Signals of confidence without competence that audiences clock

Chapters
00:00 Cold open, why audiences are done with fakery
02:45 Mic as sacred space, scars not wounds
10:20 Connect first, then perform, practical openers
16:30 Humour as learning accelerator
22:40 Yes, and, turning mishaps into moments
31:10 Confidence without competence, spotting Dunning–Kruger
39:30 Beyond guru culture, building ethical authority
49:20 White belt mindset, staying credible
53:30 How to connect with Marianne
54:40 Takeaway and next steps

About Marianne
Find Marianne by searching her name on socials, she shares her number in the show for direct connections. She's super active on Insta  ⁨@Marianne_Hickman⁩ 

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For speaking enquiries or to connect with me, you can email john@presentinfluence.com (mailto:john@presentinfluence.com) or find me on LinkedIn (  / johnaball  )

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