How Entrepreneurs Can Use Alter Egos to Crush Public Speaking Fear

George Gervin will forever be remembered as one of the smoothest, most ruthless scorers the NBA has ever seen. But behind the points and accolades was something even more lethal—his persona. On the court, Gervin wasn’t George. He was The Iceman. Cool. Calm. Unshakeable. There was no chest-pounding. No screaming. No theatrics. He moved like a ghost and finished like an assassin. But off the court? George was soft-spoken. He was polite. Reserved. He didn’t need to be The Iceman in everyday life. But when the lights came on? He became someone else.

Entrepreneurs face the same kind of arena, only the stage isn’t an NBA hardwood—it’s the boardroom, the sales call, the conference keynote. And the enemy isn’t another player—it’s fear, self-doubt, and the natural human instinct to freeze in front of a crowd. That’s why you need an alter ego. You need your own Iceman. Because the moment the spotlight hits, your everyday self is not enough.

Public Speaking Is Combat—You Need an Identity to Match

Public speaking isn’t casual communication. It’s combat. Your body knows it. Your heart races. Your palms sweat. Your mind looks for the exit. This isn’t a glitch—it’s biology. The human brain perceives public speaking as a direct threat to your survival, triggering the same fight-or-flight response that warriors faced on the battlefield.

This is why ‘just be yourself’ is terrible advice for high-stakes communication. Your everyday self is designed to play it safe, blend in, avoid confrontation. But leadership demands the opposite. It requires authority. Precision. Poise under pressure. That’s why elite athletes, performers, and military operators engineer alter egos—identities built to thrive in the fire. Entrepreneurs must do the same if they want to own the room instead of being owned by it.

Step 1: Understand Why Your Everyday Self Fails on Stage

Let’s get brutally honest. Your everyday self—the one who jokes with friends, loves your family, and relaxes at home—doesn’t belong on stage. That version of you is wired for safety, comfort, and acceptance. And when the audience is watching, that version of you will look for ways to escape, whether through awkward jokes, rambling, or just freezing up entirely.

This is not a personal weakness. It’s a human one. Your job is not to fight it—it’s to outsmart it. The fastest way is to create a separate persona built specifically for the stage. A version of you who isn’t worried about judgment because they have a mission. That’s what The Iceman did. That’s what you must do.

Step 2: Craft Your ‘Iceman’ Identity

Start by crafting your speaker alter ego. What does this version of you look like? How do they move, speak, stand? Give them a name. Give them a mission. Make them real. George Gervin didn’t step onto the court as George—he became The Iceman,because he needed to stay emotionless, ruthless, and locked in when the game turned brutal.

Maybe your alter ego is The Commander, who leads the room with unwavering certainty. Or The Catalyst, who ignites action and momentum. Or The Architect, who calmly builds the narrative and controls the room like a chess master. Choose a name that evokes strength, control, and composure. The name is crucial. It creates separation between your daily self and the persona who steps into the arena.

Step 3: Use Artifacts and Rituals to Activate the Persona

Your alter ego needs a switch. Something that flips when it’s time to perform. Elite athletes have their jersey, their sneakers, their pre-game rituals. You need the same. Maybe it’s a specific jacket. A certain watch. A pen. Even a subtle, intentional act like straightening your posture or clenching your fist. Pair this artifact with a ritual—a breathing pattern, a key phrase, a song that triggers the switch.

The key is repetition. The more you anchor the artifact and ritual to your speaker persona, the faster and more reliably you can activate it under pressure. Over time, your brain will associate the artifact with the identity, creating a shortcut into the persona whenever you need it.

Step 4: Train the Alter Ego in Small, Safe Arenas First

Never deploy your alter ego for the first time on the biggest stage. Start small. Use it in low-risk settings—team meetings, Zoom calls, client check-ins. Let the persona get reps in safe arenas. Build the muscle. Refine the voice. Let the identity develop naturally through exposure to increasing levels of pressure.

Just like an athlete wouldn’t step into the playoffs without practice games, your speaker alter ego needs time to sharpen its edge in small battles before it’s ready for the big stage.

Step 5: Let the Persona Evolve Over Time

Your alter ego isn’t fixed. It should evolve as you evolve. George Gervin’s Iceman persona started on the playgrounds of Detroit and matured as his game—and life—grew more complex. Your speaker persona might start as The Fighter—raw, hungry, aggressive. Over time, they may evolve into The Sage—confident, wise, composed.

Let it grow. Let it change. But never lose the switch. Never lose the ability to step into that version of yourself who commands the room and owns the message.

Parting Advice

The crowd doesn’t want the vulnerable, authentic version of you on stage. They want the leader. The commander. The speaker who owns the room with precision and calm authority. They want The Iceman.

So stop fighting your biology. Stop showing up as your everyday self. Forge an identity that is built for the stage. Built for the spotlight. Built to perform when the stakes are high and the pressure is suffocating. Your message deserves it. Your mission demands it.

Next Steps

Want more no-nonsense strategies to forge an elite entrepreneur identity? Listen to the Built by Discipline podcast where I break down identity, mindset, and alter ego tools every founder needs to win the inner war and dominate the boardroom.