Jennifer Aniston has revealed that she is confronting a “very deep” fear of public speaking after interviewing her boyfriend, Jim Curtis, at a packed event in New York.
The Friends star, 57, took to the stage at Kaufmann Concert Hall at 92NY on Wednesday, September 2, to discuss Curtis’s forthcoming book, The Book of Possibility: Release. Align. Become. The 50-year-old author and transformational coach was joined by Aniston for a 30-minute conversation about his work, personal experiences and approach to overcoming adversity.
During questions from the audience, Aniston was asked to name “one possibility” she was choosing that day. She replied: “I’m choosing to overcome a very deep, deep fear of public speaking.”
The actress was also asked how she manages stress, answering: “I think I’m doing really well. Deep breaths and meditation.”
“Truly,” she added. “It is five deep, deep breaths. Focus. Take a moment.”
Aniston’s admission came as she moderated the event in support of Curtis, whose book is being published by Simon & Schuster. The publisher describes it as a guide combining neuroscience, hypnotherapy and spirituality, built around the three-stage process of releasing old patterns, aligning with new possibilities and becoming a changed version of oneself.
Jim Curtis discusses spinal condition
Curtis used the conversation to speak candidly about the health problems he experienced in his early twenties, when doctors discovered lesions on his spinal cord. The condition resulted in partial paralysis and lasting nerve damage.
He told the audience that a serious diagnosis did not have to define a person’s identity or future.
“I’m not saying here that if the doctor tells you to do something, you should get up and leave,” Curtis said. “What I’m saying is you don’t have to live as the victim. You don’t have to live in your suffering. It can become your power.”
He said his advice to anyone facing a major health ordeal was to “accept it and love it”, while acknowledging that he had once struggled to accept his own condition.
Curtis admitted that he had previously told people he walked with a limp because of a motorcycle accident, rather than explaining the medical reason.
“I was so shameful that I had a medical condition,” he said. “I was broken in some way. I thought the motorcycle accident was at least a little macho.”
He said it had taken him 25 years to overcome those feelings through “self-acceptance and self-love”.
The evening ended with Aniston thanking the audience before embracing Curtis on stage. The couple then left the auditorium together.
Aniston made their relationship public on Instagram last November, when she shared a black-and-white photograph of herself hugging Curtis from behind to mark his 50th birthday.
“Happy birthday, my love. Cherished ❤️,” she wrote at the time.
Curtis, who works as a wellness coach and hypnotist, also posted photographs from the celebrations, writing: “If this is a dream I don’t want to wake up. ❤️”
