Introduction: From Setbacks to Success
🛤️ Life has a funny way of taking us on unexpected journeys. Welcome to “Business Story of the Week” with me, Joshua Lori! 🎤 This week’s episode dives deep into a unique story, featuring an extraordinary guest, Don Civer—public speaker, author, and clown. Yep, you read that right! From juggling bananas to transforming public speaking, Don’s story will inspire you to embrace imperfection and take risks. 🙌

From House Hunters to the Circus: A Unique Path to Success
🎬 Don Civer started his career as a TV producer in Los Angeles. He worked on shows like HGTV’s House Hunters, striving for perfection in every episode. However, like many entrepreneurs and creatives, Don’s obsession with perfection led him to burnout and eventually losing his job. 😬
After his marriage ended, Don sought something for himself, purely for fun. Enter the world of clowning 🤡—an art form that would become the key to overcoming his perfectionism. Clowning taught Don to let go of the pressure to be perfect and embrace a creative process filled with support and feedback. 🙏

Overcoming Perfectionism: Lessons from Clowning
Perfectionism can be a massive roadblock for many of us, especially in business or creative careers. Don shared a powerful lesson about failure and risk-taking:
“If you require yourself to be absolutely flawless out of the gate, you’re never going to do anything. You have to be willing to be bad at first—that’s the only way you’ll get better.” 🎯
This lesson came to life through one of Don’s most memorable performances—banana spit juggling 🍌! Through trial and error, he and his partner learned to embrace the process, eventually mastering the skill and earning standing ovations during their international tour. 🎉

Clowning and Public Speaking: How Are They Connected?
It may seem like an unlikely pairing, but clowning and public speaking have more in common than you might think! Both require vulnerability, connection, and resilience. Don explains how his clowning background shaped his approach to teaching public speaking to corporate teams:
“Public speaking is a similar journey. You’re not going to be perfect at first, but each time you get up, you’ll have more of the audience on your side.” 🎤
Don now delivers keynote presentations for major tech companies in Silicon Valley, helping teams overcome their fear of public speaking by teaching them to embrace failure as a part of growth. 🌱

Banana-Spit Juggling in Public Speaking? Absolutely!
What’s more unconventional than banana-spit juggling? 🥴 But that’s precisely the point! Don emphasizes that public speaking is about the journey, not perfection. It’s about getting comfortable with the uncomfortable and focusing on each moment rather than the end goal. 🏁

Final Thoughts: The Power of Connection
Whether in clowning, public speaking, or life, Don highlights the importance of connection. He calls it “complicite,” a French term meaning mutual creation of meaning between the performer and audience. 🤝
“If you find joy in connecting with your audience, even in serious presentations, you’ll captivate them. That’s how performance and public speaking come together.” 💡
So, next time you’re preparing for a presentation, remember Don’s wisdom—embrace imperfection, find joy in the process, and make meaningful connections along the way. 🎈

💬 Where can you find more about Don? Check out his bestselling book Wink: Transforming Public Speaking with Clown Presence on Amazon, or visit his website DonCiver.com to learn more! 🚀