 Marjorie
Johnson, LCSW, ACC
Featured in Philadelphia Women's Journal
Marjorie Johnson, President of Ascend
Consulting, Inc., provides Executive and Career Coaching,
Training, and Counseling Services specializing in AD-HD.
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker and an
International Coaching Federation Certified coach, Marjorie
empowers individuals and organizations to improve
communication, performance and work-life balance.
Born and raised in Massachusetts and
educated in Rhode Island and Texas, Marjorie has worked in
healthcare administration, owns her own company and consults
with corporations and non-profits. A highly sought-after
motivational speaker she has presented for Chester County
Hospital, Liberty Property Trust, the Chester County
Emergency Services Department, and West Chester University’s
Presidents’ Council.
Marjorie is an active member of the
Philadelphia Area Coaches Alliance, is a qualified
Myers-Briggs consultant and is a coaching affiliate with
Villanova University’s Executive MBA program. She
co-facilitates the Non Profit Academy of the Exton Regional
Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Professional Advisory
Board of CHAD (Children and Adults with AD-HD.) She holds
the highest credential in her profession, the Diplomat of
Clinical Social Work (DCSW). Marjorie is a cantor at her
church and is an exercise enthusiast. She and her husband
David have been married for 29 yrs and have 3 children.
Contact Marjorie at 610-696-4443 or
mrjgrow@verizon.net.
Check out her website
www.ascendconsulting.net.
Watch Marjorie's Interview with Comcast
February 26, 2008 (click
on the image to open a new page)
Tue, Feb 12, 2008
Public speaking doesn’t have to be torture
MARJORIE JOHNSON, PRESIDENT OF ASCEND
CONSULTING, ADDRESSES TOPIC AT WOMEN’S REFERRAL
NETWORK LUNCHEON
Photo by Larry McDevitt
Fear of making a fool of yourself, fear of going
blank, fear that there is something stuck in
your teeth — apparently there is no limit to the
excuses for avoiding public speaking.
Marjorie R. Johnson, president of
Ascend Consulting of West Goshen, has heard them
all, and more.
As guest speaker at the Women’s
Referral Network February lunch on Tuesday at
the Inn at Chester Springs, Uwchlan, Johnson
addressed the problem with her presentation:
“I’d Rather Die than Speak in Public!”
Johnson, past president of the
WRN, is a public speaker and seasoned coach with
a clinical background.
“They are realistic fears,” said
Johnson, who acknowledged even her stomach gets
tied up in knots before she makes a
presentation. “The fear is that people assume
everyone else has it down cold, that it is a
piece of cake and it’s not.”
The 52-year-old Johnson
recommends a three-prong approach: deal with the
body, deal with the mind and deal with behavior.
With the body, understand the
flight-or-fight response, Johnson said. You are
not going to be thinking clearly, all your
energy is being directed to run or to stay and
fight the dragon.
For that, you have to shift to
the relax mode, said Johnson, who suggested
“4-7-8 breathing.” Breathe in slowly to the
count of four, hold the breath in for the count
of seven and release it for the count of eight.
Do that three times and the body will release
its anxiety.
It also helps to think of a place
that is relaxing: a day at the beach or a
favorite restaurant.
“Go there in your mind to relax
for 30 to 60 seconds,” Johnson said.
When it comes to dealing with the
mind, start with positive thinking.
If the person thinks they will fail, they very
well might. Instead, Johnson said, tell
yourself, “I’m going to be fine. I’m graceful.”
Use positive self-talk to go toward what you
want.
Behavior skills start with
preparation. Johnson suggests writing down what
you are going to say and that includes one main
message with three main topics, then edit it.
Know your audience and address your comments to
them.
“Tell them what you will tell them. Tell them.
Tell them what you told them,” Johnson said.
It is important to rehearse, the
therapist continued. Rehearse in front of your
spouse, a friend, a mirror, the family pet.
Consider your visual impact as
well as what you are saying, Johnson continued.
Everyone in the audience takes away information
differently, some by what you say, some by the
way it is said. Act out what you are saying;
that lends credibility to what you are saying.
“Be enthusiastic,” Johnson said.
“This is your stuff, your livelihood. Be
enthusiastic or at least act enthusiastic. Talk
slowly. Edit repetition and jargon.”
When it comes to appearance,
dress professionally. Johnson said that does not
mean business casual.
“The audience really wants you to
succeed,” Johnson said. “Share your knowledge,
experience. You don’t have to be perfect.”
To contact staff writer Gretchen Metz, send an
e-mail to gmetz@dailylocal.com.
 WRN
February Luncheon
“I’d Rather Die Than Speak
in Public!”
While the snowflakes were
falling outside during our February meeting, we
all kept warm inside the Inn at Chester Springs
by learning how to improve our public speaking
skills.
Our speaker was Marjorie
Johnson, a past president of the WRN whose
business, Ascend Consulting, offers coaching,
counseling and training services. Her topic was
“Id Rather Die Than Speak in Public,” something
almost all of us could relate to and improve
upon.
Marjorie’s presentation
pointed out that, before anything else, we must
face our fear. Asking ourselves what we are
really afraid of. and exploring whether that
scenario is really true is the first step. A key
question is, “What would I do or say if I wasn’t
afraid?’ This helps us identify our real
concerns, and our real goals.
Next, Marjorie gave several
suggestions for overcoming the fear by gaining
more control over our minds, our bodies anti our
behavior. She shared relaxation techniques,
positive imagery, and gestures and behaviors
that can keep us from being overwhelmed by stage
fright.
Last. but certainly not least
for those of us who network, Marjorie focused on
practical strategies for delivering our
presentation or speech, whether that’s a “30
second commercial “ or a longer presentation.
She reminded us to take the composition of our
audience into account, to rehearse, and to use
our voices and eye contact to be most effective.
..
Thank you, Marjorie, for
practicing what you preach---your own effective
public speaking helped improve our presentation
skills.
For Immediate Release
Clinician Cuts through the
ADHD Clutter
ADHD Specialist uses “methodology” to combat
Disorder
West Chester- Feb. 5, 2008
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the
buzzword of the twenty-first century for
everyone and anyone with organizational and
focusing challenges. However, to people who
seriously suffer with it, it is no buzzword or
fantasy. It can be crippling to an academic,
business or social career. Licensed Clinical
Social Worker Marjorie Johnson, President of
Ascend Consulting knows the scenario well. “This
disorder is personal to me. Not only do I work
to deal with my own ADHD, but a member of my
family is affected by it as well. And when it is
that close, it’s personal. It’s real.”
Marjorie decided to become an
ADHD Coach to not only help the multitude of
kids suffering with the disorder, but the
legions of adults as well. “So many professional
adults come to my practice and seek help with
time management, focusing, organizing and
“clearing the path” from their brains that
prohibits them from completing common, every-day
tasks. Many of my clients describe ADHD as ‘fog
in their head’—making them feel lost and unsure
of which path to take on any given day or hour.
I provide steady support to clear their thinking
and create strategies to continue their climb to
peak success.”
“At Ascend Consulting,
we’ve developed a methodology or ‘pathway to
success’ for these patients,” says Marjorie. “We
give them the tools they need to ‘sort through’
the confusion and achieve mental calm.” Marjorie
has been working with ADHD patients for over 10
years. Her latest program for the patient
suffering with ADHD is F.O.C.U.S *—a systematic,
point-by-point way of controlling ADHD through a
multi-faceted approach to Finding strengths,
Organizational training, Caring for self, Using
supports and Stress management. She is also a
member of the professional advisory board of
CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
One interesting fact about her
practice is that once the kids start coming and
their parents crystallize what ADHD really is,
then they start coming as well. Marjorie smiles
and likes to quote a psychiatrist friend of hers
about this phenomenon, “Where there are apples,
there are trees.”
For more information on this
release, kindly contact Melinda Williams at The
Williams Group, 610-518-4888 or visit
www.thewilliamsgroup.info. For more information
on Ascend Consulting, visit them on the web at
www.ascendconsulting.net or call Marjorie
Johnson, LCSW at 610-696-4443.
For Immediate Release
Clinician/Leadership Coach
Reveals Tips to Overcome Fear of Public Speaking
West Chester- Jan.28, 2008
- Would you rather die than speak in public?
Many professionals have to get up and speak
every day. There are introductions, 30 second
commercials, customer meetings and
sales meetings. For some, their wavering voice,
downcast eyes, and sweaty handshakes belies
their experience and undermines their authority.
Overcoming this dread will be the topic when
local Clinician and Leadership Coach Marjorie
Johnson, President of Ascend Consulting Inc.
presents “I’d Rather Die Than Speak in Public”
at the February 12th meeting of the Women’s
Referral Network of Chester County at 11:30 am
at the
Inn of Chester Springs in Exton PA.
Marjorie R. Johnson, past
president of WRN, is a public speaker and
certified ICF coach with a clinical background.
In “I’d Rather Die than Speak in Public”, she
will reveal professional secrets to conquer this
fear and deliver sound tips to be comfortable
and successful while presenting in public. “I
have been a psychotherapist for 25 years and
have successfully treated hundreds for anxiety
disorders. Helping business leaders overcome the
fear of public speaking is especially rewarding
because I get to creatively combine my clinical
knowledge with business acumen. This will be an
engaging, ‘hands on’ event in which we’ll
practice deep breathing, relaxation and
cognitive techniques to move past anxiety.”
Marjorie will cover how to plan and organize
content as well as the principles of using
voice, body, and eye contact to fully engage the
audience. Come learn from a master presenter and
learn how to present yourself with confidence!
To register for this event contact WRN at
www.wrnchesco.com.
For more information about
Marjorie Johnson contact Ascend consulting Inc.
at 610-696-4443 or go to
www.ascendconsulting.net .
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