“I think what’s most important is how you hold yourself. People make immediate assumptions based on it and keep them for a long time. That’s why I decided to do my TED Talk on some small tweaks that can radically change the way people view you and treat you.”
Elia Nichols In this week’s episode with Elia Nichols, we speak at greater length about her recent TED Talk and what she was feeling as she prepared for this milestone event – after having professionally coached TEDx speakers for over two years – and once she was finally on that stage. Elia graciously shares some sneak peeks of her talk which centers on an actor’s secret, learned in an improvisation workshop, about the value of stillness and how to open your body and take up space with it.
Elia also gifts us some fundamental changes we can all adopt to use our bodies to communicate with poise in all settings. Finally, we continue ruminating on the necessity of seeking out ways to live life harmoniously, on parenthood, and on whether it’s possible to have everything and what that really means. Reflecting upon how our values change over time, we speak of timing and opportunities, our shared love of Italy and similar “aha moments”, and about chasing your dreams with no regrets.
Elia Nichols Biography & Links
Elia Nichols is an American-born, Italian-based Public Speaking and Communication coach, TEDx Speaker, a 2x TEDx Speaking coach, and a film and TV actress. Her mindful, yet fun teaching techniques have helped thousands of people master the skill of charisma and break communication barriers. Elia teaches speakers and professionals in strategic business and leadership roles effective ways to perfect their presence and speaking skills onstage, in the courtroom, classroom, boardroom and onscreen. Her techniques incorporate elements of theatre, improvisation and comedy into teachings as she has found that this type of mindful and fun experiential learning leads to the most effective, transformational changes in her clients.
Elia believes that charisma is a skill that can be learned and which, once mastered, has the potential to motivate, persuade, inspire, and advance business and personal interests. She has held high-level jobs in Public and External Relations as well as Learning and Development, which has given her insight into both the academic and business environments. In addition, she has been a professor of Public Speaking and Communication at renowned academic institutions such as the European University Institute, Syracuse University, the European School of Economics, Istituto Lorenzo de’Medici and the University of Texas at Austin.
She has been a professional actress for 15 years and is best known for her starring role as Professor Tucker in the comedic TV series Maggie & Bianca Fashion Friends that airs nightly on the RAI Gulp channel in Italy and in 180 countries across the globe on Netflix. She also co-founded F.E.S.T.A. Theatre Company and produced and acted in many of its productions. Elia received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Tulane University and her Masters of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Texas at Austin.
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/elianichols
- https://www.facebook.com/elianicholspublicspeaking
- https://www.facebook.com/elia.nichols
- https://www.facebook.com/EliaNicholsActress
- https://www.instagram.com/elianichols
- https://www.instagram.com/nicholselia/
- https://www.maggieandbianca.com/en
Recorded at Musikalmente Firenze
Podcast Editor: Andrew Niklas Curtis
Production Intern: Ava Lees