Speak Arizona

016. Don Ratliff — “Sparks of Inspiration”

Don Ratliff is a Distinguished Toastmaster and role model to members in his clubs and beyond. It wasn’t always this way. Don grew up believing he was incapable of speaking well. Then something happened, something that inspired him to change his outlook and take action to improve himself. Listen as Don shares about his early challenges and the many inspirations he’s received since joining Toastmasters. (Recorded Sep 4, 2019)

015. Jim Sultan — “I Saw the Light”

Jim Sultan, DTM, PID is new to Arizona but not new to Toastmasters. Already an experienced speaker in 2002, he joined Toastmasters on the ‘strong’ recommendation of his boss and quickly realized he had a lot to learn. Listen as Jim shares his experiences on the International Board of Directors and outlines the many leadership opportunities available to Toastmaster members. (Recorded August 30, 2019)

014. Kathleen Pickerel — "Stepping into the Fear"

The podcast traveled south to the "Old Pueblo” to meet Kathleen Pickrel, an eight-year Toastmaster and former fearful speaker. Kathleen shares how she mustered the courage to join Toastmasters and how she can look back now and say, “I don’t even recognize the person I was when I started.” To help others reach their goals, Kathleen has authored a book, “It is What it is...Now What: A Guide to Get You From Where You Are to WHO You Want to Be,” set to be published this Fall. To learn more about Kathleen, visit her website http://choosecongruency.com/ (Recorded July 29, 2019) 

013: Shelley Gabriel - "On Being an Active Toastmaster"

Shelley is an active and enthusiastic Toastmaster in District 3. Listen as Shelley shares about her Toastmasters experiences and the skills she's attained over the last eight years. We hope Shelley's story will encourage you to Join Toastmasters, and if you are already a member, we hope her story inspires you to move up to your next leadership opportunity. (Recorded July 26, 2019)

012: Tudor Melville - "Why I Joined Toastmasters and Why I Stay"

This episode is dedicated to our non-Toastmasters listeners and current members who might be thinking about leaving. Tudor's introduction to Toastmasters was unusual and it took a while for him to appreciate the value of being a member, but today he's glad he joined. We hope his story will encourage you to join and stay in Toastmasters. (Recorded July 31, 2019)

011: Brenda Smull, "Better Angels — Bringing Us Together"

Brenda Smull, DTM, PRA, discusses her involvement with Better Angels, "a citizens’ organization uniting red and blue Americans in a working alliance to depolarize America." Benda explains her recent Better Angels seminar and the Toastmasters skills that helped make the event a success. For more information about Better Angels, visit https://www.better-angels.org/.  (Recorded July 23, 2019) 

010: Holland Nance, “Productivity, Resilience, and Overcoming Rejection”

(Recorded July 29, 2019) Meet Holland Nance, Arizona author, speaker, coach, and Toastmaster. Holland explains the benefits that she’s received from joining Toastmasters and has great advice for non-Toastmaster listeners who might have reservations about giving Toastmasters a try. To discover more about Holland, visit her website at https://www.hollandnance.com/.

009: Harry Wolfe, founder of "Audible Talkers" the Nation's First Toastmasters Club for the Hard of Hearing

On July 24, 2019, we recorded an interview with Harry Wolfe, a long-time Toastmasters who is chartering Audible Talkers, the nation's first Toastmasters club for the hard of hearing. In the interview, Harry explains how he came up with the idea for the club, some of the up-front organization steps required to get this specialized club going, and his current efforts to new recruit new members. In June 2019, Harry was interviewed by Channel 12, which featured the specialized audio technology used by the club. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxbM68BjPi0). For more information, contact Harry at hwolfeaz@gmail.com.

008: Meet the 2019-2020 District 3 Trio

(Recorded July 13, 2019) This episode features District 3's newly elected senior officers: Jim Eng, DTM, District Director; Peter Salazar, DTM, Program Quality Director; and David Hopper, DTM, Club Growth Director. We met following the District Executive Committee meeting to discuss the role of the "Trio" and what we can look forward to in District 3 in the coming year.

007: Tim & Rose Swearingen - Part I "Our Toastmasters Beginnings"

This is the first of several interesting conversations with Past International Director Tim Swearingen, DTM and Past Region Advisor Rose Swearingen, DTM. In Part I, Tim and Rose talk about how they got started in Toastmasters and began to develop as leaders in District 3.