My Story

Hello, my name is Anne Michelle. I am freeing people from unwanted hair permanently, with Electrolysis. I have been doing this for over 30 years….

Shyness, and My journey in overcoming it

Hot face. Bright red. Frozen with fear. That has been happening all my life. At 12 years old, was when I had my first glimpse that shyness was an issue for me.

The Pit

I had to do a class room speech: Shackleton’s discovery of the Northern passage. I stood at the front of my form 2 class. Hot face. Clammy hands… I’ll always remember that Shackleton project… The speech was done. I thankfully sank into my desk seat next to my friend. She leaned towards me. “That was so funny!” she said. “Really?” I said “That was terrifying!” She said “You never stayed still the whole time – you rocked and swivelled your body all the way through.” “Oh, I didn’t notice.” I am sooo shy!, I thought to myself. I hate myself.

I never asked questions in school. I remember college, one day sitting in history. Apartheid was being discussed. The teacher asked “is there anyone who doesn’t know what apartheid is.” I had no idea, but I never asked, avoiding the bright red flush.

When I was 27 years old. My Mother suggested I train as an Electrologist. That became my vocation in life.

The Break thru

In my mid 40’s, now a fully qualified Electrologist, I’d been attending a W.I.S.E. (women into self-employment) women’s group for a number of years. 12 years in, our W.I.S.E. group organiizer was stepping out. No one would step in. This was our last meeting! I went around various members pleading with them “this group should be kept going – we all enjoy these great get2gethers and benefit from these monthly meetings”.

One lady said “You keep it going Anne Michelle, you seem to have the greatest need” “Oh no, I’m too shy!” I said. Another woman said “I’ll ring people and ask them to be speakers.”… “Oh, OK I will do it.” On getting home, I said to myself “Oh dear – what have I done?”, and I burst into tears. I rang my father. “Please help! I don’t know how to run a group.” And burst into tears again! “I’ll come right over” he said “You don’t need to do this by yourself. What’s needed is a group of Brainstormers.” So I pulled together a few Business ladies. They were all very supportive and we planned the program for the year’s events.

Running a WISE women meeting. I would stand. Speak quickly, my face going bright red!, and sit down fast. Oh, I felt bad. I was failing the group with my shyness!

At our Xmas meeting, I had asked everyone to give a 3 minute talk about their business. One lady said she was in a start-up Toastmasters Club, The Madhatters. Toastmasters is where you learn to write a speech, stand and give it.

That’s what I need, I said to myself, so I joined The Madhatters. I moved away from being a ‘Wall-flower’. I found that everyone has a degree of difficulty with public speaking. I learned how to write a speech. How to stand and give it. I wasn’t soo shy anymore. I learnt a lot about Myself in Toastmasters. I do best when telling stories. Some Toastmasters would say,they’d be expecting me to say something funny. 🙂 When I’m doing an Electrolysis treatment, I often distract my client from the uncomfortable feeling of the treatment with my life stories.

The Tiara

I was now able to market my Electrolysis business to women’s groups. I spoke at my father-in-laws funeral. My mother-in-law asked me to say a few words at his burial. What an honour.

I’d joined the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce – where they’d have business educational events plus 2 networking meetings per month. Toastmasters ‘table topics’ improved my 1 1/2 min ‘elevator speech’, when introducing myself.

At Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce 2008 Xmas Party the new CEO, commending my mix&mingle statistics, crowned me the ‘Queen of Networking’ giving me a tiara. I felt very humbled. As I moved around between the dinner tables other Biz people would curtsy or bow “to the Queen”. What a laugh that night was!

Now

I’m now comfortable mixing&mingling.

I still blush but I understand people can’t see it as much as I can feel it so I push through that self conscious shyness to stay on track with what I want to say.

Now, I want to use my life experience to chase what stirs my blood. Nature! To protect and preserve it – one Community Project close to my heart is Maire Stream Guardians, dedicated to returning Maire Stream to a quiet place for fauna and flora, a Santuary.

My Timeline

I was born in Wanganui. The youngest of 3.

By 27 years old, I was divorced with 2 children- a girl 8yrs and a boy 18 months. My mother suggested I train as an Electrologist. ”What’s that?” “Permanent hair removal with Electrolysis.”

I got passionate! It became my focus: “to free people from unwanted hair”

I remarried at 35. Had two more children, a boy and a girl, and became self-employed or as I’d like to think of it – self managing.

I needed to step away from my “the beautician” competition/image, to show my specialist status and emphasized the Electrologist.

2006 I wrote a business plan. A business plan, which gives forward thinking.

To put down what I really want, and how to do it.

Since 2008, I have brought in a computer program database to simplify the paper work and be more effective for my client’s welfare. I am looking to the future. Preparing for retirement. Hiring a staff member.

Being self-managing is a constant challenge. I’m always looking for ways to improve myself, and improve my business – Anne Michelle Electrologist.