Niamh O'Brien

I had a mini epiphany this week I’m keen to share!

I had an 8am appointment with my doctor. A check-up. Nothing serious.

I arrived at the doctor’s surgery a few minutes early. As I sat down in the waiting room I noticed that the other 4-5 people waiting were all looking at their phones. I reached inside my bag to grab mine.

But then I stopped, realising I was automatically following everyone else’s lead. 

“No, no, no” I thought to myself. “I’ve only 5 minutes to wait. Just sit”.

I looked at the art on the walls. I glanced at the posters on the surgery board, reminders to get flu injections, the dangers of smoking… I felt an itch to reach into my bag for my phone, but resisted. My mind began to drift.

Plop! Out of the blue, an answer to a problem I had been grappling with the previous day dropped into my head, literally out of nowhere. I was astounded.

Then my name was called for my appointment.

On my journey home I thought about it. 

“Oh my goodness.” Had I picked up my phone and played a game or read the news, telling myself the activity was good for my brain, I would not have solved the problem that had been defeating me so far, so quickly or easily. 

I would have sat back down at my desk, picking up from the point I had left it the day before, crunching my brain through the options. “Would I have solved the problem with that intentional focus?’ I wondered. “Certainly not as effortlessly as I did “ I thought.

It made me think or perhaps remember, that our brains need little pockets of space. And it turns out there’s a name for what happened. I was so intrigued with what happened I looked it up. It’s called Default Mode Network (DMN).

DMN is a part of the brain that switches on when the mind is allowed to wander. It’s associated with reflection, integrating memories, imagining the future, and it can connect dots we can’t force together through deliberate effort.

Keep it in mind as you go about your life today.

We don’t always need to push harder to perform better. Sometimes all we need is to pause, look around, and let our minds breathe.

       

I love this quote.
“I did then what I knew what to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” - Maya Angelou

We can be so hard on ourselves for not knowing something sooner, and for getting things wrong as a result. 

But how can we do differently, if we don’t know differently?

Growth doesn’t come from beating ourselves up. It comes from allowing ourselves to learn. And isn’t it wonderful that when we know better, we get to do better.🌱

If this resonates, be a little kinder to the version of you who didn’t know yet. 💛

Oh, oh, oh, I’m so happy to get this feedback.🥳

I genuinely put a lot of thought and care into making my program as simple, practical, and easy to adopt as possible. Phew, that it’s working that way!

So. if you’ve ever thought it would be too hard to improve your communication skills…it’s not.
It just takes learning a few simple things and practicing them.

If you’re curious, message me “simple” and I’ll happliy share more.😊

 selfmastery coach mindset youdonthavetobeloudtolead

I'm still reflecting on the fantastic 2026 Ignite Innovation Inspiration speakers event of last Friday in Sydney, and I'm so grateful for the wonderful feedback I got for my job on the day:

“As MC Niamh has the rare talent of being incredibly entertaining without taking the focus away from the people who matter most.”

It reinforces what I believe in and teach;

We don't have to be loud to lead a room, a conversation or any situation.

Also the importance of moving through things that make us uncomfortable, so we grow, and because there's always the chance we discover something we love and are good at on the other side.

Thank you and for involving me in this event, and to the amazing speakers I worked with, who were so easy to showcase due to their excellence:

You don’t need to go it alone.

I don’t know about you, but being quiet by nature gave me the instinct to knuckle down and figure things out on my own.

I like space and silence to focus, think critically, and feel most like myself.

But I’ve come to realise that growth happens faster when we don’t isolate. Asking for help and collaborating with others has been key to becoming more skilled, confident, and impactful.

If you want to start 2026 as a powerful communicator and performer you don’t have to figure it out on your own. 🤝�

Comment “partner” and I’ll send you my Confident Communicator Workbook to get you started. ✨

I feel really grateful for this reflection from Grant who just completed the Quiet Power Pathway. ✨

It's not just about learning communication skills but about feeling different in the room overall. More grounded and intentional, and more you.

If you hold back or second guess how you come across, know you don't need to change who you are to show up with clarity and confidence. Working together you'd learn a set of skills you can turn on and off as you need. I'd love to support you to achieve that.

If this resonates, message me "ready" and we'll map out exactly how this would work for you. 🗝️🚀

Hmm…please give us a chance to open up!

Speaking with friends and clients last week, I realised that what I’d always thought was just me isn’t the case.

Listening to their experiences, the penny dropped.

There’s a “thing”, that when you’re quiet, socially anxious, or highly sensitive (or all three!), you can come across as stuck up, stand-offish, or cold.

It’s how we’ve all been described.

In reality, it can just take us a little longer to feel safe and comfortable in a new environment or conversation.

As a result we can be slow to fully show what’s inside us on the outside. We say the right things, answer correctly, and want to be involved, join, or connect. However, that initial incongruence can be misinterpreted, in the ways described above.

Phew to realising that it’s not just me!

If this has been your experience too, remember in those uncomfortable situations to:
✨Smile
✨Make sure you’re not holding your breath (breath out deeply)
✨And maybe try saying something like “It takes me a little while to warm up socially, but I’m really excited (or grateful or happy) to be here.”

That honesty will help the other person to see you more clearly, and more warmly.

And if this isn’t you, but you find yourself faced with someone who’s evidently intelligent and competent, but that's not matched by their social warmth - perhaps pause before drawing a conclusion. See if you can be curious for a few seconds, about what could be under the cool facade.

You never know…

Sometimes the quietest people are layered with care - and when those layers peel back, you might find surprising depth. 🌱

✨ Becoming an excellent communicator and performer takes a willingness to learn, practice, and try out a few simple but powerful changes.


I’m so grateful for my beautiful clients who remind me every day of what’s possible when you commit to the journey.

Here’s what Jing, a Learning Design Leader, shared after completing the Quiet Power Pathway:

You don’t have to be loud to lead.
And you don’t have to be “on” all the time to make an impact.


This weekend was all slow days, soft clothes, and space to just be.

But it’s Monday, and I’ve switched on the skills that move things forward.

You can access your power to communicate, lead, and perform whenever you choose.

Because quiet doesn’t mean small.


It means grounded. Calm. Intuitively connected to who you are. 🌿⚡️

If you'd like to learn how to switch on your presence and communicate with impact, DM me "Presence" and i'll share how I teach this to my clients.

You've got this! 🚀