Claim the Mic was Never JUST About Speaking

When I first imagined Claim the Mic, I wasn't thinking about slides, word clouds, or breakout rooms.

I was thinking about the spaces where I'd felt small and the moments I'd chosen to speak anyway.

I created Claim the Mic because I know what it's like to sit on brilliance and hold your breath. To worry that your voice might be "too much" or "not enough." And I know the shift that happens when someone finally says, "You're ready, take the mic."

This speaker development series for URMIA Professionals of Color wasn't designed just to help people present better. It was created to hold space for what often gets left out: the courage to show up, the clarity to own your narrative, and the community to affirm that your presence is power.

Our first session focused on confidence and power, two words that often carry assumptions. We challenged those. We asked: What does confidence actually look like? Who gets to claim power? And how can we move more fully in our own voices?

We kicked off with grounding and reflection. Not performance, presence.

Each person introduced themselves using three power words, and the result was stunning. From "grounded" and "joyful" to "impactful" and "resilient," the word cloud we built together mirrored a community rich in empathy, preparation, and quiet strength. It reminded me of something true: Confidence doesn't always look bold. Power doesn't always sound loud.

Sometimes confidence is soft-spoken. Sometimes power is still.

Our post-session reflections captured something profound. People weren't just thinking about public speaking, they were thinking about how they move through life.

"We're not taught to associate powerful words with ourselves." "I am the expert on me." "What we bring can't even be measured."

Those words weren't rehearsed. They were revealed.

It's easy to think that preparation alone leads to presence. But Claim the Mic is teaching us something deeper: that presence is rooted in authenticity, intentionality, and self-trust. And that sometimes, the most transformational work isn't technical, it's internal.

This series isn't about creating perfect speakers. It's about helping brilliant, complex professionals, many of whom are women and people of color, step more boldly into spaces where they already belong.

We are shifting what it means to lead, to speak, and to claim space.

And we're just getting started.

The mic is open. The stage is set. The movement is real.

Courtney…on the move