A Holt based speaker, author and confidence-expert has been shortlisted for this year’s national Speaker Awards.

Cat Williams, a resident of Holt near Wrexham, is among the top six finalists in the running for the Best TEDx Speaker 2024 award.

In February, she delivered her talk to over 100 delegates at the University of Chester, sharing insights on leading our subconscious mind to achieve goals.

Reacting to the news, Ms Williams said: "I am literally still in shock that I have been shortlisted for such a prestigious award.

"The standard of entries for the Speaker Awards is incredibly high, so to be shortlisted is fantastic.

"Some of the speakers at this event are internationally renowned Key Note Speakers and I feel honoured to be good enough to be sitting alongside them as a finalist."

On July 5, she will head to London to attend the awards dinner and ceremony.

The Speaker Awards were established to acknowledge excellence and highlight the profound impact speakers have on global audiences.

Numerous categories provide stages for different speakers.

Critiques for the TEDx category considered the content's originality and significance, and the effectiveness of its presentation.

For Ms Williams' category the judges are also looking at ideas that were worth spreading and how the talk was structured.

An excited Ms Williams said: "I am really excited for the award ceremony and looking forward to meeting as many other speakers as I can on the night."

In addition to being a Rapid Transformational Therapist (RTT) and Clinical Hypnotherapist, Ms Williams imparts knowledge and training through talks, presentations, and workshops at schools, universities, and businesses countrywide.

She employs her expertise in RTT and hypnotherapy to help audiences with tools to change negative behaviours, tackle fears and boost self-esteem.

Alongside these engagements, Ms Williams also provides speaking and storytelling coaching and conducts one-to-one RTT sessions from her home-base treatment room.