We recently connected with Sarita Maybin and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarita, thanks for joining us today. Everyone has crazy stuff happen to them, but often small business owners and creatives, artists and others who are doing something off the beaten path are hit with things (positive or negative) that are so out there, so unpredictable and unexpected. Can you share a crazy story from your journey?

(Excerpt from new book Say What You Mean in a Nice Way; Chapter 9: This Too Shall Pass)

Dawn to Dusk
I woke at dawn, looked out my third-floor hotel room window and did a doubletake. Where there had been a parking lot filled with cars the night before, there was now a lake. No cars, no parking lot—and no way out.

I should have known something was awry the night before when I heard the hurricane warnings on the news. Or, when the lights went out without touching the switch before I went to bed. I figured the power would be back on by morning.

The first thing I did was fill the bathtub with water. I remember hearing that if you’re ever without power, you’ll soon be without useable water.

I’m embarrassed to admit that the second thing I did was call room service. A hearty breakfast has always been the bedrock of my road warrior lifestyle. Can’t have my stomach growling and my energy dropping while I’m on stage speaking.
“There is no room service today,” the man on the phone told me. “The kitchen is on the first floor and it’s now completely under water.” Me: WTF?!!!

I was told there would be food in the fifth-floor lounge. Rations turned out to be bright orange peanut butter crackers and beef jerky. I smirked and felt as though I had gotten the last laugh at the friends and family who had teased me about traveling like a “bag lady” with more food than clothes in my carry-on luggage. Thankfully, I had a healthy stash of apples, almonds, and granola bars on hand.

Hotel guests gathered on the lounge’s oversized balcony overlooking the newly formed lake. Everyone watched as a man rowed his kayak from the hotel to dry land across the street. He later returned with lunchmeat and loaves of white bread from a local restaurant that had escaped the storm’s wrath.

I sneaked down the stairwell to the second floor to peek into the ballroom where my presentation had been scheduled. Two hundred miniature pencils and notepads with the hotel’s logo had been neatly set out the night before. It had the eerie feeling of formal table settings on the Titanic for guests who would never come.

Back in the lounge, hotel representatives gave out information on how to make insurance claims for our cars, all of which were now submerged under water. I bonded with two other business travelers who had vehicles from the same rental car company and—like me—would have some explaining to do. “You see what happened was…”

Later that day the water in Parking Lot Lake began to recede and the tops of cars became visible. As daylight turned into dusk, car windshields reappeared. Yet, the hotel still had no power and would soon be pitch black.

My new BFFs and I shared snacks from my stash and stories of our travel travails. We decided we were not going to spend another night in that hotel.

With our carry-ons hoisted onto our heads, the three of us waded out of the hotel through the waist-high water and up the street to dry land. We had set our sights on another hotel on higher ground with lights on.

I’ll fast forward to the happy ending. That evening we were able to check into the hotel on the hill. The next morning, we met on the shuttle to the airport rental car offices where we processed our paperwork. As we said our farewells, we were overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for our safety. We were grateful for the moral support of newfound friends and for having survived such a severe situation. And we smiled knowing we’d have a story to tell for years to come.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

SPEAKER BIO – Sarita Maybin

Sarita Maybin provides her audiences with the skills to transform uncomfortable conversations into constructive communication. With real stories, real solutions and a relatable presence, she breaks down barriers to reveal how to work together better.

In her 20+ years as an international speaker and communication expert, Sarita has spoken in all 50 states, 10 countries—including Iceland—and on the prestigious TEDx stage. Her extensive client list includes Hewlett-Packard, Los Angeles County, Kaiser Permanente, Department of the Navy, University of California and many others.

Sarita has made it her mission to inspire others to embrace positivity, even amid the challenges of our ever-changing high-tech times. Raised as a “military brat” moving from country to country, Sarita quickly learned how to make fast friends and finesse stressful situations.

She is a former university dean of students and literally wrote the book on how to answer the perpetually perplexing question: If You Can’t Say Something Nice, What DO You Say? She continues the conversation in her new book Say What You Mean in a Nice Way.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The biggest pivot was the recent one in 2020 due to the “pandemic pause.” Within weeks of lockdown, all of the conferences I was scheduled to speak at postponed, cancelled or shifted to a virtual format.

I am proud of the fact that even amid the panic that we all experienced during that unprecedented time, I was able to take steps to be able to present virtually. The very existence of my speaking business depended upon it!

Here’s what I did:

#1 – I embraced the steep learning curve — signed up for webinars on how to present virtually and took tutorials on how to use Zoom and other virtual platforms

#2 – Sought input from others in the speaking industry on the necessary equipment. Purchased everything from ring lights and external cameras to tall presentation tables in order to convert my home office into a studio

#3 – Built Credibility as a virtual presenter by taking the steps to become a Certified Virtual Presenter, a designation offered by eSpeakers, one of the platforms on which I list my speaking services.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

To keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty, I have faithfully sent out my email Communique’ using Constant Contact since 2008. (Prior to that I sent out monthly email starting in 2000).

Using Constant Contact I’m able to set up a “Text To” feature. In other words, I invite my conference keynote audiences to Text SaritaTalk to 22828, or sign up on home page of my website SaritaMaybin.com. That allows them to automatically receive at PDF “50 Phrases for All Occasions” and my monthly Communique’.

Much like the interactive style of my keynotes, my monthly Communique’ is designed to create engagement and interaction. In addition to communication and stay-positive content with links to my blogs, I include occasional contests and quizzes, complete with mailed prizes.

In addition, I send out an email update a few times a year to the Speakers Bureaus who book me. And, every year I’ll send them something special. Most years it’s a custom made thank you or calendar card; in early 2020 it was hand made masks and in 2021 it was a copy of my new book.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.SaritaMaybin.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SaritaMaybin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaritaTalk
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saritamaybin/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaritaMaybin
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SaritaMaybin