I was the last person you would expect to do this for a living
I grew up with a speech impediment. Yep. I struggled with speaking for most of my younger life. I've also, wait for it, lived with anxiety my entire life. I know. Professional speaker who trains people through the world's number one fear, and has anxiety herself. The irony is not lost on me.
I know the mental blank mid-sentence, the red face, the body shakes, the dread of standing in front of an audience silently wishing you'd worn a darker shirt (hello, sweaty armpits). I have fainted at a speaking competition, tripped on microphone leads on stage, and once poured myself a glass of water mid-presentation, missed the glass entirely, and watched it spill all over my notes and laptop. Oh, the joy.
I had to work hard, train through my speech impediment, and do the scary thing over and over to build through the fear. I then spent more than 15 years studying the craft and learning how to actually teach it. With over 75% of people experiencing a fear of public speaking, it remains one of the biggest barriers to growth and leadership worldwide. I built my entire career on closing that exact gap.
"You're On Mute", History Making National Speaking Tour across Australia, March 2026.
2
Diploma in Teaching Public Speaking, Australian Speech Communication Association.
3
Certified Speech and Drama Teacher, Australian Speech Communication Association.
4
Finalist, World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships (nerd alert!)
5
Double Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Languages and Culture, Mandarin.
6
Over a decade of experience teaching Public Speaking & Communication skills.
Annelise McCarthy
Credibility
For over a decade, I’ve been turning nervous speakers into commanding ones. Thousands of them, across 20+ industries and 15 countries, from first-time presenters to CEOs, Executives and Olympians.
Outcomes
Speak clearly and with confidence when it counts
Manage speaking nerves with breathing, voice and body language techniques.
Organise thoughts and get to the point clearly.
Use voice and presence to communicate with authority.
Speak up, set boundaries and navigate difficult conversations.
The numbers
15+
years mastering the craft
20+
industries
15
countries represented
500k+
community
In their words
What changed for them
Annelise is a remarkable person with a natural flair for teaching public speaking tips in a fun, easy to understand way. She's got such a beautiful nature and a knack for putting people at ease, which makes them feel comfortable to open up.
Sally Prosser
Voice Coach
The feedback from our training session with Annelise has been overwhelmingly positive. Annelise was incredibly engaging, making the content easy to follow, remember and apply. The team loved the hands-on opportunities to put theory into practice, and leaving with accountability partners ensured the key takeaways stay top of mind.
Helen Barnes
Salesforce
Working with Annelise and her team was seamless from start to finish. Her keynote brought joyous energy, humour and authenticity to the room, and her message landed. I walked away ready to raise my hand higher, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one.
Bree Bensley
SPASA
Annelise is such a superstar! Her enthusiasm and passion to create the right presentation for my workplace exceeded anything I would have imagined. I had a warm and fuzzy confidence boost and felt completely motivated to be my authentic self afterward.
Kaicea Pitts
The Executive Centre
Taking up sessions with Annelise has been a valuable investment into not only my career, but all other areas of my life as well. Her interview and public speaking coaching helped me secure my dream role, and step into a new position with clarity and a game plan.
Asha Tregear
Campaigns Manager
Amazon
She provides safe, neuroinclusive and incredibly supportive spaces to learn, grow and build trust in your voice. Working with her has been a game changer.
Ash
1:1 coaching
No one influences the way women speak up in their voice, business and life like Annelise does. It goes beyond your voice. You will feel an energetic change too, like anything is possible.
Renee
1:1 coaching
There simply aren’t enough beautiful adjectives to describe Annelise’s phenomenal work ethic, but she is incredible at what she does because she TRULY enjoys her work and loves making a difference in others’ lives.
Debbi Shibuya
Canva
One thing that comes to my mind about Annelise is why I did not meet her earlier in my life. She is such a phenomenal person and quickly becomes your friend.
Annelise is a remarkable person with a natural flair for teaching public speaking tips in a fun, easy to understand way. She's got such a beautiful nature and a knack for putting people at ease, which makes them feel comfortable to open up.
Sally Prosser
Voice Coach
The feedback from our training session with Annelise has been overwhelmingly positive. Annelise was incredibly engaging, making the content easy to follow, remember and apply. The team loved the hands-on opportunities to put theory into practice, and leaving with accountability partners ensured the key takeaways stay top of mind.
Helen Barnes
Salesforce
Working with Annelise and her team was seamless from start to finish. Her keynote brought joyous energy, humour and authenticity to the room, and her message landed. I walked away ready to raise my hand higher, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one.
Bree Bensley
SPASA
Annelise is such a superstar! Her enthusiasm and passion to create the right presentation for my workplace exceeded anything I would have imagined. I had a warm and fuzzy confidence boost and felt completely motivated to be my authentic self afterward.
Kaicea Pitts
The Executive Centre
Taking up sessions with Annelise has been a valuable investment into not only my career, but all other areas of my life as well. Her interview and public speaking coaching helped me secure my dream role, and step into a new position with clarity and a game plan.
Asha Tregear
Campaigns Manager
Amazon
She provides safe, neuroinclusive and incredibly supportive spaces to learn, grow and build trust in your voice. Working with her has been a game changer.
Ash
1:1 coaching
No one influences the way women speak up in their voice, business and life like Annelise does. It goes beyond your voice. You will feel an energetic change too, like anything is possible.
Renee
1:1 coaching
There simply aren’t enough beautiful adjectives to describe Annelise’s phenomenal work ethic, but she is incredible at what she does because she TRULY enjoys her work and loves making a difference in others’ lives.
Debbi Shibuya
Canva
One thing that comes to my mind about Annelise is why I did not meet her earlier in my life. She is such a phenomenal person and quickly becomes your friend.
Saba Sayyed
PWC
The starting point
Find the right way to work with Annelise
Build your own communication skills, develop the people in your team or bring Annelise to your next event.
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Focused communication development for a woman in your team
This form is for employers, leaders and people teams arranging individual coaching for a team member.
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The VIP Speaking Intensive
A private, in-person day with Annelise for women who are thought leaders, speakers or aspiring speakers. Share where you are now and what you want to work on.
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