Giving a TEDx Talk will stand as one of the most surreal, terrifying, and wonderful experiences of my life. (Terrifying because the topic I chose to speak on was so very intimate and I wanted to do it justice…not go into robot-mode or worse just have an emotional breakdown offstage beforehand…thankfully, neither terrible scenarios happened.)
After 6 weeks of prep with the Yale TEDx team and my unofficial-yet-dedicated personal TED coach found in my dearest friend, I made it through the run-up to the fateful moment. The last 40 mins before the speech my introverted heart beat like a drum against my ribs, as though it wanted to leave my body and have absolutely nothing to do with what was about to happen. I went into the green room where I waited for the longest 20 mins of my life as the speaker before mine gave her speech and then I stepped out on stage wherein I said my first line, my mind disconnected from my body, and my heart, which wanted to tell the story all along, (thankfully) took over.
They say we will have the official video in 3-6 weeks and I will post more pictures from the day soon. Thank you to everyone who sent messages of encouragement beforehand. Knowing there were so many people out there wanting me to do well as moving.
In “To Lose the Madness: Field Notes on Trauma, Loss and Radical Authenticity” I encourage readers to “own their journey” and “be radically authentic.” Yesterday, I was an embodiment of that practice and it was not easy–in the least–but it was worth it.
