See the Video of My TEDX Talk!

Plus, I’m sharing a look behind the scenes

Today I am thrilled to share the video of my very first TEDx Talk with you! I was so honored to speak at TEDx Vickery Place in Dallas on October 13. It was truly one of the most memorable and exciting days of my life. The road to the TEDx stage wasn’t easy. But that made the experience all the more meaningful.

In the weeks leading up to my talk, my plate was full. Thoughts about work crowded my head. I’m also still recovering from a concussion. Recalling words remains difficult for me. When I practiced the talk, I just couldn’t get it out from start to finish.

Are you seeing the irony here? My talk was “The Great Me-Set,” but I was having trouble prioritizing myself and this very important event in my life. I finally realized that I couldn’t talk about a Me-Set if I wasn’t living in that space. So I dedicated time to do just that.

Someone who is a coach for me in the spiritual space helped me with meditation work to clear my head. My racing mind started to slow down. The same person also gave me the tip to write out my talk to help memorize it. My mind got even calmer.

Stepping Into My Power

When the morning of TEDx Vickery Place arrived, I meditated three times. I practiced the talk — and my delivery still wasn’t perfect. So I sat in prayer and reminded myself of the big why that had driven me to be there. This talk wasn’t about me being perfect. It was about expressing something that’s important to me to others. And I figured that in a worst-case scenario, I could just freestyle it and dust off the extemporaneous speaking skills I learned on my high-school debate team. I danced a little and made goofy faces to feel a little like myself.

But what actually happened was far from a worst-case scenario. It was actually just plain amazing. I got on stage and felt powerful. I didn’t worry about my outfit, my hair and makeup, or even the words. I just opened my heart and released the message I care so deeply about into the world. When I walked off the stage, I felt the joy of accomplishing a major milestone. Even more joyful? Celebrating the moment with people dear to me who had joined me in Dallas for the big day.

A couple of weeks later, I’m still riding high from my TEDx debut. I know that now that my words are out there, I have to hold myself accountable to them with high integrity, high standards and high intention. And that’s very exciting to me.

I’m also excited about how others will use my ideas, especially now that I can share the video of my talk with you. I hope that you will take my words to heart and pass them on to others. Oh, and if you don’t already, please follow me on LinkedIn to read stories about how others have experienced Me-Sets. I want to hear stories of your Me-Sets, too. Besides LinkedIn, you can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and my website. I can’t wait to hear from you! And you never know: Maybe your story will inspire my next big talk!

It never hurts to ask twice. Help me get the me-set movement…a moving. Please watch my TEDx, like it ❤️, and share it with others. Thank you!

—