Faith Crosbie is living proof you can do anything in life no matter how young or inexperienced you are, if you're prepared to put the hard yards in and be persistent. At 18 years old Faith is already a hard working entrepreneur with a healthy work ethic, who attributes much of her success to the communication and leadership skills she learnt at Toastmasters. She started her business at 16 years old. At 18 Faith is a poised, professional, confident, highly creative business woman determined to succeed. She hopes to work with youth in the future. To be a role model for young people and a motivational speaker for kids.
A member of Warren Christie's Gavel Club in Manukau, she started Toastmasters at 13 years old as a shy, insecure teenager.
When her parents signed her up for Toastmasters she was furious. Says Faith, "Public speaking was so not my thing I got mad, real mad. I totally freaked out. Kids live under so much pressure. Their lives are so public now. I was the sort of kid who was too scared to try anything new because I was afraid, very scared of being judged by others. Overall I had little confidence in myself. I was absolutely mortified."
Warren Christie has a lot to be proud of. His Toastmasters Gavel Club for 13 to 18 year olds in Manukau provided a safe environment for Faith to blossom and transform herself. At 18 years old Faith is working hard to make her dreams come true. She's already a professional actress who once worked on a Netflix production, She's also appeared on video music productions. As well she's a seasoned runway model. Add to that she's an entrepreneur who has founded her own yoga and fitness business. Faith teaches aerial yoga, and pilates in her own professional gym to people double, triple, even quadruple her age. She also has a list of private clients who hire her to teach yoga in their homes. In her spare time she's a Powerlifter who competes all over New Zealand, and pumps iron hard every day to compete at the highest level against Powerlifters far older and more experienced than her.
She founded her business at 16 years old as soon as Auckland came out of lockdown. Like many of our kids Faith found Covid tough. For two years on and off kids couldn't attend school in New Zealand. Faith hated the feeling of being non-productive, of getting nowhere. Because the classes she took she felt couldn't be learned online. She realises the value of Zoom in online training and business but found it a very frustrating medium for learning the subjects she wanted qualifications in, like drama and music. She wanted an education but it was frustrating not having access to teachers, or specialist classrooms or specialist school resources she needed. As a performer who was part of a rock band that competed in Battle of the Bands, at a bare minimum she needed a stage to practise on and people to practise in front of. A stop start education stilted her progress to leave her feeling stifled. She looked for alternatives that would allow her the freedom to pursue any direction she wanted to achieve in.
Going into business seemed the logical step to take. Being in business meant she could take control of her creative life. She could plan and organise her life around her business, Above all business gave her financial freedom, and a positive outlet for all the energy and ambition that Covid had thwarted at school. She could focus on her career and nothing could get in her way. She'd just experienced two years of her life slowing down to a halt, and she never wanted to go through that again. If Covid forced the world into lockdown again she wanted to be financially, personally, and professionally prepared.
Business has been a real learning curve. It was tough getting her first clients. She learnt the value of persistence. At 16 Faith had to promote herself competing against established leaders in her niche markets, in highly competitive fields. She had to work hard putting herself out there in already saturated markets, From a frightened 13 year old too scared to try anything new for fear of being judged by others, 3 years later she had to put herself out there, compete for modelling and acting jobs, and business clients. She's worked hard to establish her business and career. I know how hard she works. Faith is my granddaughter. I've watched her work her butt off from day one learning everything rapidly, from how to do her own tax returns to preparing herself for professional gigs to getting her own private gym ready for her clients. She's a professional in every sense of the word. Our family is proud of her.
Faith's life reads like an action thriller. It's so dramatic we never know what she's going to do next or where the next chapter will take her. We're always waiting to see how the next chapter unfolds. She is a huge inspiration to us all because she never gives in. No matter how hard something is, Faith will persist and try and try again until she gets there in the end. I think that persistent determined streak of hers will take her a long way.
1. Tell us about yourself please. Who are you?
I am an entrepreneur focused on my career. I'm glad I started yoga early in life. By the time I was sixteen I already had sufficient teaching experience, that I was able to gain professional Yoga teaching qualifications and start my own business. I am also a professional actress, model, performer and Powerlifter. My business gives me the financial freedom to continue studying dance, drama and acting courses.
I never wanted to get into student debt. I like being able to pay my way in life. I also love a good challenge. My aspirations are to establish myself and succeed in business. I left school at 16 to start my own business. It was a huge challenge but I learnt a lot and enjoy being in business and learning about business in general. Running your own business is hard work, but an amazing experience. When I told my parents why I wanted to leave school and start my own business they supported my decision. It's working out. It was the right decision for me. I can always go back to school or university at a later stage of life. For now I'm enjoying the opportunities and experiences that are coming my way.
2. Toastmasters is primarily about education, acquiring leadership and communication skills. Why did you join Toastmasters? What did you hope to gain?
Initially it wasn't my choice to join. My parents made the decision. In the beginning I was angry - but my dad had to drive 35 kilometres to take me to Toastmasters, wait for me to finish, then drive 35 kilometres home. I felt obligated to put in the effort after the huge effort my dad made. In the beginning I didn't think I was capable of public speaking. I used to get panic attacks doing anything in public. I had so little confidence in myself. I'm so glad I joined. Toastmasters had a huge positive impact on my life. Toastmasters made me a far more confident person so when I started my business I had the courage to put myself out there, and obtain professional work. Now I teach people of all age groups, , and I sing and perform in front of hundreds, thousands of people confidently. I think I'll always get a healthy dose of nerves, but that's normal in the performing arts.
3. How many Toastmasters clubs do you belong to? If you are a member of more than one club why did you join multiple clubs? What do you get out of your club or clubs?
I was only a member of one club. Warren Christie's Gavel club for 13 to 18 year olds. Initially I was sceptical. I loved the safe environment Toastmasters provided. It gave me the courage to do things I'd never tried before. At first I thought I could only feel safe at Toastmasters, not in real life like at school or in the community. But I was really surprised when a year later I did a speech for my class called The Curse of Perfectionism and my teacher was so impressed she chose me to represent my class in a speech contest in front of a panel of judges. I was surprised at how confident I felt. Of course I felt that buzz of nerves but I nailed it. That taught me I was no longer the frightened little kid who walked into Toastmasters. I first did The Curse of Perfectionism as a Toastmasters speech in front of the Gavel Club. Then I modified it to perform it in front of the judges at school. I was surprised by how much I had grown in a year.
4. When did you first attend a Toastmasters meeting and what did you think of it? Why did you stay? What advice would you give someone thinking of joining Toastmasters?
Nearly 6 years ago in 2018. My initial thoughts were no way - I could never do this. But the club was all kids like me, so my fear evaporated and as I got more comfortable and Toastmasters gave me the opportunity to practise, I gradually felt at ease performing roles and speaking. To anyone thinking of joining I'd say just do it. You will amaze yourself. You will be surprised at how much you grow..
5. What impact has Toastmasters had on your personal and professional life?
Within a year of joining Toastmasters I hooked up with a friend, a performing artist and musician. We went busking and on our first attempt made $130 in an hour. That was my first business experience. I was amazed. I was 14 years old, still in school, and earning $65.00 an hour as a performer in front of the public doing what I loved. I realised then that was what Toastmasters had done for me. There is no way I could have done that before Toastmasters. I joined a band and we got to the level of the Auckland Battle of the Bands competition. That was another amazing experience. That was then.
When I started my business at 16 it was daunting. I was just a kid out in the big wide world of business. But I knew I had the communication skills to talk to clients. So I did. I put myself out there and talked to people and pitched myself. I nailed it. Because of the communication and leadership skills I had learned in Toastmasters I had the courage to promote my business on social media and present my business professionally. So opportunities started coming my way - big gyms asked me if I'd be interested in teaching yoga to their clients. Opportunities in the acting industry, the music industry, modeling jobs came my way. It's also helped in other ways in business like giving me the confidence to set boundaries. To say no. As a kid I was always a people pleaser. As a result I would get bullied often. I was an easy mark because I couldn't stick up for myself. I used to run home crying when I got upset. With confidence came the ability to say no to people. To establish boundaries in professional client/teacher relationships. These are very important life skills and you can't survive in business or professionally without them. Overall Toastmasters has affected my life in many areas both personally and professionally.
6. What are your future life goals and how do you think Toastmasters can help you achieve them?
I have so many ambitions in life. Too many to mention here. Overall I want a successful business so I can be financially independent, As well I want to continue developing my yoga and aerial yoga skills, my dance skills, and my performance skills. Of course I want to continue in my sport of Powerlifting and compete at the highest level.
I am also interested in seeing safe spaces for youth created in our communities. I'm confident but still seek to continue growing. I'm not at the levels in communication or leadership I want to be yet. I think you never stop learning and Toastmasters can still help me develop my skills further. I left Toastmasters during Lockdown. But business permitting I hope to join Pokeno Toastmasters club in the future. I look forward to continuing my growth in Toastmasters when I am able to. It would be great to be a public speaker and attain a level of professional excellence..
7. What has been your greatest memory since joining Toastmasters?
Greatest memory since joining Toastmasters was busking at 14 years old and earning $130 in an hour!. Going from being a frightened little 13 year old kid to having the courage to busk at a popular market in front of hundreds of people - within a year of joining Toastmasters. I couldn't believe I could do such a thing until I did it. Realising I could do this increased my confidence in myself big time. It was a major stepping stone in my life. I nailed it. So no matter what challenge came later I knew I could nail it.
8. Being on your clubs committee is a big challenge. When and why did you join your club's committee? What is your favourite committee role? How has the challenge impacted you? What is the highest executive role you've served in Toastmasters. What did it teach you?
I was never a member of the Gavel Clubs committee. But if I join Pokeno Toastmasters, if I have time I may take on a Committee role. President sounds like a good experience because you are speaking at every meeting and your standard of presentation has to be high, or any role that allows me to hone my presentation skills. I want to achieve excellence.
9. What advice would you give anyone taking on a committee role?
Catch me after my first year on the committee and I'll let you know.
10. Do you have a favourite quote that sums up your philosophy on life?
"We have to dare ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be." That is the philosophy I live by. The quote is from May Sarton. May Sarton was the pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton (May 3, 1912 – July 16, 1995), a Belgian-American poet, novelist and memoirist.
11. When I researched the questions that people wanted answered about Toastmasters Altruism was at the top of the list. The number one question on everyones tongue was if Toastmasters is about service, how are you of service to your community outside of Toastmasters? It is obvious that Toastmasters are deeply involved in the Toastmasters organisation and their own clubs - but what about the real world? People want to know how have the communication and leadership skills learnt in Toastmasters programmes been translated into reality, how have our Toastmasters skills impacted our communities.
I have held yoga classes for troubled youth in my community. One of my yoga clients teaches at an organisation that runs Youth Programmes. She asked if I'd like to teach her kids something different for a change and gave me the opportunity to teach kids. I loved it. As the brief was to teach them something different I taught them yoga. It was a voluntary role. It made me really glad I'd learnt yoga from a young age. I not only had something I could give to my community that was healthy for kids, I could also relate to kids. Being in the same age group they could also relate to me. I'd love to work a lot more with youth in the future.
12. What is your favourite Toastmasters programme, or manual, or project and why?
Without a doubt my project The Curse of Perfectionism was my favourite project. I learnt a lot writing and presenting that speech in front of my fellow Toastmasters, then adapting it for the real world to perform in front of a panel of judges. It was a personal speech that meant a lot to me, and one I believe a lot of teenage girls , and even guys, can relate to.
13. Toastmasters has drastically changed over the last few years. I think Toastmasters going online or hybrid is fantastic. It means anyone can join any Toastmasters club anywhere in the world in real time. As Toastmasters continues to adapt to a changing world do you have any predictions for the future? Are there any changes you would like to see.
I think Toastmasters is awesome. I can see the need for online Toastmasters but for me - I have no interest in hybrid or online meetings. Toastmasters for me is up front and face to face and person to person. I am a performing artist and to me Toastmasters is a performing art form. I will not attend online Toastmasters. To me it defeats the purpose I joined Toastmasters. Other people might feel differently but I will only join a club where I can attend meetings in person.
14. In your opinion what makes a Toastmasters club successful?
My only experience of Toastmasters to date is a Gavel club for youth 13 to 18 years old. I believe it was successful because it was for youth. There is so much phenomenal pressure on kids these days to perform at so many levels, particularly at school and socially. That's incredibly scary for kids. Warrens club was so successful because it was a genuine safe space for youth. Kids could get together, make friends, feel comfortable, learn from each other and help each other. Without judgement. You could screw up, you could fail, you could even attempt perfection - it didn't matter what level you were at. You were always supported and always safe. Making a safe space for kids is so important. I would like in the future to be more involved in making safe spaces for youth. That would make a huge difference to the future of a lot of kids. It would change their lives as it did mine.