What If What You Need Is Real Human Connection?

Have you watched Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

I watched it with my friend and her colleagues last Saturday, and I really loved it.

Early in the movie, Spider-Man’s police friend said:

“What if what you need is real human connection?”

As a speaker and author on human connection, this line immediately caught my attention.

If you haven’t watched the movie yet, don’t worry. I won’t mention any spoilers in this newsletter. Do watch it when you can. I highly recommend it! :)

Let’s sit with this idea:

What if what we all need is real human connection?

This doesn’t only mean connection with others. It can also mean connection with ourselves.

The past few months stretched me physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially.

My Papa was in and out of the hospital until he peacefully went to be with the Lord in May. While losing him has been very painful, my heart is at peace knowing he was a good man and that we shared a beautiful father-daughter relationship.

I’m also grateful that I made spending time with him a priority. For years, I flew to our province 4–6 times a year to spend time with Papa and my family.

You can never regret spending as much time as you can with the ones you love.

Still, the pain, sleepless nights, and all the adulting decisions I had to make became overwhelming. Like Spider-Man, my senses were overloaded.

A Much-Needed Reset

So recently, I went on a solo trip to my favorite beach to reset and recharge.

I booked a room overlooking the beach. For over a week, I allowed myself to be a child. My most significant adulting decision was deciding what to have for brunch or dinner.

In the morning, I’d go for a barefoot walk along the beach, then swim.

In the afternoon, I’d go to Mass.

At night, I loved going for another long, barefoot walk along the beach.

I was living a relaxed, slow-paced life, and I loved it!

I felt so connected with myself, God, and the people around me. I was able to reset and recharge.

Honestly, if I hadn’t taken that much-needed break, my mind would have been all over the place and my nervous system would have been dysregulated.

The Surprising Result

Surprisingly, that trip was also very productive for me.

We published my latest book, SPEAK ANYWAY, on Amazon.

I wrote a couple of blog posts.

I also came up with two brilliant ideas that we’ll be launching very soon!

I love generating ideas and bringing them to life!

Are Your Senses Overloaded Too?

Are you overwhelmed right now with life, work, responsibilities, and all the things you need to do?

Like Spider-Man, are your senses also overloaded?

What if what you need right now is real human connection?

Could be connection with yourself or connection with others.

What would connecting with yourself look like for you this week?

It could be a quiet walk, an honest conversation with a friend, or simply giving yourself permission to rest.

You deserve a break! :)

I wish you fearless possibilities!

P.S.

The Workplace Disconnection Gap™

As a leader, do you sometimes feel like you’re doing a lot of heavy lifting—you need to motivate your team and you also need to deliver results?

The reason might be what I call the Workplace Disconnection Gap™.

I explored this in my latest LinkedIn newsletter. You can read it here:

Happy Wednesday!

What is your #1 challenge when it comes to pubic speaking? 

In the past few weeks, months, and years, I’ve received so many messages from people asking me to teach them how to be confident in public speaking.

During the Holy Week, I picked up my book Conquering Stage Fright supposedly just to scan it. I sat down and I started reading it. I got so glued to the book that I finished reading it in one sitting.  

I wore the hat of a reader and imagined that I was reading it from the perspective of someone who is scared of public speaking. While reading the book, I was so entertained, inspired, and empowered. There were a lot of actionable steps you can apply right away to make public speaking enjoyable.

And then I asked myself, “Sha, why are you not offering this book anymore?” Simple answer is that it’s out-of-print. 

Here’s the good news: I’m updating this book to include fresh insights from my experiences speaking on stages across the Philippines, France, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the United States, the Maldives, and other parts of the world since 2019.

I’d like to make this new book really meaningful and helpful for you.

Quick question:

What is your #1 challenge when it comes to public speaking?

Simply reply to this email. I read all your replies.

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you, Sha, CSP!

Cheers,
Sha

“If you see something good in others, say it.” — Fredrik Haren

This simple sentence captures one of the most powerful ways we can make people feel seen and appreciated.

And yet, many of us hesitate.

Sometimes we notice something good, but we don’t say it.
Sometimes we appreciate someone, but we assume they already know.

Other times, we do the opposite. Instead of appreciating what’s there, we notice what’s lacking and we point it out. 

Today, I want to paint a picture of what it looks like when someone truly lives out Fredrik’s advice.

Let me tell you about a fellow speaker and friend I admire: Marianna Pascal.

Days after I returned to Manila from the Global Speakers Summit in Cairns, Australia, Marianna left this comment on Facebook post:

“Thanks, love! So happy everything worked out with your clothes in the end. You handled it with such positivity. I told my hubby you could have complained about the airline or the double whammy (luggage + wet) but you didn’t. You’re a class act, Sha.”

That message meant a lot to me.

Here’s the context.

My luggage had gone missing during the trip. On the afternoon of Day 1, I walked back to my hotel to take a short nap, then headed to the convention center for a 5:30 PM meeting with a speakers bureau and dinner with fellow speakers.

On the way, it suddenly rained.

By the time I arrived, my jacket and my dress (which was lent to me by fellow speaker Jean Marie from the U.S.) were drenched.

Marianna saw me and immediately said:

“Oh darling, you’re drenched! Do you want to go to my hotel so I can lend you some dry clothes?”

She already knew about my missing luggage.

I smiled and said:

“Awww… thank you! Don’t worry, I feel dry inside. Only my outside clothes are wet. I can dance this away.”

Then I made some dance moves. Jessica from Spain joined me, and we did some short crazy dance moves.   

Marianna noticed that moment.

And she said it.

This wasn’t the first time she did that.

When we both spoke at a large convention in the Maldives, we had snacks with other speakers at a nearby restaurant during the break.

As we were leaving, she told me:

“I liked what you did there, Sha.”

“Which one?” I asked.

She said:

“When we were leaving the restaurant, you looked back and said ‘thank you’ to the waiters.”

Honestly, I didn’t even realize I had done that.

For me, it was just a habit.

But Marianna noticed.

And she said it.

That’s her gift.

She sees the good in people.
And she expresses it.

Maybe that’s also the reason why, when Marianna speaks, people listen and they even give her a standing ovation.

I guess her gift of seeing and appreciating people could also be the reason why her TEDx talk is one of the most-watched TEDx talks in the world with 17 million views and counting. 

You can watch it here: