Recently, I was asked to be a panelist for a webinar about using the power of publicity to achieve your goals. The participants asked great questions.

The first: "How do you step into the spotlight when you don't like the spotlight?"

Getting media attention and speaking engagements -- the spotlight -- goes right to the heart of my book, "Celebritize Yourself." By boosting your visibility and your credibility, you set yourself apart from your competition and become a trusted authority in your field.

Should you abandon that avenue if you don't like the spotlight?

Absolutely not.

I was - and still am - that person. I had no desire to seek the spotlight, and even had trepidation about it, but eventually I realized I had to for the sake of my business.

First I had to figure out why I was so uncomfortable with the idea of being in the spotlight.

The answer for me was simple: The thought of public speaking terrified me. I'd seen wonderful speakers, including my own brother, who could captivate huge audiences and have them hanging on every word. I knew I didn't have that kind of talent so why bother even trying?

Because, as I came to realize, I had to. I needed to do it in order to grow my business and, on a deeper level, I needed to do it for me! My fear was holding me back - an admission that became increasingly painful as time marched on.

I talked to my brother about the problem. "It comes naturally to you and the other great speakers I've seen," I told him. "But it doesn't come naturally to me!"

His response surprised me.

"No, it doesn't all come naturally," he said. "I had to work at it."

For years, he spoke to small audiences at seminars. They proved an ideal training ground. He critiqued himself and got feedback from others so that he could constantly polish his delivery.

So, first tip: Start small. Give yourself time to get used to the spotlight.

Here are a few more tips for public speaking.

• Know your material. You won't feel comfortable speaking if you don't thoroughly know your material. How do actors and Olympic athletes make their feats look so easy? They practice! That doesn't mean memorizing a speech, which can lack enthusiasm and leaves little room for spontaneity. Know your key talking points, the anecdotes or other means you'll use to illustrate them, and how you will smoothly segue from one point to the next.

• Energize! Positive energy is contagious - if you're upbeat, excited and passionate about your message, chances are, your audience will be, too. And you'll be surprised about the positive cycle that creates: An enthusiastic audience can pump up your energy even more! Use hand gestures to illustrate points and, when appropriate, smile, smile, smile.

• Make eye contact. Find friendly, receptive faces in the audience and speak to them. Making eye contact with individuals helps prevent you staring off into the distance or reading from notes. It also helps make you feel like you're engaging in a conversation rather than speaking to a group. I've found that visually touching base with engaged audience members gives me little shots of confidence that help propel me through my presentation.

• Look your best! When you look great you feel great and that makes you stand taller and exude confidence. Speaking engagements aren't the best place to break in a new outfit (who knows what wardrobe malfunctions might surprise you?) Instead wear clothing and shoes you feel good in and that are appropriate to the setting - you can't go wrong with business formal. Simple is fine, but you should look crisp and polished from head to toe.

A fear of the spotlight shouldn't prevent you from getting the visibility and credibility that can build your brand and your business. Remember - you're not alone. The fear of public speaking is said to be one of the top 10 worldwide!

If I can overcome it, so can you.

About Marsha Friedman: Marsha Friedman is a 23-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to businesses, professional firms, entertainers and authors. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself and she can also be heard weekly on her Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSI's PR Insider every Thursday at 3:00 PM EST. Follow her on Twitter: @marshafriedman.

In January, the job search websites go crazy as people start the new year resolved to find work that's more satisfying.

"While thousands of people are dealing with the tragedy of unemployment, many others are looking for jobs that are more fulfilling than the ones they have," says attorney and author Pamela Samuels Young, www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com.

In January 2013, job search website Indeed.com had a record 17.3 million unique visitors?a 24-percent jump, and January 2014 will likely see a similar increase. Many of those job seekers won't be looking for just a job, but one they're passionate about.

"It's great if your day job is your passion," Young says. "But if it's not, you don't have to give up a position that pays the bills in order to pursue your dream. You can do both."

Since 2006, Young has pursued her passion?writing legal thrillers?as well as her day job as Managing Counsel for Labor and Employment Law for Toyota Motors Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

"I enjoy practicing law and I didn't want to leave Toyota, nor could I afford to. But I also had a burning desire to write mystery novels," says Young. She recently released her sixth novel, "Anybody's Daughter." Described by Kirkus Reviews as a "fast-paced, well-written thriller that's grounded in social issues," the book takes readers inside the shocking world of child sex trafficking in the United States.

"I've always believed that if you have a dream, you should formulate a plan and make it happen. So that's what I did."

Young's plan included rising at 4 a.m. to squeeze in some writing time before heading off to work, and turning weekends and vacation time into creation time.

"Sometimes it's hard to believe that I've published six novels, while still practicing law," she says. "The hard work and commitment have definitely paid off."

Young offers these tips for busy professionals itching to pursue their own passions.

· Schedule time to devote to your passion. "On my calendar, you'll find a few hours or full days blocked out as 'Writing Time' every week," Young says. "You have to schedule time for your passion. If you don't, the day-to-day demands of life will get in the way."

· Put "passion" time ahead of "pleasure" time. If you're working full-time and pursuing another "job," you won't have a lot of free time. "You'll have to cut back on watching television, socializing with friends and even family time," Young says. "Explain your goals to friends and family. People who have your best interests at heart will support you. "But do take an occasional break to relax.  Otherwise, you'll burn yourself out by working around the clock."

· Learn from others. Surround yourself with people who share your passion. Sign up for newsletters, read books and join communities of other like-minded people, Young says. "There are tons of professional groups whose sole function is to help their members develop their creative talents and business goals." Young is a diehard member of Sisters in Crime, an organization that promotes the advancement of women mystery writers. "Not only will you get energy and inspiration from networking with others, you'll grow."

· Don't put your day job on the backburner. Young says it's important to give your day job 100 percent. "I never want my co-workers to think I'm phoning it in because I also have a writing career." That attitude has paid off. "I have a strong support system at work. My co-workers read my books, critique my manuscripts and come to book signings." Many of the people Young thanks in the Acknowledgements in each of her books are co-workers. Her fourth novel is even dedicated to another Toyota attorney.

"Don't just dream about pursuing your passion," Young says, "make it happen!"

About Samuels Young

Pamela Samuels Young is a novelist, motivational speaker and Managing Counsel for Labor and Employment Law for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the sales and distribution arm for Toyota and Lexus vehicles in North America. She published the first of her six legal thrillers in 2006.  "Anybody's Daughter" is her latest. Young worked as a news writer and associate producer for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles before leaving that career to attend UC Berkeley School of Law, where, in her thirties, she pursued her dream of becoming a lawyer. To contact Young or read an excerpt of her novels, visit www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com.

It's hard to stick to a low-calorie diet day after day to lose weight, but new research shows you don't have to, says Dr. Susie Rockway, a veteran nutritional and biochemical expert in the U.S. health industry.

"Recent studies show you can lose 10 to 30 pounds in eight weeks through alternate-day fasting," she says. "Every other day, dieters in the study ate only lunch - no breakfast or dinner - between noon and 2 p.m. The following day, they could eat whatever they wanted. Not only did they not 'gorge' as expected on the feed days, most had an easier time sticking with it."

Dieting is as much about the mind as it is about the body, and most people have a difficult time staying with any sort of very strict regimen, says Sebastien Hebbelinck, a 20-year-plus veteran of the nutraceutical industry.

In the alternate day fast studies conducted by Dr. Krista Varady of the University of Illinois at Chicago, participants on average consumed only 110 percent of their energy needs on feed days, Rockway says. Lunch on fast days was 400 to 500 calories for women and 500 to 600 calories for men.

Hebbelinck, the CEO of Apax Business Development, which produces the water-soluble fat-binding supplement Lineatabs (sold at GNC and www.lineatabs.com), offers these other suggestions for indulging your taste buds while losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight.

• Eat your bigger meals earlier in the day. Avoiding large meals at dinnertime is effective in helping to lose weight, particularly abdominal fat. In fact, another fasting study -- presented at this year's American Diabetes Association conference - showed that dieters who ate big meals at breakfast and lunch and skipped dinner lost more weight than participants who ate six small meals a day.

• Don't belly up to the buffet bar. Whether it's a cheat meal or a cheat day, throw all those studies out the window if you gorge on huge quantities of food. Eat controlled portions of healthy, nutritious foods. You can enjoy a nice lunch with a glass of wine and even a dessert, but don't go back for seconds and don't order the Decadent Chocolate-for-Four if you have no plans to share!

Rockway adds the following tips based on her nutritional and biochemical expertise.

• Include plenty of fiber and water (stay hydrated!). Unlike most nutrients in foods, we don't absorb fiber. It passes through our digestive tract, and if it's soluble fiber, it can help us feel full since it forms viscous gels. High-fiber foods include legumes, beans, avocados, nuts, whole fruits (versus juice), and whole-grain foods such as whole wheat spaghetti. On a cheat day, you may splurge on    a higher fat hamburger or fries, which case this is the perfect time to take a fiber-rich fat-binding supplement such as Lineatabs before the meal to help prevent some of the excess fats from being absorbed. Rockway likes Lineatabs because, unlike other fat-binding supplements, it dissolves in water and is consumed as a beverage, making the fiber soluble in the stomach and immediately available to bind to fats. It then forms a viscous fiber in the small intestines to form a barrier to reduce absorption. AND you get the fluid your body needs!!

• Healthy eating: Plan meals that are higher in lean protein and lower in simple carbohydrates. This will help you avoid a sugar spike that will leave you feeling hungry soon afterward. It also stabilizes your insulin levels, and protein foods are the most satiating.  If you are satisfied after you eat, you will be less likely to snack later. Some great high-protein choices include turkey or chicken  breast, pork loin chop, tuna and salmon and whey protein shakes. Avoid foods high in simple carbs, such as syrups, soft drinks and jams.

About Dr. Susie Rockway, Ph.D., C.N.S. & Sebastien Hebbelinck

Dr. Susie Rockway, Ph.D., C.N.S., is a veteran nutritional and biochemical expert and decades-long health industry expert. Rockway has worked for multiple companies in executive capacities, including as an executive director of product development, a director of research, and a manager for science developing health and wellness products, where she communicated nutrition and new science updates to consumers. She has also designed testing strategies for clinical efficacy studies.

Sebastien Hebbelinck is an internationally recognized business entrepreneur who has been active in the nutraceutical industry for more than two decades. He is the founder and CEO of Apax Business Development, a 21-year-old company that has experienced major success in Europe with the dietary supplement Lineatabs (sold at GNC and www.lineatabs.com). The product contains Solusitan, an all-natural fat-binding complex contained in an innovative delivery system that dissolves in water, making it immediately available in the stomach to bind with fat molecules in food.

The worst attacks against the United States have occurred when most people didn't see them coming, but there were some observers who had serious suspicions before such events, says Marshall Chamberlain, a disabled Marine Corp officer.

"After the planes hit on Sept. 11, 2001, then-CIA director George Tenet was reported to have said, 'This has bin Laden all over it,' and later, 'I wonder if it has anything to do with this guy taking pilot training,' referring facetiously to Zacarias Moussaoui and his co-conspirators," says Chamberlain, a veteran who enjoys access to military bases and their facilities worldwide - and who has been profoundly appalled at the lack of security precautions protecting our military bases.

"I fear we may be overlooking a major threat yet again. Terrorist acts can come from any direction - international as well as domestic, and we must be vigilant in all conceivable ways."

Chamberlain - who has also experienced life as a businessman, world traveler, boat dweller, writer and all-around adventurer - recently detailed in short-story format exactly how terrorist might strike a military base on U.S. soil. His narrative, The Gruesome Foursome, a Terrorist Scenario is a nearly hour-by-hour description spanning three days.

"With my disabled-veteran ID card, I can gain access to 99 percent of the more than 1,000 military bases dotting the globe," he says. "According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, '...the number of anti-government groups in the U.S. has increased by some 800 percent since President Barack Obama took office ... and at last count there were 1007 hate groups.' "

Chamberlain adds, "Notwithstanding potential threats from identified terrorist groups outside our borders, these groups have the motive and the means to carry out major attacks."

His story centers on a plausible entity, the True Freedom Coalition, which has been classified as a "patriot group" by the Department of Homeland Security. A detailed, documentary-style series of events unfolds, illustrating what Chamberlain believes to be one of our nation's biggest national-security vulnerabilities.

"The Gruesome Foursome, a Terrorist Scenario" is available at http://www.marshallchamberlain.com/aterroristscenario.html.

About Marshall Chamberlain: Marshall Chamberlain has a master's degree in Resource Development from Michigan State University and a graduate degree in International Management from the Thunderbird School near Phoenix, Ariz. He was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and spent many years in investment banking, venture capital and even a stint as a professional waiter. He is obsessed with preparedness, survival and independence. This combination of traits and an unconditional openness to life have led him to all manner of adventure and authoring his first adventure-thriller, The Mountain Place of Knowledge, due for release on December 15, 2013 (www.marshallchamberlain.com).