Where are you located? I have a few professional networking groups that might be of interest. If you're not close by, I can make some introductions.

This is wonderful and you have so much to share - your stories and voice needs to be heard! I have a great resource for you! Emilie Aires of Bossed Up has a 2 Month Speaking Program( I did last year when she first rolled it out). Here is the link and looks like one is starting March 2021. You can always book a call with her too and she can talk to you about timing or any other support/ideas she may have! https://www.bossedup.org/speakup Wishing you all the best!!

Do you have a Youtube channel, or write for publications as a content-marketing method?

Molly Ruland is a great resource for public speaking and podcast hosting. She could definitely help you develop your speaking business. https://www.linkedin.com/in/heartcastmedia/

You are definitely an inspiration and have much to offer! With your experience with the IEP process, you can definitely help other parents just starting out. I am part of parent groups for a specific chronic illness and know that sometimes parents just need to hear that they are not alone. I would try to find parent groups where you can start presenting, even if for free to start, and create the best program. Then go for the paid venues. Keep pushing forward as you are the expert due to your personal experiences. Good luck and keep moving forward!

Hi This is so awesome! With so much negativity in the world now we need a sweet soul like yourself! You sound really ambitious! Are you keeping your options open?

First, congratulations on raising 4 children! What a gift. And then to have and refine your dream is to experience the phenomenon of willfulness and desire. Go for what you truly want. It sounds like you are constructing a motivational/transformational speaking brand. I am thinking your target demographic would be parents with children who have IEP's and all that goes with that experience (this is where you are an expert). Craft a central message to your niche audience and build from there. What is the core challenge parents with children with IEP's face? Come up with 3 easy recommendations (based on your experience) for meeting those challenges? Let those 3 easy recommendations become the core of your philosophy and repeat them where ever you go: on your podcast, as a guest on someone else's platforms, when you submit a guest blog-post, when you guest appear with support groups. For example, if I wanted to start a speaking business, I'd focus on Getting Your (truly) Independent Film into the Hands of a Professional Film Critic. I believe that the top 3 challenges of the truly indie filmmaker is knowing what qualifies a critic as professional, how to get the critic to respond when they reach out, and how to get the critic to give a thorough review of their film. I would craft my whole outreach on the solutions to these critical filmmaker challenges. But instead of just telling them the fix, I'd create some fun way to say I know their pain-points and tease the solutions. Invite them to listen to me on [insert platform here] and then deliver my full presentation. But before all of that, start with the messaging. Don't get ahead of yourself. Really discover your niche. Create a teaser and presentation. Test it by guesting here and there on local platforms. Collect feedback. Refine your message accordingly. Once you've gotten to the point when your message is really clear to you and you can communicate it in your sleep, then you're ready to reach out to regional platforms and beyond. Bonus thought: try to communicate your 3 easy recommendations in clear, but quippy or slick summaries. Good luck!