We’re leaders supporting leaders at work
We’re on a mission to build the next generation of confident, diverse emerging women leaders.

We’re leaders supporting leaders at work
We’re on a mission to build the next generation of confident, diverse emerging female leaders.

What we do
Speak for Success is an annual membership program that gives emerging women leaders a fun, safe and supportive space to learn technical communications skills and then practice them in a low-stakes environment.
Who we serve
We serve novice to early intermediate public speakers who want to build their confidence, learn new techniques and polish their speaking skills. Cis-women, trans women, as well as gender-fluid and folks identifying on the femme-spectrum are all welcome!
What we care about most


Learning &
Development
We help our members grow both professionally and personally by providing an effective, supportive, and high-quality learning experience that they love—and that actually works.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
We care about creating equitable opportunities for leadership skill development as well as promoting individual agency. No matter how ‘junior’ you are, affordable and accessible communication skills training is made available to you.

Mental
Health
We care about how our members feel at work. We’re here to equip them with the tools, techniques and mindset they need to feel more confident and manage feelings of nervousness, anxiety and self-doubt.
Our mission

We’re on a mission to make communication skills training more accessible for emerging women leaders who struggle with feelings of anxiety, nervousness and self-doubt in the workplace so they can become the confident, assertive leaders they were meant to be.
We work really hard to make our training fun, accessible, and convenient, so that no matter where you live or where you are on the corporate ladder, professional growth is available to you.
We believe communications and public speaking training shouldn’t be boring, stuffy, woo-woo or cheesy. Because what you need are learnable, corporate skills—communications skills—and plenty of real opportunities to practice. (Ones where your career isn’t on the line!)
And, we take an expert-led, psychologically safe approach to training. Because we know public speaking-induced anxiety and nerves are real and can’t always be muscled through.
SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE
Here’s what we know for sure
- Communication skills significantly impact professional success
- Feelings of nervousness, anxiety and self-doubt are common challenges young professionals face in the workplace. (Especially women and non-binary) [1] [2]
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques can help speakers build confidence and actually manage their anxiety and nervousness
- Communication is a skill that can be learned and honed over time
- Practice is crucial when it comes to confidence-building and skill development
- The best speaking practice is convenient, fun, safe, and supportive
- Expert-led training is essential because it makes everything more effective and enjoyable

Ideally, communications training should start before an employee begins managing others. But that doesn’t happen often. According to a study by HBR, the average age managers first receive any training is 42, even though most first-time managers have an average age of 30.
Program development
Our proprietary program was developed in collaboration with expert speaking coaches, Learning & Development PhD Maya Saggar and Registered Psychologist & Scientific Director of Anxiety Canada, Dr. Melanie Badali, to provide members with a highly effective and impactful training experience.
Here's what makes us different
Speak for Success teaches the everyday communication skills you need to succeed in the workplace, helping you to build confidence, reduce anxiety, and say “yes” to every opportunity that comes your way. Here’s what makes us different…

Practical
We teach the day-to-day skills that matter most at work—because most of us never deliver TEDx talks, but we all present, answer questions and need to deliver feedback.

On-going Practice
Practice builds confidence. So instead of delivering one-off lectures like other programs, we include tons of opportunities to practice all year round.

Fun, Safe & Supportive
Speaking programs have a reputation of being stuffy, boring, and intimidating. We’re changing that by delivering a learning experience that’s fun, safe and supportive.

Grounded in CBT
Our program methodology is grounded in the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which has been proven to build confidence and address feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and self-doubt.

Our members really like us

Emma Green
“It was a perfect opportunity to further develop my public speaking skills, in a fun, safe, and motivating environment! I would highly recommend Speak for Success to anyone who is wishing to overcome their fear of presenting.”

Diana Luong
“As someone who has struggled with public speaking my entire life, taking this program was very eye-opening in many ways. To learn public speaking is a skill that can be learned and improved rather than something we are born with gives me the hope, momentum, and courage to try and get better! Speak for Success was great because it created a very safe judgement-free environment to improve while also teaching many tips, tricks and learnings to help build that confidence!”

Sarah Rushton
“It was a perfect opportunity to further develop my public speaking skills, in a fun, safe, and motivating environment! I would highly recommI discovered more about my speaking and presentation style in these sessions than I have in my entire career!"
Our facilitators

Monica M. Vucko, MSc.
Facilitator & Communications Coach

Charito Kaay, MEng.
Facilitator & Communications Coach

Dorothea Hendriks
Facilitator & Communications Coach

Libby McCready, MA CCC
Facilitator & Executive Communications
Our team

Monica M. Vucko, MSc.
Founder, Program Director & Facilitator

Dr. Melanie Badali, PhD., RPsych.
Advisor, Workplace Stress & Anxiety

Maya Saggar, PhD.
Learning &
Development Specialist

Laurel Brown
Website Development
Have a question? We've got answers.
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