About DenverSpeakUp
We treat the root causes of your speaking anxiety, not the symptoms.
DenverSpeakUp is an executive communication and public speaking coaching practice built on a different idea. We treat the root causes of your speaking anxiety, not the symptoms.
Who we are
An executive communication and public speaking coaching practice
DenverSpeakUp is an executive communication and public speaking coaching practice built on a different idea. We treat the root causes of your speaking anxiety, not the symptoms.
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Root causes, not symptoms
We treat the root causes of your speaking anxiety, not the symptoms.
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Built for senior leaders
Our clients are not beginners. They are directors, vice presidents, and senior leaders who are brilliant in every setting except the one that matters most right now.
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The Root-First Method
We do not hand you tricks to manage stage fright. We help you overcome the fear of public speaking at its source, so you walk out different from how you walked in.
The problem we solve
Most public speaking training treats the fear of public speaking as a skills gap.
Learn the techniques, drill the structure, practice the power poses, and the anxiety will settle. For the people who struggle most, that promise fails under pressure, because the fear was never about skill.
That promise fails under pressure
For the people who struggle most, that promise fails under pressure, because the fear was never about skill.
Brilliant — until the room that matters
They are brilliant in every setting except the one that matters most right now, the skip-level, the board presentation, the keynote, the high-stakes meeting where their voice goes tight and their point does not land the way it did in their head.
Knowing the answer is not enough
They walk in knowing the answer, and someone with a simpler idea sounds more convincing.
Courses, books, and breathing techniques
Most have already tried the courses, the books, and the breathing techniques. What they have not done is address the actual cause of the fear.
On the other side
Here is what that looks like on the other side.
The change is not a performance you force your way through. It is a clear, grounded voice that is genuinely yours, one that finally carries the weight your expertise deserves. Your thinking and your presence finally match.
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Walk in without the dread
You walk into the presentation and the board meeting without the dread that used to start days before.
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Clear under pressure
Your mind stays clear under pressure, so your ideas come out structured and sharp instead of circling.
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Hold the room when challenged
You answer the hard question without losing your thread. You hold the room even when you are challenged.
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Say it the way you meant to
And you stop replaying the conversation afterward, wishing you had said it differently, because you already said it the way you meant to.
We have coached and trained more than 60 senior leaders through this work. If you are ready to stop managing your public speaking anxiety and actually resolve it, you are in the right place.
- 60+
- Senior leaders coached and trained through this work
- 30,000+
- Leaders and professionals who consume content on public speaking and high-stakes communications
- 4x
- The Moth Stage speaker
Meet the coach
Meet Waqas ur Rehman, PhD
Founder & Public Speaking Anxiety Expert

I teach this because I lived it.
I grew up as an introverted shy kid. When I was 8, my uncle staged a speech contest between me and my cousins, and I froze in front of the whole family while my grandfather whispered answers I could not get out of my mouth. I spent two decades trying to outrun that moment with credentials, three engineering degrees and a doctorate, certain enough achievement would finally fix the fear.
They never did. Then at age 30, a media crew put a microphone in my face at a campus event, and I froze all over again. That humiliation is what made me stop chasing skills and go looking for the real root causes of my public speaking anxiety, and I never stopped.
What I found became the Root-First Method. The fear of public speaking was never a skills problem. It was caused by negative thoughts and limiting beliefs that triggered my anxiety and fear in high-stakes situations.
I rebuilt my own voice from the ground up. I have since spoken at The Moth Stage in front of more than 300 people, spoken at international technology conferences, and built a following of more than 30,000 leaders and professionals who consume my content on public speaking and high-stakes communications. Today I coach CEOs, directors, vice presidents, and senior leaders, accomplished people who think with extraordinary depth but freeze when the stakes get high, and I help them do what I once believed was impossible for me.
I know this problem from both sides. I was the case study before I was the coach. That is exactly why I can find the root of your fear, often faster than you would expect, and help you build a voice that finally matches the depth of what you have to say.
Introvert public speaker and coach
PhD in Engineering, former engineer at Tesla Inc. and Lucid Motors
4x The Moth Stage speaker
Featured in VoyageDenver
Client results
What Our Clients Say:
Dr. Joshua OigaraCEO, Stanbic Bank Kenya (Ex-CEO, KCB Bank Kenya)For most of my life, I carried a quiet belief that shaped everything. It didn't scream, it whispered. Over time, that whisper became the truth in my mind. I achieved a lot on the outside, I've spoken at Harvard, met presidents and prime ministers, led global initiatives, but deep inside I still felt something missing. I would hold back from conversations, avoid the spotlight, and question whether I truly belonged in the rooms I was already in.
Then I started working with Waqas. Very quickly, I realized this work wasn't about just techniques, it was about truth. We dug deep, and I came face to face with beliefs I didn't even know I had unconsciously chosen, and yet they were defining my life. Normally I would overprepare or even try to avoid public speaking. But this time [after coaching], I walked in with no notes. There was tension, yes, but also a sense of presence. I remember thinking, what was I waiting for all this time?
It wasn’t a fake confidence or surface-level fix. It was deep, real, and rooted. I’m very impressed. It changed the way I think, the way I speak, and the way I live. It gave me access to a version of myself I had forgotten was possible.
(Transcribed from video testimonial)
Jessica LopezBusiness OwnerUSAI would get really anxious about speaking in groups. Every time I had a speaking event, my mind would go blank when it was my turn and I'd stumble over my words. I spent so much time trying to write and memorize presentations to avoid making mistakes and embarrassing myself. I was feeling discouraged and was doubting my own abilities to grow.
[Waqas] helped me identify that my biggest anxieties around public speaking came from a small handful of experiences that convinced me I wasn't good at it. I didn't realize the thing that was holding me back came from my own limiting beliefs about myself. Once we started to uncover the root of my anxieties, I felt less pressure to be good and began to feel more excited about the experience of public speaking.
Now I feel more comfortable being myself on and off stage. I don't worry about making mistakes or memorizing things now. I speak up more in social settings now. I have a newfound confidence and it feels good to see myself this way. Thanks for believing in me, even when I haven't always believed in myself.
Afshan MartinHands-on Technical Leader & Platform ArchitectUSAWaqas has a rare ability to help people find their voice in moments where it matters most. His coaching goes far beyond surface-level communication tips and gets to the root of the internal patterns that hold people back from speaking with clarity and confidence.
What stands out most is his empathy and deep understanding of how anxiety, self-doubt, and past experiences influence how we show up in important conversations. He creates a safe, thoughtful environment where real transformation can happen. Anyone looking to communicate with greater authority and authenticity would benefit greatly from working with him.
The Cost of Public Speaking Anxiety
Discover how much public speaking anxiety could be costing you.
- Total Preparation Cost
- $1,250
- Hours of Anticipatory Anxiety
- $12,500
- Performance Loss Cost
- $625
Cost incurred from the time spent preparing for speeches each year.
Estimated cost resulting from the time spent worrying or experiencing stress before speaking events.
Estimated loss in earnings due to reduced confidence, self-esteem and performance from anxiety.
Total Annual Cost
$14,375
Total annual cost due to public speaking anxiety.
Take Control of Your Public Speaking Anxiety
Ready to stop paying this quiet tax? Get professional strategies to speak with confidence.
Overcome public speaking anxiety
Get in touch to talk about your speaking situation and see whether coaching is the right next step.
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