Dr. David Lee Fish
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The story
Dr. David Lee Fish spent decades as a performer, sharing stages with greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Little Richard. Then one night, backing Sonny and Cher, he froze. Everything he knew how to do was still there, and he could not reach it.
That moment began a lifelong question: why does performance anxiety undo capable people, and what actually helps? He found his answer in an unlikely place. Through Zen practice, under the same Korean Zen master who trained mindfulness pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn, he learned that the fix is not building confidence people already have. It is quieting the anxiety that suppresses it.
He distilled what he learned into the READ Method, taught it to his music students, and watched it work. It became his award-winning book, The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution, and then his course, Speak with Confidence.
Ready-to-use bios
Dr. David Lee Fish is a performer-turned-teacher who helps professionals quiet performance anxiety with READ, a practical method drawn from decades on stage and years of Zen practice.
Dr. David Lee Fish spent decades as a performer, sharing stages with Ella Fitzgerald and Little Richard, until one night he froze backing Sonny and Cher, sending him searching for answers. He found them in Zen practice and distilled them into the READ Method, which underlies his award-winning book, The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution, as well as his online course with personal coaching options, Speak with Confidence.
Dr. David Lee Fish holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and performed for years alongside greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Little Richard. Then one night, backing Sonny and Cher, he froze. That moment began a lifelong study of why performance anxiety undoes capable people, and what actually helps. He developed his answer through Zen practice, under the same Korean Zen master who trained mindfulness pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn, and distilled it into the READ Method. It became his Reader's Favorite 5-star award-winning book, The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution, and his online course with personal coaching options, Speak with Confidence, offered through Rise Up Eight.
Key facts at a glance
- ✓Ph.D., University of Michigan
- ✓Performed alongside Ella Fitzgerald and Little Richard
- ✓Studied Zen under Seung Sahn, the Korean Zen master who also trained mindfulness pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn
- ✓Froze on stage backing Sonny and Cher, the moment that started the work
- ✓Author of The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution, a Reader's Favorite 5-star award winner
- ✓Creator of the READ Method: Remember, Engage, Accept, Detach
- ✓Founder of Rise Up Eight and creator of Speak with Confidence
- ✓Endorsed by Mel Fair (actor) and Pat O'Connor (artist manager and CEO, POC Media)
The method in a sentence
READ (Remember, Engage, Accept, Detach) is a mindfulness-based approach to help people with performance anxiety avoid letting it suppress the confidence they already possess, so they can speak as well as they actually can.
A note for partners
Present the forthcoming book as "the all-new edition of his award-winning book," since the Reader's Favorite award belongs to the original edition, The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution. Lead with the story, not a hard sell, and point people to the free intro lesson first. A simple disclosure, such as "I may earn a commission if you enroll, at no extra cost to you," helps keep everyone's trust intact.