Zaundra Wimberley Of Dream Z Enterprises On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
The best way to improve your public speaking skills is to speak on every occasion possible for practice. Speaking in small social gatherings, at church services, or in work settings are good options.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Zaundra A. Wimberley.
Zaundra A. Wimberley is the CEO of Dream Z enterprises, an author, career transition coach and speaker with expertise in human resources, public health and child nutrition. Dream Z Enterprises is a coaching and training firm which specializes in empowering women to become their professional best. The company offers workshops in career transition, workplace etiquette, customer service, personal branding and entrepreneurialism.
As an entrepreneur Zaundra was the first black woman to own a commercially sold baby food product in the United States. She founded Little Lamb Baby Food Company in 1997 and launched the line in stores in 2004. The company manufactured and distributed southern style baby foods in Michigan to multiple specialty food chains.
Zaundra has taken her quest to find purpose in life and turned it into a book entitled From Bossed to Boss It’s Never Too Late Reclaim Your Dreams And Live In Purpose. Zaundra takes the reader on her journey of questioning God about her existence to discovering that the answers she sought were already there.
Zaundra holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Michigan and a Master of Public Administration from Wayne State University.
She is a wife and mother of five. In her spare time, she enjoys movie night with her family, reading, writing, cycling and listening to her favorite collection of 80’s music.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up on the east side of Detroit in a middle-class family. I am the youngest of three children. My brothers were my senior by 15 and 16 years so I was raised like an only child. I am a first-generation college graduate. My parents wanted me to go to college in an effort to secure my future. Both of my parents were in our home but my mother was the primary influence on my life. I attended private schools and enjoyed being a kid.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I have always had a love for storytelling. I love to listen to a good story, whether it is in the form of a book, poem, documentary, music video or any other means. Today I am a transition coach who teaches people how to transition from a job to their business or dream career. I share steps to make dreams come true via story telling during my coaching sessions and in my workshops and trainings.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I needed to secure capital to open a processing plant for my baby food company in 2004. I reached out to investors while offering them some shares of my company. One potential investor was Kourtney Kardashian. I met with her manager/mom Kris Jenner via a phone call to make my pitch. She thought it was fascinating but was not interested in making the investment.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The funniest mistake I made was having to take my baby to a business meeting. As a mother of five, I did not always have a baby sister. On this occasion, I had to take my daughter to pitch to a client. The lesson I learned was to only do business with people who understand and respect your lifestyle. There was nothing I could do. The ladies in the office were amused and it worked out.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My mother was my biggest supporter. She believed in my ideas and would support with encouraging words and financial support. She and my father invested in my baby food company and were proud of how far I was able to take it. I was often reminded by my mother that I was smart and could do anything if I tried and put my mind to it.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
I believe that failures have a purpose. They teach lessons — what not to do and ways to do it differently.
What drives you to get up everyday and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
I am inspired to get up every day believing that I may be able to help someone. I share my stories to encourage others to live in their purpose. My mantra is “life is too short to be miserable.” It is important to live in purpose. Many people are miserable because they have not found their “why” which motivates a person to get up every day and live.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
I have launched an online Masterclass called “Pivoting to Your Boss Job” and “Pivoting to Your Boss Career.” Attendees will be ready to start their businesses or transition from their job at the conclusion of this masterclass. The classes can be found on my website: zaundrawimberley.com
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Life is too short to be miserable.” I learned that I was not happy in my job and I needed to make a change. I was able to find my purpose (which had been buried from childhood) and begin to do what I love — tell stories, encourage, inspire and empower others to make a change.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
- What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? To be a highly effective public speaker one must have an intricate knowledge of their subject matter. It is easier to speak on subjects that you know well.
- How can you improve your public speaking skills? The best way to improve your public speaking skills is to speak on every occasion possible for practice. Speaking in small social gatherings, at church services, or in work settings are good options.
- Practicing in comfortable settings with family members or friends is a great way to overcome fear.
- What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? To ensure that your talk is interesting and engaging speak on a subject that has been well researched and tie the information into something that will connect with the audience.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I would start a movement called “Words Matter — Be Intentional with What You Say.” Everyone would be encouraged and taught to think before speaking words that bully, malign, destroy, brow beat, discourage or lie on others.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I would love to have lunch with life coach Lisa Nichols. She is a fantastic story teller and an outstanding coach.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
DreamZenterprises
DreamZ — Zaundra Wimberley
Prozaundraw
YouTube
Zaundra Wimberley
Zaundra Wimberley
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Zaundra Wimberley Of Dream Z Enterprises On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
