How does a stuttering refugee become a world class speaker?
Hey, I’m Miroslav. This is my story.
Miroslav Bardović is a global keynote speaker, master trainer and best-selling author
who has worked with over 20,000 people globally supporting them to communicate more influentially. He is the founder of the Enlivened Speaking Institute where he has trained over 1200+ speakers and teaches speakers to deliver their message with authenticity and build rapid trust with their audience. He has presented on stages such as Tedx and Mindvalley, and for Fortune 500 companies and national conferences on utilising human connection to build rapid trust.
Miroslav has written an academic thesis on the use of embodied presence for engagement (Monash University – Australia’s Leading Education University) which he later utilised to write his bestselling book Give Them Goosebumps: Utilise The Power of Presence To Own The Stage of Communication.
Most recently he toured the world with his signature keynote Give Them Goosebumps: Utilising The Power of Presence To Own The Stage of Communication.
His message and ‘off the beaten path’ approach speaks to leaders, organisations, and entrepreneurs who want to embrace a deeper, more conscious way of communicating and leading through mind, body and spirit. He is fascinated by how we can be more fully alive with everything we do and believes that being in connection with our own personal presence is the most important, dynamic relationship we have in life.
This is the Power of Presence.
But it wasn’t always this way
Miroslav came to Australia as a refugee at the age of 5. At a very young age he developed a stutter and selective mutism – an extreme form of social anxiety where he couldn’t speak in many social situations (school, community etc) even though he could communicate fine at home. Often at school fellow students would ask his friends ‘Does he ever speak?’
Throughout this period of his life he had no control over when he would be able to speak normally and when he would be debilitated by this condition, not being able to make eye contact and stuttering uncontrollably – or as often became the case, opting out of speaking altogether.
It was only as a young adult when he discovered meditation that things began to shift. Meditation gave him a far deeper experience of life and he began asking
‘How can I live my life in this state of connection without needing to sit cross legged with my eyes closed?’
The answer came back quickly:
“Start speaking and teaching!”
Although terrifying at first Miroslav quickly discovered that with his meditation background he was able to meet the intensity of the stage with far more presence, and instead of derailing him it became a super-power. Where a lot of speakers and performers posture to deal with the intensity of being seen by so many, his approach was to lean more deeply into connection.
He spent years teaching both yoga and meditation, studying with the world’s top teachers globally and visiting their teachers’ shrines in India. Deepening presence and being more deeply connected to life became the center of his existence.
As he began taking stages, people would often remark,
“I have never felt that connected to anyone on stage”
… and many ask him to teach them how to do what he does. This lead to him forming the Enlivened Speaking Institute teaching other speakers and leaders how to command the stage and create deep connection from stage. Shortly after this led to the writing of his first best-seller, “Give Them Goosebumps: Utilise The Power of Presence To Own The Stage of Communication.”
His work on human connection has now been applied to communication across all areas of business, leadership and life. From sales and marketing to startup pitching and leadership – there is no industry that doesn’t benefit from more genuine connection. Trust and connection are the invisible foundation that create high performance across all areas – sales, culture and innovation.
He also trained his younger sister on presenting her Honours thesis to education conferences.
15+ years of experience
25,000+ people
If you’re planning a keynote, leadership retreat, or conference that’s ready to go beyond inspiration and into transformation — let’s talk.
I’m currently booking speaking engagements for late 2025 and 2026.
Reach out through the contact form — or if you’d prefer to talk directly, get in touch here.