If there was ever a woman born to do a job, it’s Yancey Unequivocally. She lives up to her last name, which means “without a doubt.” She’s gone from facing tough obstacles at a young age to forging a successful career centered around her passion for impacting audiences. Growing up in an unhealthy environment in Mississippi, Unequivocally was emancipated from her parents at age 16. She finished high school while working full-time at a casino in Biloxi. She put herself through college and graduated with a bachelor’s in management information systems from Park University. She jumped on the chance to relocate to Hawai‘i in 2002 and legally changed her name in 2009 to reflect her intrepid spirit.
Unequivocally has always loved speaking in front people and delights in the power of combining the aesthetics of design with the strategy of targeted marketing messages. During her time in real estate, she had an “aha” moment while giving a talk at a real estate education seminar at the Oahu Veterans Center. “I remember it so vividly,” she says. “I was presenting and it dawned on me—who made these amazing slides? I have never seen a better PowerPoint in my life. The slides made me more confident in what I was presenting. The audience was even more engaged, and they were paying attention.”
After an introduction to the slide maker, Cory Jim, the two hit it off and soon aligned forces in a business partnership. The pair entered a LinkedIn SlideShare online presentation contest in 2010 with a project that took about 120 hours and won both first place in the education category and the award for world’s best presentation. From that moment on, Unequivocally knew presenting was more than a hobby. She decided to incorporate, with Jim handling the design team, and Empowered Presentations was officially on the hunt for clients in need of guidance.
Today, Empowered Presentations is a design and consulting company that specializes in one-of-kind, high-impact presentations for all kinds of purposes, from webinars to corporate workshops and business meetings. Currently the only company in the islands that combines presentation and delivery coaching, Empowered Presentations teaches clients like Red Bull, Harvard and the Hawaiian Humane Society how to pull off captivating talks that integrate creative visuals geared toward defined target audiences.
A big part of the company’s approach lies in aligning visual and verbal messaging to create a unified, effective presentation that wows. “Presentations are stories that fully engage, tell a tale from start to finish and sync up with what you’re trying to communicate,” Unequivocally says. “When you have a script and visuals that go well together and are organized in a purposeful way, you can see a tangible, positive audience reaction. The experience is far more memorable.”
For her innovative work, Unequivocally has earned her time in the spotlight. Pacific Business News recognized her in its 40 Under 40 class of 2011 and list of top 25 Women Who Mean Business for 2012 and 2013. She also received a nomination for Hawaii Business magazine’s 20 for the Next 20 in 2012, though she’d much rather discuss the positive impacts of her role than her awards. “I wake up every morning so blessed to be in a position to serve others by enhancing the way they share their stories, communicate and present,” Unequivocally says. “I love when people are changed in a better way after I consult with them, present to them or do a workshop with them. I just love how much visuals can make a difference in one’s life.”
Though Unequivocally runs a small firm in Honolulu, she is always on the lookout to expand with talented people “who want to change the world of bad presentations.” According to Unequivocally, finding someone with presentation expertise is difficult. “It’s not really taught in school,” Unequivocally explains. “It takes both left brain and right brain, a lot of patience and it really is a skill set you can’t learn without passion.” She dubbed the company’s South King Street headquarters a “hoffice” because of its comfortable living-room-like design and is looking to build more satellite hoffices for Empowered Presentations all over the world.
Unequivocally attacks every endeavor with the same kind of fervor she dedicates to her business. Her hobbies tend to fall on the adventurous side, from skydiving and scuba diving to riding motorcycles, snowboarding and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. When she’s not sharing her presentation expertise, rolling on the mats or jumping out of airplanes, Unequivocally can be found serving her community by volunteering with her church, the Hawaiian Humane Society and Junior Achievement of Hawaii. Her work, she feels, is just one of the ways she’s contributing to the greater good and fulfilling a higher mission to guide others on their path to greatness. Her big-picture goal? “Get in the best shape of my life and empower others to do the same—not just physically, but also mentally, spiritually, financially and socially,” Unequivocally says. “Life is very short, so I want to make the most out of my life at all costs.”
yancey@empoweredpresentations.com
empoweredpresentations.com
