Stairway
to Confidence
A 12 week online group program to help women speak to groups and record video with confidence.
I’m Olivia Mitchell, the creator of Stairway to Confidence, and on this page I’ll cover all the information you need to make a decision about joining Stairway to Confidence, including:
- Who Stairway to Confidence is for,
- How Stairway to Confidence works,
- The ‘sliding scale’ payment system for the program so that it is affordable for you whatever your income level.

Who Stairway to Confidence is for
I’ve designed Stairway to Confidence for women who identify as introvert. As it’s entirely online, you can take part from wherever you are in the world as long as you have internet access. Here’s what the first participants on Stairway to Confidence felt about speaking up in meetings, public speaking or recording videos before doing the program.
Marisa Mack
Aspiring Entrepreneur
Click here to read how Marisa felt about public speaking before doing the program
Marie Waldron
Inspired by helping people achieve their health and wellness goals
Click here to read how Marie felt about public speaking before doing the program
Glenna Frey
Nurse starting a new nonprofit, “Kidney Donor Conversations”, to increase awareness of living kidney donation.
Click here to read Glenna's experience of recording videos before doing the program
Amparo Cifuentes
Inspired to help youth
Click here to read how Amparo felt before doing the program
If you can resonate with these women, I designed Stairway to Confidence for you.
How Stairway to Confidence Works
1. Disapproval Immunization Stairway
This is based on the principle:
We don’t have a fear of public speaking.
We have a fear of disapproval.

If I could wave a magic wand and absolutely, without-a-doubt, guarantee that every person you spoke to would show their approval of you and everything you said…
…would you still feel fear?
There’s no such thing as the fear of public speaking. It’s the fear of disapproval.
In Stairway to Confidence you’ll immunize yourself against that fear of disapproval.
During the first Stairway, you’ll take an action every day. This is called your “Daily Action”. Gradually you’ll increase the size of your Daily Action and so build up your immunity to the fear of disapproval. This in turn will build up your confidence.
Here’s what the participants have to say about doing their Daily Actions:
Marisa Mack
Aspiring Entrepreneur
Click here to read Marisa's experience of doing Daily Actions
Marie Waldron
Inspired by helping people achieve their health and wellness goals
Click here to read Marie's experience of doing Daily Actions
Amparo Cifuentes
Inspired to help youth
Click here to read Amparo's experience of doing Daily Actions
Nervousness is a normal and natural accompaniment to doing something important and visible, such as public speaking.

2. SpeakerMap Stairway
I will teach you how to do this with the SpeakerMap®. The SpeakerMap® is the planning framework that my partner Tony and I, have developed over 20 years of training presentation skills.
I’ll take you through every aspect of planning your presentation from how you’ll open it, what you’ll say, how you’ll organize what you say, what examples and stories to use, and how you’ll close.

In the past, when you’ve had to prepare a presentation, you’ve likely procrastinated and then had to plan your presentation in marathon sessions. What you’ll do here is plan your presentation in short sprints.
Note: In the first round of Stairway to Confidence, the SpeakerMap was not integrated into the program, instead students had access to Nail that Presentation – the program in which I teach just the SpeakerMap. This time I am integrating the SpeakerMap fully into Stairway to Confidence.
Here’s what participants had to say about the SpeakerMap:
Torna Pitman
Workshop and webinar presenter with an academic and counselling background
Click here to read Torna's experience of the SpeakerMap
Glenna Frey
Founder of “Kidney Donor Conversations”
Click here to read Glenna's experience of the SpeakerMap
3. Delivery and Rehearsal Stairway
My approach is inside-out. Rather than focusing on the outside – body language and vocal variety – I’ll show you how to work with your own internal energy to connect with your audience.
And you’ll rehearse. When you’re working by yourself in the run-up to a presentation, it’s tempting to put-off rehearsal. Doing the dishes starts to look attractive. But on Stairway to Confidence, you’ll be rehearsing alongside your fellow participants, providing feedback, encouragement and accountability to each other.
You’ll learn how to be grounded, present and connected with your audience when delivering a presentation.
Here’s what participants had to say about the experience of rehearsing using video:

Amparo Cifuentes
Inspired to help youth
Click here to read Amparo's experience of rehearsing
How Stairway to Confidence will support you
WEEKLY
1. Content
At the beginning of each week I’ll send you short videos with the content and action steps for that week.
2. Coaching
Each week, we’ll have a one-hour long group Coaching Call. The calls will be recorded, so that you can catch up if you can’t attend live.
DAILY
1. Accountability
You’ll check in every day to the Stairway to Confidence website (which will only be accessible by you and others on the program) and record your Action for that day.
2. Small group support
You’ll be a part of a small online group of 8 to 12 women providing support and encouragement to each other.
Seth Godin on Behavioral Change
“While you and I were busy running down dead ends and wasting our effort, scientists have been busy trying to figure out what actually works. And now they know.
Small steps work. Consistent effort works. Group support works.
That’s it. Three things.”
What will you achieve by the end of Stairway to Confidence?
- Invite family and friends to a gathering and speak on a topic you’re passionate about.
- Do a Facebook Live video or recorded video to promote your business or not for profit cause.
- Host an event to promote your business.
- Join a public speaking club such as Toastmasters and deliver a speech.
- Give a presentation to your team at work.
- Deliver a presentation at a conference or workshop.
The personal feedback I’ve received has been amazing. Many people have said “You’re a phenomenal presenter!”
But most important is that I got my message across – providers are changing their approach as a result of my presentation.
What will Stairway to Confidence mean for you?
- dust off your resume and apply for the job or promotion that you’ve always wanted
- take on leadership opportunities in your work or community.
- do more meaningful work
- make an impact in the world by sharing your ideas
- promote your business or social enterprise by speaking or videos.
Marie Waldron
Inspired by helping people achieve their health and wellness goals
Click here to read Marie's dream
Marisa Mack
Aspiring Entrepreneur
Click here to read what Marisa now thinks of as possible
Glenna Frey
Founder of “Kidney Donor Conversations”
Click here to read how Glenna now feels about doing videos
Amparo Cifuentes
Inspired to help youth
Click here to read how Amparo is feeling now
Your Commitment
Because Journey to Confidence will involve some discomfort, I want you to make a commitment to yourself to do whatever it takes to get over, through or under your fear of speaking up and public speaking.
“Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life”
Susan David
Author of Emotional Agility and TED speaker
1. Commit time

Warm-up 9th - 15th July
You’ll complete a number of written exercises that will strengthen your resolve to overcome your fear. Allow 2-3 hours.

The Stairways 23rd July - 28th September
Allow 15 minutes at least 3 to 5 days a week. Allow one hour 30 minutes each week for the Coaching Call and videos.
2. Commit money
At the same time I want this program to be affordable for everyone who is committed to it.
So I have a “sliding scale” method of payment. This means that what you pay is related to what you can afford.
I trust you to choose the payment that is right for you – I’m not going to ask you to prove it.
You can choose to split your payment into three equal payments, which will be charged once a month for three months.
If you cannot afford the lowest amount, I invite you to contact me and we will agree to an amount that you can afford.
Cost of Stairway to Confidence
If you’re not paying for it yourself eg: your employer is paying: US$1,000
If you’re paying for yourself, here are the suggested tiers based on your household income:

I’m ready to do this!
Still got questions?
Is Stairway to Confidence right for me?
I suffer from anxiety in other areas of my life as well as about speaking. Will Stairway to Confidence help me?
If you’re feeling determined to make some changes in your life, so that your anxiety is less of a problem, then Stairway to Confidence can help you.
However, if you feel depressed or ashamed about your anxiety, then it would be better for you to see a mental health professional for one-on-one support.
I'm currently seeing a counselor or therapist. Should I do Stairway to Confidence?
I've suffered serious abuse as a result of speaking up. Will Stairway to Confidence help me?
- A group program without one-on-one support
- I am not a professional therapist and so am not equipped to handle issues which might come up for you.
I recommend that you find a therapist for professional one-on-one support.
I'm an extrovert. Can I join Stairway to Confidence?
I’m aware that extroverts suffer from the fear of public speaking too. I wanted to create a program that particularly catered to introverts, but it will work for you too.
I have a friend/daughter who would benefit so much from joining Stairway to Confidence. Can I enroll them?
But it’s really important that each person makes their own decision to join. Send them the link to this page and if they get excited and say they’d love to do it, then offer to pay for them.
English is my second (or third or fourth) language. Will I be able to keep up with Stairway to Confidence?
You can deliver the presentation that you’ll deliver towards the end of Stairway to Confidence in your own language.
Why is the program for women only?
All the genders share commonalities when it comes to confidence and visibility issues, however there are some issues which are gender-specific. As a woman, I am most able to help women.
About the Program
What science is Stairway to Confidence based on?
I have drawn from Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for strategies for dealing with fear.
Many of the structural aspects of the program and the warm-up exercises in particular are based on research on effective behavioral change as summarized by John C Norcross in his book Changeology.
The software we’re using was developed by Gina Hiatt, a clinical psychologist, building on psychological principles for behavior change.
What size group will I be in?
Gina Hiatt, the developer of the software that makes all this possible, has been running small groups like this for almost 10 years and has found this the ideal number for a small group.
What support will I get from you?
I won’t have the ability to provide one-on-one coaching support.
Will I have access to the content of the program after it's finished?
What qualifications do you have for running the program?
I’ve been helping people overcome stage fright for the last 20 years.
This has been both through one-on-one coaching and during face to face presentation training courses.
What changes have you made to the program since the pilot?
- In the pilot, I offered the SpeakerMap training through Nail that Presentation. As a result of feedback, this time round I am fully integrating it into Stairway to Confidence.
- This time round, Stairway to Confidence is only open to women. This has been a difficult decision to make, but here were the factors I considered: Most of the people who enrolled in the pilot were women, all the people who finished were women, which seems to be a sign that it’s a program which suits women more. I got feedback that the women in the program felt safer when it became a women-only space. Women and men do have different cultural conditioning when it comes to confidence and speaking up, and I have more of an insight into the particular issues that women face.
Logistics of Stairway to Confidence
When will the Coaching Calls be?
If necessary I will do two Coaching Calls each week in different time zones, to give you more options for attending live.
What technology do I need for Stairway to Confidence?
You’ll need a phone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer with internet access to take part in the weekly Coaching Calls. If you’re using a laptop or desktop, you’ll need a webcam and microphone (these are often built in).
If you don’t have access to the internet at the time of the Coaching Calls, you may be able to join the call using a telephone. We’ll be using Zoom and they have telephone numbers available for most countries.
What if I can't continue because of sickness etc
Or if we’re less than 6 weeks into the program, you can choose a full refund (of course, if you do this, you’ll need to pay again if you want to join the program at another time).
The Finances
Do you offer a refund?
If you have to withdraw after 6 weeks, you can join the next program that I run at no extra cost.
Do you offer a guarantee that this will work for me?
What I can promise is that I’ve done the best that I can in designing a program that will give you the opportunity to grow in confidence around speaking up and speaking to groups. And I will support and encourage you.