This week, we speak with Ally Nitschke, a mum and former ballet dancer who has made a mark as a professional speaker. Her flagship program Courageous Leaders is known for offering a fresh, energetic, and practical approach for business leaders to achieve results through simple and effective leadership strategies.
ISB: How did you discover your interest in professional speaking?
AN: I spent my childhood and early career as a ballet dancer, so the stage was nothing new to me. Throughout my corporate leadership journey, I was always energised seeing teams and individuals flourish after my guidance. So taking to larger stages with larger audiences as a professional speaker was a natural and intentional extension of my mission to empower others and spark transformation at scale.
ISB: In what ways did the scholarship from Professional Speakers Australia (PSA) help in realising your business dream?
AN: It was absolutely invaluable. I’d already invested heavily in coaching and my own professional development from a public speaking skills perspective. But getting involved with PSA connected me with exceptional people from within the professional speaking community who are still friends, peers and mentors. They offered warmth and wisdom as to how to really build a speaking business while pursuing my mission to empower others and ignite a spark of transformation. Being awarded the PSA Kerrie Nairn Scholarship really fast-tracked success by giving access to a network of leaders in the professional speaker industry. Learning from some of the best refined my speaking craft, but also instilled best practices for turning my story into a salary, refined my message and gave me the scaffold to build and grow my impact.
ISB: How do you make yourself stand out as a coach and professional speaker given the competition in the space?
AN: Authenticity and results are my cornerstones. My thought leadership, keynotes, and programs are rooted in real-world experience, not theory. I tailor content to specific audiences and intentionally address their specific challenges. I empower leaders with personalised strategies to find their fire and lead with the best intentions.
ISB: Can you share the secret as to how you achieved six-figure growth for your business?
AN: Like so many “secrets in business” there is no magic bullet. You can’t bypass hard work. It’s tempting to see the life of a full-time speaker as spruiking get rich quick schemes. My success has come from three things: humble repetition, tenacity and time. I’ve had my business for six years now, and those first few years I wanted to throw the towel in so many times! I’m so glad I persisted. As Steve Martin famously said: “Be so good they can’t ignore you”.
ISB: How do you see your business evolving in the next couple of years?
AN: The future is exciting! I’m constantly innovating and developing my keynotes to keep audiences at the front edge of leadership challenges and opportunities. I’m exploring international speaking opportunities next as I’m forecasting a huge shift in the world of leadership in coming years with local and global impact. I’m committed to staying in the forefront of leadership and communication development to deliver impactful experiences for our clients using cutting edge methods while still maintaining authenticity and connecting to what’s most important.
ISB: What would be the most important advice you can impart to someone who aspires to become a successful business owner and/or professional speaker?
AN: You must be patient. The rewards are great, but it is not easy. If you’re imagining a quick get-rich scheme, you’ll be disappointed. Settle in with a mindset of persistence: be patient with yourself and the journey and get connected to peers and mentors, through PSA for example. Success takes time. But the spark and desire must be in you first, speaking is so much more than a job. You must be passionate about the impact your experience, stories, insights bring to audiences and how that can really change their lives. It’s not about you, it’s about the impact you have on others that makes the difference between good and great professional speakers in high demand.
