Hi! I’m Erin Duffy.
I know what it feels like to have the weight of the world on your shoulders.
I remember being on my way to pitch a Fortune 100 company with my Silicon Valley creative agency colleagues. It was our biggest client. Losing the business could lead to massive layoffs.
Stepping Into My Personal Power
Something inside me flipped like a switch. I felt like I was “on” in a way that was reminiscent of my other career as a stage singer and actor. In that role, I used storytelling to take my audience on a journey. Instead of PowerPoint and videos, I realized my tools are stagecraft and song.
On this particular day, there was a collision between my two worlds. I didn’t even realize I was doing vocal warm-ups in the car until a coworker pointed it out. When it was time to present to the client, I veered away from the rote corporate presentation format. I was authentic, honest, open, and engaged in a way that connected with everyone in the room. Without consciously thinking about it, I had brought in the proven storytelling craft that I’d honed over two decades on stage, to deliver that day’s important pitch. The client noticed my sincerity and passion. We landed the contract. The client even suggesting I take on the role of pitch person for every future meeting.
A few years later, I began to feel unsettled. After 25 years in the creative communications industry, the cycles of boom and bust were becoming harder and harder to deal with. I had experienced the downside of mergers and acquisitions, but also the upside of transformation and growth. The industry had been good to me, but I had also lost touch with a part of myself during that journey. I wondered, “Is this all there is?”
My Career Transition Journey
I began to feel called to do something more. I’d reached a plateau. I wondered if there was a career opportunity where I could combine my acumen in business and my passion for a well-told, heartfelt story. I considered how these two equally important parts of me could find center stage, together. With few discernable options and no one to guide me, I decided to heed my inner voice. I made the decision to leave my job and take a hiatus from my performing career.
I was ready to explore the next chapter.
I reflected back on that big pitch meeting. What I had done differently that day was put myself into the story. I had used traditional storytelling architecture like I had during creative presentations in the past. But I intuitively drew from my own history and personal experiences as well. Doing so empowered me to show up authentically, without the mask of what the corporate world often expects. My “a-ha” moment came when I realized I could guide others to do the same.
Our Mission
Developing Executive Presence
InspirationSQRD was born out of my desire to support individuals in renewing their own professional and personal growth through the discovery of their authentic voice and true aspirations.
I coach clients using a curated and guided journey of self-awareness told through personal stories. My clients learn how a well-told, honest, and intimate tale creates an unbreakable bond with the audience.
Participants of my core program—Own Your Story | Change Your Life™—start by exploring their past. I believe that while every person has a history and a story, it is often lost or abdicated as they are absorbed into their career or the culture of their organization. I support my clients in revealing what they may have lost touch with, help them determine what could be brought forward, and guide them in creating a strategic yet intimate vision for their future. I challenges my clients to consider how their innate traits and behaviors have influenced their story, in both positive and negative ways and then works with them to tap into their inner wisdom, shift their story, and point towards a renewed narrative helping them align their passion with their mission.
The Power of Story
Enhance Stage Presence
I believe our stories powerfully define us and are the catalyst to redefine our path. They form the basis for an inspirational voice that every charismatic and dynamic leader has nurtured, reinforcing that they are secure in where they came from and confident in where they are going. Our stories help us to become centered. Using them as our compass, we can navigate our lives and careers.
Experience
100+
Theatre and musical stage
productions performed in
30
Years working in Silicon Valley
with Fortune 100 companies
100%
Irish gal, born on St. Patrick’s Day,
favorite color green (obviously)
OPEN DOORS WITH YOUR STORY
Work with me to master the art of self-discovery through your stories.