When my daughter was learning to canter, she asked her instructor if she could ride Pepe, her favorite horse at the barn.

“Pepe isn’t good with ambiguity,” her instructor said.

Most of us dread public speaking. We duck, dodge and run. It’s no wonder we aren’t good at it.

It’s Tuesday morning and I’m taking a break from work to make some sourdough bread. Yes, I’m sticking with it. I use my handy scraper tool to shape the dough and lift the sticky parts off the counter: small, easy, upward motions from every angle.

When most of your working life has been spent in new business war rooms with teams of people PowerPointing into the night, the current reality is worlds apart.

We all know that people are more afraid of public speaking than dying. And when much of your work depends on captivating an audience (wowing clients), public speaking anxiety can be a real problem.

As someone who comes from a long line of "hiders" and "provers", I know the anxiety caused by this mindset.