Mike Pressler froze during his first public speech to 25 people at a Primerica meeting, unable to breathe while Cary Ginsburg called him up. Mark Marchesani said "He's gonna blow." The audience sat him back down, then applauded anyway, teaching him that even total failure gets met with kindness.
I had a terrible petrified phobia of public speaking. The first time I spoke in public, I froze. I think Mike Gallina might have been there. I opened my mouth in a meeting with about 25 people in a small office. Cary Ginsburg surprised me and asked me to get up and speak. I turned around, I opened my mouth, and this came out. Michael Gallina was there. Mark Marchesani was in the front row. I got my eyes closed off, my heart went crazy, I couldn't breathe. Marchesani goes, He's gonna blow! Ginsburg got up, right, Michael? Put me back in my seat and went, "Oh, okay." And the whole crowd went, "Yeah!" And at that point I realized you could literally freaking drop dead in front of a Primerica group and they will clap for you.
