Aspiring PM, but my voice trembles – How do I overcome this?

Hi everyone,

I've been working for four years now at a tier-2 consulting firm (think ADL, Kearney, RB, etc.). I enjoy my job, I'm pretty good at it, and I don’t experience too much stress overall. However, I go through cycles where I struggle with intense anxiety when speaking in public.

What’s frustrating is that I’ve done theater my whole life, and I’m actually a strong presenter. So, my fear isn’t about presenting itself—it’s about my voice. When I start speaking, my voice sometimes trembles (typically in the beginning of the presentation), and that immediately triggers stress. In other words, I’m not anxious about the presentation; I’m anxious about the possibility of my voice betraying me.

I absolutely hate this, and I feel like it’s starting to hold back my career progression. I want to become a PM, but how can I lead confidently if I look nervous while speaking? I’ve tried several approaches to fix this:

Short-term physical: Slow breathing techniques before and during presentations, hydration, vocal warm-ups, smiling,… Long-term physical: Regular exercise, good sleep habits Long-term mental: Saw a psychologist, but general advice about controlling cortisol didn’t really help Short-term mental: This has worked best so far—before speaking, I recall positive experiences from past presentations and theater performances, focusing on the enjoyment and confidence I felt But it’s still not enough. I'm really looking for any advice—does anyone else deal with this? How do you manage it? I mean, there are news anchors and public speakers who do this daily—there must be techniques to keep your voice under control.

I’d really appreciate any insights—I'm getting quite desperate!