Meet Sandra Zimmer | Executive speech coach, Creator of the Sandra Zimmer Method and author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sandra Zimmer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sandra, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
My business career has taught me the importance of being present with clients. Rather than trying to convince or persuade them to become my clients, learning to stay relaxed and be present is the best way to sell my coaching services. I’ve learned to ask a lot of questions and listen to find out what’s really important to them, what they want to do or be, and what is holding them back from achieving their life vision.

Since I teach clients how to be present when standing in front of an audience and speaking, it’s important that I am present with the people that I am teaching. When I am really listening to a person, I know what to say to support them. And I’ve learned to trust myself that I will know how to help him express themselves authentically.

When I started my business in the 1980s, I never could have imagined that I would be working with the people that I’ve worked with just this week. This week at coached a high-level employee from NASA, a medical doctor who has become the Director of a hospice, a young woman who has created a social app, and a young man who founded a nonprofit organization. I’ve also coached the CFO of an energy company and the founder of a home building process that may revolutionize how we construct homes in the future.

I have come to believe that doing business is a spiritual process. The skills and qualities we businesspeople have to develop to interact well with clients and coworkers are the same skills and qualities we need to learn in order to be good human beings. So my business has taught me how to love, listen and be of service to others.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I coach business professionals and inspirational speakers to shine when they speak in groups, meetings and presentations. My clients are brilliant at what they do, but struggle when they have to talk about it in front of groups. I guide them into a flow state where they feel comfortable in their skin at the center of attention and free to speak from their zone of brilliance. My Sandra Zimmer Method Public Speaking Experience is a remarkable public speaking course that transforms public speaking fears, develops leadership presence and teaches professionals to tell their stories so they shine with confidence when speaking to groups.

Perhaps what sets me apart from more traditional public speaking coaches is that I intuitively sense who people are. I am able to perceive their natural gifts, see what they need to develop and support them to speak from their authentic self. Rather than teaching mechanical public speaking skills, I focus on freeing people to feel comfortable to be who they are in front of groups. My clients learn to speak from their hearts. Their speech flows brilliantly because they’ve learned how to feel safe and be present in front of groups.

What I’m always most proud of is how comfortable, confident and inspired my clients become when speaking and how they radiate leadership presence. It thrills me to see how successful they become at sharing their ideas and expertise in the world.

I honestly honestly don’t know if it was easy or hard to build my business. It was probably both, sometimes hard and sometimes really effortless. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. I didn’t have a Plan B. This is just what I was going to do with my life – use my skills, knowledge and intuition to be of service to humanity and to make a living doing it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Houston Texas is a city filled with about 1000 restaurants with food from all over the world. As I’m answering these questions I am seated in one of my favorite Indian food restaurants called Pondicheri. Two other favorites spots are Bistro le Cep which is a French country restaurant and Cafe Caspian, which is a Persian restaurant. No matter what else you do in Houston, it’s most fun to eat. You won’t be disappointed to visit Mexican restaurants like Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen, Louisiana style cooking at Brennan’s or one of the many Asian restaurants in Chinatown on Bellaire Blvd.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I was in my mid 20s, I had a spiritual mentor named Elias de Mohan who taught self acceptance and soul awareness. What Elias did for me that no one else had was see who I am and encourage me to express myself authentically. Elias was a master at seeing people’s souls. I patterned my style of teaching and coaching based on the experience I had with him. To this day, my heart fills with gratitude for the experiences and the learnings that I had with Elias. Without him, I would not have known how to see and acknowledge my clients. And I, for sure, would not have been nearly a successful.

And then, there was the University of Houston Theater Department! At 23, after receiving a BA degree in Psychology from UT Austin, I joined the theater Department at University of Houston. There were two brilliant acting teachers who taught extraordinary acting and directing classes. They were Cecil Pickett and Dr. Sidney Berger. Their training provided me with fundamentals of performance skills and deep sensitivity that I have used to create all of the courses and coaching I offer.

All three of these men had a deep and lasting impact on my life and my career.

Website: https://www.sandrazimmer.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandrazimmermethod/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrazimmer/

Twitter: https://x.com/SandraZ152350

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/selfexpressioncenter

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sandrazimmer

Other: Sandra Zimmer Method Online course https://sandrazimmermethod.com/