I met Simone at Greater Stamford Toastmaster (GST) in 2011. She was the club president and I was a new member. I admired her energy, confidence, and how she presented herself so I asked her if she’d be willing to mentor me. She said Yes. In our first meeting, she asked my goal for Toastmaster. Besides being a better communicator and leader, I told her I want to explore new things and stretch myself. From that day on, she has been encouraging me to expand…
Later that year, when the club’s VP Membership stepped down for personal reasons, Simone asked me if I’d be interested in the role. I was a member for only 6 months and barely knew Toastmaster yet I thought it’d be a great opportunity to know more people and learn so I said Yes. I tried to attend as many meetings as possible to welcome members and visitors.
Simone encouraged me to be active inside and outside the club. I’d do something for each meeting I attended, e.g. giving a speech, taking a role, or participating in the table topic. It doesn’t matter what I do but continues practicing. Simone invited me to join her to the district conference then the international convention. I loved both: I was impressed by the speakers, learned at the educational sessions as well as the business meeting, and made many new friends. The next year, I received the torch from Simone to become GST president then went on to be an area governor to serve 6 clubs, a Distinguished Toastmaster, and later a division director to serve 21 clubs. I’m continuing as an active Toastmaster today and enjoying meeting members and visiting clubs around the world. Simone and Toastmaster have opened up my world!
When I first met Simone, she was an experienced IT professional at a global beverage company. She became interested in HR, took a one year assignment, and loved it, especially on Diversity and Inclusion. When the company asked her to go back to IT, she decided to go with her heart…
Today, Simone runs Simone Morris Enterprises, LLC, a professional service company, focusing on providing career expertise and inclusive leadership. She has published 4 books, run workshops, and spoken around the United States.
I’m thrilled for Simone – owning her career & voice and supporting others to do so!