You’ve done the inner work.
You’ve led teams, held space, and refined your voice in rooms where things get decided.
Now, you’re stepping into bigger spaces—keynotes, conferences, TEDx, media interviews, or high-stakes internal talks.
This isn’t just about what you say. It’s about how it lands.
Present With Presence helps you speak with clarity, own your message, and embody the presence that draws people in—without slipping into performance mode.
"From the very beginning, her main concern was delivering on what I wanted to get out of our time together. She was absolutely wonderful, caring, and deeply invested in our work together! She truly made me better and helped to bring out the best in me and what I was offering in my engagement.
More importantly, she helped me understand the true impact and value of what we focused on together! I highly recommend Kristy to anyone who sincerely wants to take their ability to present, engage, and impact others to the absolute next level!"
Steven Nathenson - Leadership Executive Coach
"Kristy’s approach is nothing short of transformative. She doesn’t just help you organize your knowledge—she helps you craft a speech that aligns with your energy, allowing you to connect with your audience in a truly authentic and heartfelt way.
Her process gave me the confidence, clarity, and structure I needed to step onto the stage with purpose."
Jen Kok- Entrepreneur
"Kristy helped me turn my dull presentation into a story line that would keep my audience captivated and engaged. She gave me tips and suggestions for increasing the visual appeal of my power point slides as well. And most importantly for me, she helped me to gain the added confidence I needed to go into that conference room, take control of the audience and give them amazing value in the content that I delivered.
And after the conference, I received written feedback with quotes like "Speaker was extremely well prepared and had great subject knowledge. Couldn’t believe this was her first time speaking at a conference!" I could not have asked for anything more."
Jennifer Rust - CEO Creative Profit Planning
Blonde hair? Nope.
Blue eyes? Also no.
Freckles? Not naturally.
But thank you, CoverGirl espresso eyeliner, for helping me draw a few on in the girls’ bathroom between classes. Real subtle.
My Jewish-Lebanese roots offered nothing that teen magazines or after-school specials celebrated at the time. But I was determined to look the part—even if I had no idea what the part actually was.
This is also around the age when we start talking like this…?
You know, like we’re not sure…?
Even though we are…?
It’s when we learn that having the right answer can make other people uncomfortable.
So we downplay.
We soften.
We ask permission with our voices before we even speak.
And little by little, we lose touch.
Not all at once—the voice doesn’t disappear in a dramatic exit.
She slips out quietly, stage left, while we’re too busy managing and carrying everyone else’s comfort.
Until we don’t know how to find her again.
Only that we miss her.
And ourselves.
Fast forward: after graduating from Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communication, I jumped headfirst into NYC—with a suitcase full of dreams and a heart full of delusion. Acting, auditioning, riding the subway in heels. I had Sandra Bullock’s girl-next-door charm meets Anna-from-Frozen’s overcaffeinated creative energy. Naturally, I wanted to be mysterious and smoldering a´la Charlize Theron meets Jessica Rabbit.
So when I landed an audition at a major modeling agency for a national body wash commercial (you can’t make this up), I went full Jessica. Voice, smolder, the whole shebang. Anna didn’t stand a chance.
When I was done, the casting director asked how I thought it went.
I started to say, “I think it went goo—”
She cut me off.
“It sucked.”
She liked me though. I could tell.
She gave me another chance. I came back. Did slightly better.
But here’s what I know now, twenty-five years later:
People don’t want perfect.
They want present.
They want real.
They want YOU.
The true-blue, one-of-a-kind you.
And the more at home you feel in your own skin, the more your audience will too.
If that hits a nerve—in the best possible way— Present With Presence was made for you. I’d love to have you join me.
© Copyright 2025. Sow to Speak by Kristy Mandour. All Rights Reserved | DESIGN BY MACKENZIE | PRIVACY POLICY