With the release of my second book, Finding It, and my first exercise DVD, Losing It and Keeping Fit, I had the honor of speaking at several events throughout the fall - from Arizona's Ultimate Women's Expo and the Arizona Kidney Foundation Author's Luncheon in Phoenix to Maria Shriver's Women's Conference in Los Angeles.

These events are both empowering and humbling: I am inspired by the women who are attending these events to improve their lives, learn new ideas, or just spend a fun day with their girlfriends. I am awed by the celebrities, authors and leaders that I've been invited to join - from CNN Host Larry King and "Human Guinea Pig" A.J. Jacobs at the Author's Luncheon to former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and everybody's favorite trainer Jillian Michaels at Maria Shriver's Conference. 

This spring, I am honored to participate in the SmartTalk Connected Conversations series. I'll be returning to my birthplace - Wilmington, Del., to speak on January 25, 2010. I will also be appearing at SmartTalk events in New Brunswick, Conn. (Jan. 26) and Cincinnati (Jan. 27).

Public speaking can be intimidating, exciting and ultimately rewarding. Here's a peek at what goes into one of these speaking events - a recap of my exhilarating and nerve-wracking experience at Arizona's Ultimate Women's Expo in October... and be sure to check out the photos!

What an amazing day I had in Phoenix at Arizona's Ultimate Women's Expo!  During a record-breaking heat wave outside, I spend the day under cool air-conditioning with several thousand women and a few token men.  It was a thrilling yet frightening experience!

The frightening part came at the very beginning of the event where I was scheduled to speak at 1:00.  That start time came and went and I was still in the car trying to worm my way through traffic to the Phoenix Convention Center.  One of the major freeways was closed for the weekend and we had gotten stuck with all the other cars looking for alternate routes.  Being late for a keynote speech doesn’t help the nerves much, but I stayed focused and looked forward to interacting with the few people I thought might show up to hear me talk.

It turns out those “few people” were many!  As I walked out onto the stage and saw 1,200 eager faces looking up at me, I had one of those moments where my heart starts racing and my hands begin to shake.  I felt like I had just run a marathon!

It took a few minutes, but once I began talking about my personal journey, the jitters disappeared.  My story has been repeated many times over, but every time I have the opportunity to share it with others, I get to relive how far I have come.  The message I focused on in Phoenix was one of personal responsibility and how any person can accomplish whatever they put their minds to.  It isn’t a matter of hoping change will happen; it’s a matter of making it happen.  That means getting off the couch and taking that walk, even if the walk is just around the backyard.  It also means taking personal responsibility for your actions, asking for help when you need it and congratulating yourself on every little step that takes you closer towards your goal.

• Check out some more pictures of the Women's Expo

Every person sitting in that audience was there for a reason – they were motivated, courageous women who were there to learn to be their best.  I really hope my talk helped them understand that their personal best was already inside of them and they need to break through the fear of change to realize it.  It is something that took me a long time to accept and something I’m still living every single day.

Interacting with the audience afterwards was the best part of the Ultimate Women's Expo.  The stories of life-changing events and the gratitude from those who found motivation through my own struggles always make me so proud.  One woman asked me how I do it and my only answer was “the same way you all do it!”

After spending time with the audience I visited the Borders Books booth to sign Finding It.  A long line of people snaked around the exhibition area. I took pictures and talked to them about their own journeys.  One woman started crying while we talked and that nearly brought me to tears.  The most unusual thing I autographed was a “before and after” picture of a lady who had lost 113 pounds.  You go, girl!

The last stop of the afternoon was at the Jenny Craig booth where another line of mostly women stood holding my new exercise DVD.  This was the first place you could buy my new DVD! What a thrill that was! These women shared many more wonderful stories, including one who had signed up for Jenny Craig that afternoon with a goal of losing 80 pounds.  We talked for a few minutes and I reminded her that focusing on the overall goal can become very overwhelming at times and so I try to break it down into much smaller segments.  That attitude has helped me tremendously and I hope she’ll take it to heart as she works on reaching all of her goals.

By the end of the day I was both exhausted and energized.  It is always amazing how interacting with others, hearing about their struggles and goals and sharing my stories gives me boundless energy.  It isn’t until the end of the day when the crowds are gone and I am sitting quietly with Tom that the exhaustion sets in.  The best part of that fatigue is knowing that I might have said something that inspired someone to take the first step towards bettering themselves.

What an empowering way to spend a Saturday!