I talk for a living - and what no one really knows is that it hasn't always been easy for me to communicate. As a child I had a debilitating speech impediment. I can still hear the dinner lady laughing in my face when the five-year-old me asked for fish fingers, but couldn't get the words out. I still feel sad for the five-year-old Josh who was too shy to say almost anything at all.
Seeing the effect this had on me, my parents took me to a speech therapist. After months of working on my “th”, “f” and “ph” sounds they became passable – if you listen carefully I still can’t say them perfectly. I got my confidence back, but then as a teenage boy I faced a new challenge – my voice didn’t sound like other boys. Everyone else’s voice dropped, mine didn’t, and I became a target for homophobic bullies who teased me mercilessly just as I was still trying to figure out who I was. I shrank inside myself all over again. “If they say I am disgusting, unattractive and unlikeable, then maybe I should hate myself too.”
So, no one is more surprised than me that, now, 10 or so years on from those darkest days, I have found my voice quite literally.
My job is interviewing celebrities, and I have talked to hundreds from every walk of life and mood – from Victoria Beckham to Oprah.
I host my podcast, Reign with Josh Smith, and I can now walk into a room full of strangers and flex my small talk as easily as I can take to the stage and present to hundreds of people. Five-year-old me would never have believed any of that was possible.
If there is one thing my life and work have taught me it’s this: we all have the power to be able to speak to anyone once we commit to mastering the art of conversation in an intentional way. And as rates of social anxiety soar in an era where loneliness is a very modern epidemic, it is the one thing which can help.
Denne historien er fra June 25, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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Denne historien er fra June 25, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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Norris can't afford any more slip-ups in race for the title
Ahead of tomorrow's Belgian Grand Prix at the prestigious Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Lando Norris trails Max Verstappen by 76 points in the F1 drivers' championship. After the Dutchman won four of the first five races, it is to McLaren's credit that they have caught Red Bull in the development race and, on the evidence of the last month, have overtaken Adrian Newey's ground-effects juggernaut, most effectively in the second half of the grand prix last Sunday.
Free-spirit Hodgkinson has designs on Olympic glory
The overwhelming favourite for 800m gold has been given license to be herself - and it's working, writes Ben Bloom
French panache dampened.by rain and ambitious route
Paris 2024 always knew its idea for the opening ceremony was \"crazy\" but a relentless downpour yesterday evening ensured a damp start to the Olympics with many bewildered by its format.
The inheritance feud that's tearing the Murdochs apart
The latest chapter in the family's battle for power is straight out of 'Succession', writes Chris Blackhurst - with the media mogul's 'Project Harmony' proving anything but harmonious
Supermarket discounts being probed by regulator
UK supermarkets are not likely to be misleading shoppers over loyalty pricing but questions remain over whether displayed savings are genuine, the competition watchdog has suggested.
Tax rises aren't the only way to fill a £20bn black hole
Rachel Reeves is preparing to drop a financial bomb on Britain next week. I've seen figures quoting £10bn, £20bn, even £50bn, for the black hole she will announce she has found. Naturally, the voluminous gap will be blamed on the other lot.
It may be time to panic about Musk's US election influence
\"Think of it as a Venn diagram. Elon Musk is almost certainly the richest person in the world and controls a vast social media platform. The US president is probably the most powerful person in the world. Can the person with the biggest bucks help determine who gets to be the most powerful? And would we ever know?
Sintra residents sign up to fight against overtourism
Residents in one picturesque Portuguese town are protesting to protect its historic centre in an ongoing battle against overtourism.
Bangladeshi prime minister accused of 'crocodile tears' after protest leaves 150 dead
Bangladesh's prime minister Sheikh Hasina is under fire for \"shedding crocodile tears\" over damage caused to a railway station during a protest against her government that left more than 150 people dead. Ms Hasina was seen wiping away tears in pictures taken during her visit to a metro station in Mirpur, as social media users lambasted her for what they saw as her apparent lack of empathy for the victims of violence.
Philippines races to prevent 'worst oil spill in its history'
The Philippines coast guard is \"racing against time\" to prevent an environmental catastrophe as it attempts to contain the oil spill from a sunken tanker and stop it from reaching Manila's shoreline.
