A Brighton based confidence coach and comedian who spent decades hiding from the spotlight is celebrating after her brave and funny TEDx talk, on how women can turn shame into power, reached thousands of views within 24 hours of going live.
Jess Nicks, 45, from Brighton, the leadership and confidence coach, NLP Trainer and creator of Debitch Your Brain®, took to the famous red spot at TEDx Northern Quarter in Manchester to share her story and methodology that shaped her personal growth, and received huge support from the crowd who applauded her talk, The Alchemy of Shame: Unlock Your Potential, which has now gone live to the world.
In her talk, Jess opens up about the shame she carried for decades that left her terrified of being seen, and shows how humour and radical honesty can help us all talk more openly about mental health. In her talk she explores the psychology of shame and the internal noise that holds us back – and how changing that relationship can unlock personal growth and potential.
Drawing on the baggage from her own past, Jess introduced the audience to her 3Rs of Inner Revolution: Recognise, Release and Reprogram. Her simple model for lasting change, which she created while recovering from sepsis, helps people talk back to the self-doubt, self-sabotage and self-editing that keep them stuck, and can be used in both their personal and professional lives.
“Before I became my own mindset master, I had no idea how much this affects our thinking, our decisions, our actions,” she says.
“Standing on the red spot was both thrilling and terrifying,” says Jess. “So many of us sabotage ourselves into the sidelines, with fear and shame pulling us into the shadows. If we can talk about the things that caused us great suffering in a playful way, they become so much easier to deal with.”
It is a huge moment for Jess, who lost her mum at 21, had a breakdown in her early 30s and contracted sepsis just months after being made redundant. That brush with death finally gave her the courage to step into the spotlight she had been hiding from, after 22 years as a creative leader behind the scenes in the music, advertising and TV industries.
Today, through her Debitch Your Brain® coaching, Jess helps women who have lost their mojo and self-belief to spot, laugh at and quieten the mean inner critic she calls the “bitch” in your brain. Her programme sweeps away self-criticism, doubt and burnout, especially in neurodivergent minds, and has become a powerful catalyst for women with ADHD and other creative, high-performing brains. Jess works with clients one-to-one, runs workshops and supports organisations and leadership teams.
“Laughter is medicine,” says Jess. “Once you bring humour into the arena, the suffering is reduced.”
Her TEDx debut caps a stand-out year for Jess, whose one-woman comedy show, B!TCH ON THE MIC, sold out at Brighton Fringe 2026 and was nominated for the Fringe’s International Tour Award. The show heads to the Edinburgh Fringe for a full month’s run in 2027.
Watch Jess’s TEDx talk at The Alchemy of Shame | Jess Nicks | TEDxNorthern Quarter and find out more at jessnicks.com.
