About

Hello – Glad you stopped by to learn more about me and what I do!

What can I say? I am a born speaker coach, teacher and cheerleader.

Two of my greatest passions are Transformation and Empowerment – on the stage and in life!

I am an American executive speaker coach, Senior TEDx coach, published author, professional speaker/trainer and passionate entrepreneur. For over 30 years, I have lived and worked in The Netherlands and had a career as a highly successful global account manager and trainer in the medical publishing industry. I have two adult children, am a volunteer as an animal ambulance driver and caregiver and the Liaisson at my church: the Evangelische Roze Viering, for the English speaking expat and refugee community.

I started Successful Speaker Now in September 2011 to help businesspeople to move from Boring to Brilliant speakers.

One of my proudest experiences over the years has been to be a TEDx Coach. I have helped more than 150 speakers for TEDx Amsterdam, TEDx Amsterdam Women, TEDx Binnenhof and more than 10 other TEDx events over the years. I love being a part of this inspirational movement! Check out the TEDx Legacy page.

Some other proud moments:

Exclusive Speaker Coach for TEDx Amsterdam Women Talent Night Competition 2021-2022.
Exclusive speaker coach for the TEDx Amsterdam Women Startup Award finalists 2015-2019.
Exclusive speaker coach for TEDx Binnenhof 2014 and 2016.
European Commission assigned speaker coach for the Ideas from Europe 2016 event with 24 nations present and coached speakers for the 2018 event.
Coached 36 speakers for an IT Summit for Merck, who also bought 800 of my books for all the attendees of the conference
Exclusive speaker coach for TEDx Amsterdam Youth and coached 12 young visionaries from age 9 to 19.
Coached the CEO of Microsoft Nederland, Managing Director of Deloitte Nederland, Co-Founder of TomTom and the Prime Minister of Aruba, among many others.

I stepped away from my company for a few months in 2020,as I was feeling burned out and took a job as a Pursuit Coach Director at Deloitte for a few months. It didnt work out, but it made me realize how much I missed running my own business- and that my expertise and passion are valuable and that I am an expert in my field. My role as biggest cheerleader for my client also makes me happy!

Some great memories:

Life is too short to not do
what you love and make
a difference!

About Successful Speaker Now

I founded Successful Speaker Now in September 2011 after listening to too many boring sales and financial presentations in my own successful global sales career. This dynamic and fast moving communication company trains executives in large multinational companies to develop strong content (messaging) and deliver that message with impact, influence and engagement.

My customers include Fortune 500 company CEOs and Managing Directors, Heads of State, Ministers and TEDx speakers. Our clients are from all over the world where we work together, either in person or virtually – There are no borders! We work with ING, Philips, Microsoft, Deloitte, Achmea, Merck, Rabobank, Accenture, Merck, ING, European Commission and many others.

I specialize in executive speaker coaching 1:1, strategic storytelling and empowering women with the program called Step Up Speak Up Coaching and Mentoring. I am American, but is relatively fluent in Dutch and use a combination of English and Dutch effectively in my coaching.

For me, it is about transformation and empowerment.

Contact me today to discuss your company’s speaking needs and to customize a training program just for you!

Contact Barbara Today

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+31 623 898 717