Hi, I’m Nada Pupovac, a member of Limerick Toastmasters. I joined the club in October 2023 with one simple goal: to become more confident speaking in public.
As a marketing professional, communication has always been a big part of my work. I run my own consultancy and also serve as VP of Marketing Strategy for a North Carolina-based psychiatry practice. Yet standing up to deliver a speech in front of an audience felt very different. If I’m honest, it felt scary.
I quickly realised that Toastmasters isn’t about becoming a perfect speaker. It’s about becoming a little better every time you step up.
Early on, I made a promise to myself: I wouldn’t try to improve everything at once. Instead, I would focus on improving just one thing with every speech. One better opening. One stronger gesture. One better pause. Looking back, that simple approach taught me something much bigger than public speaking. It taught me that confidence is built one small step at a time.
In fact, I still have every feedback slip I’ve ever received. Every single one. Whenever I look through them, I’m reminded of the encouragement, kindness and thoughtful feedback that kept me coming back, even after the speeches that didn’t go as planned. Those little pieces of paper tell the story of my Toastmasters journey better than any certificate ever could.
Somewhere along the way, I also became known in my club for one thing: preparation. During one of my speeches I repeated the phrase “prep, prep, prep” to emphasise how much good preparation matters. It seems to have stuck! To this day, fellow members still joke about it and occasionally remind me of my own catchphrase. It always makes me smile because it captures something Toastmasters has taught me so well: confidence isn’t about being fearless. It’s about preparing well enough to give yourself the best chance to succeed.
Of course, there have been milestones along the way. I’ve completed Level 4 of the Presentation Mastery pathway, taken part in both the Evaluation and International Speech Contests, and had the privilege of progressing through Area level. But when I look back, although those moments were important, they are not the moments I’m most grateful for.
What I’m most grateful for is becoming someone who is courageous and says “yes” more often.
Yes to speeches.
Yes to evaluations.
Yes to contests.
Yes to leadership.
Yes to opportunities I would once have talked myself out of.
That journey has led me to serve as Vice President Education for Limerick Toastmasters in the 2026/27 year. It also inspired me to join the District 71 PR Team as Social Media Lead, and I’m excited to continue as Campaign & Club Enablement Lead.
For me, both roles have the same purpose: giving back to the community that helped me grow.
Toastmasters is powered by volunteers who generously share their time, encouragement and experience with others. Every evaluator, every mentor and every meeting role played a part in my journey. Volunteering is simply my way of passing that gift on.
If my story encourages even one person to visit a Toastmasters meeting, volunteer for a role or say “yes” to something that feels a little uncomfortable, then sharing it has been worthwhile. Because you never know where one small “yes” might lead.
I’m grateful to be part of the District 71 community and excited to help others discover what Toastmasters can offer.
Nada Pupovac
Limerick Toastmaster
