September 2026 – Binh Doan

I’ve spent much of my professional life helping people communicate.

As a speech pathologist, I work with people to develop the skills and confidence to express themselves. As a yoga teacher, I’ve seen how breathing and awareness can change the way we feel in our bodies. Through acting, I’ve learnt about presence, connection and allowing yourself to be seen. And through Toastmasters, I’ve experienced how powerful it can be to stand in front of a room and simply speak.

BRAVE brings these different parts of my life together.

BRAVE stands for:

Breathe • Relax • Align • Voice • Engage

I created BRAVE as my Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) project, but for me, it is much more than completing a Toastmasters project.

I wanted to create something practical that could help people feel calmer, more present and more confident when speaking in front of others.

Why BRAVE?

Public speaking is often taught as a collection of techniques: where to stand, what to do with your hands, how to structure a speech, how loudly to speak and how to make eye contact.

All of those things matter. But I believe something comes before them.

How do you actually feel when you stand up to speak?

Are you holding your breath? Are your shoulders tense? Are you rushing because you want the moment to be over? Are you so focused on what everyone else might be thinking that you lose connection with what you actually want to say?

This is where BRAVE begins.

Rather than starting with performance, we start with the breath and the body.

Breathe — becoming aware of the breath and creating space.

Relax — recognising and releasing unnecessary tension.

Align — finding a grounded and confident physical presence.

Voice — exploring how we can use our voices with greater freedom, clarity and expression.

Engage — bringing everything together to genuinely connect with an audience.

You Don’t Have to Become Fearless

I don’t think confidence means never feeling nervous.

I have performed on stage, delivered speeches, taught workshops and spoken in front of many different audiences. There can still be nerves.

The difference is learning what to do with them.

Sometimes courage isn’t about getting rid of fear. It is about breathing, grounding yourself and speaking anyway.

That is why I called this project BRAVE.

It isn’t about becoming the loudest person in the room. And it isn’t about pretending to be confident.

It is about becoming more comfortable with your own presence and allowing your voice to be heard.

Bringing My Worlds Together

One of the things I love most about BRAVE is that it draws on several areas that have shaped who I am and how I work.

Speech pathology taught me about communication, speech and voice.

Yoga taught me to pay attention to breath, body and awareness.

Acting taught me about presence, expression, spontaneity and connection.

And Toastmasters gave me a place to practise speaking, take risks, receive feedback and continue growing.

BRAVE is an opportunity for me to bring those worlds together and share some of what I have learnt with others.

And I expect that, like most worthwhile projects, I will learn just as much from the people who participate.

Join the BRAVE Project

BRAVE – Breathwork for Speakers – will run as four practical sessions at City of Sydney Toastmasters:

Monday 12 October 2026
Monday 26 October 2026
Monday 9 November 2026
Monday 23 November 2026

Time: 9:00–9:30 pm, straight after each club meeting (Club meetings are 6:30-9 pm)

Venue: City of Sydney Toastmasters Club, Level 2, 262 Pitt Street (Pilgrim House), Sydney

Across the program, we will explore breathing, relaxation, alignment, voice and engagement through practical exercises that can be used for speeches, presentations and everyday communication.

Participants will also receive a participant workbook, guided practice recordings, weekly practice challenges and a certificate of completion.

The program is free for City of Sydney Toastmasters members.

For guests, the program is $40, and the fee can be credited towards joining the club.

To keep the experience personal, practical and interactive, BRAVE is limited to just 10 participants.

Ready to be BRAVE?

Register here:
👉 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ioTnZYp3s10kONmPnohn06rdUZo16VCYcqkrwfVKOE0/viewform?edit_requested=true

I created BRAVE because I believe speaking with confidence doesn’t begin when you open your mouth.

It begins with becoming present.

With your breath.
With your body.
With trusting yourself enough to be seen and heard.

Sometimes all it takes is a breath, a little practice and the courage to begin.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ioTnZYp3s10kONmPnohn06rdUZo16VCYcqkrwfVKOE0/viewform?edit_requested=true

Breathe. Relax. Align. Voice. Engage.

Be BRAVE.

See you there!

Binh Doan
DTM Project – City of Sydney Toastmasters

A Father’s Day reflection

My dad, Phê, passed away many years ago following an illness. Father’s Day gives me a moment to remember him and reflect on how much of his influence is still present in my life. The older I get, the more I understand what he gave me.

Dad was born in Vietnam during the war and grew up poor. He didn’t finish school. He was an artist and an entrepreneur who built Thạnh Phát, our family’s sơn mài (Vietnamese lacquerware) business. His creativity and hard work supported our family.

Our family business even welcomed buyers from Christian Dior, who came to purchase our pieces. When I think about that now, I feel proud of what he achieved and how far his work reached.

Through years of hard work, Dad managed to send all his children to school and give us opportunities to study in Australia. I appreciate more deeply now the effort behind the opportunities we were given.

As a child, I used to help him design some of our lacquerware pieces. Those memories mean a great deal to me. I was included in his work and had the chance to contribute my own ideas to something we were creating.

Looking back, I can see how much I was learning through that experience. Sharing a design meant finding a way to express an idea, listening to someone else’s perspective and working together. Being able to contribute helped me develop confidence in what I had to offer.

Growing up around Dad and the business also taught me about people: how to communicate, show respect, build relationships and adapt to different situations. These were skills I was developing through everyday life, long before I understood how important they would become.

When I left Vietnam for Australia at 15, I took those lessons with me.

Moving overseas meant adjusting to a different culture, a new school and much more responsibility for myself. There was plenty I still had to learn. By then, though, I had a strong foundation of social skills that helped me approach people, make friends, ask for help and find my place in unfamiliar surroundings.

That foundation helped me become independent and thrive. Dad’s hard work made the move possible, and the lessons I had learnt growing up helped me make the most of it.

Today, as a speech pathologist, I have another reason to appreciate those early experiences. Expressing ourselves, listening to others and building connections are part of so much of what we do. I think about how much confidence a child can gain when their ideas are heard and they have a chance to contribute. Helping Dad with designs gave me that opportunity.

I also recognise his influence in my own love of creativity and in running a business. I have a greater appreciation now of the effort involved in creating something, taking responsibility for it and continuing through challenges. Dad did all of that while working to give his children a better future.

I wish I could tell him how much those childhood experiences still mean to me. His influence is there when I create something, connect with someone new or encourage a child to share an idea.

Thank you, Dad, for the opportunities you worked so hard to give us, and for helping me believe I could find my own way in the world.

❤️

Bình