Final blog TEDxWilmingtonWomen 2018

It. Is. Finished.

Those ancient words have very significant meaning to me. And now that I have accomplished a dream of mine, and it is firmly fixed in the past, I feel I own them as part of my own story and journey. TEDxWilimingtonWomen 2018 is finished.

Completing my TEDx ”Round, Red Carpet Moment” is a huge accomplishment and I am equally thrilled I had the opportunity, as I am thrilled it is finished. As one of the speakers, I got to meet so many WONDERFUL people that I never would have met if I hadn’t done this. And I got to hear from many people in person, as well as those who saw the live-stream of the event, that they were inspired and experienced thought-provoking ideas. I got to challenge myself to step up my own trauma recovery to an all-new high, to be able to manage the challenges, deadlines, and standing up in front of 3 cameras to talk about something with very deep meaning for me. I received a lot from the experience. And I am grateful.

Regarding the event, I was so impressed with members of the volunteer tribe that helped make this a reality. I was struck by how composed Elissa Ben-Eli remained, despite the pressures of being a first-time producer of a TEDx event, and making an event a reality with only 2 weeks notice that TED had given the green light. She kept a smile on her face and kept the best interests of the speakers top of mind throughout the 2-day event. She demonstrated this even when I needed to add a slide the day of the event, and instead of concerning herself with the stress that might bring HER in the midst of the live-stream, she was concerned it might throw me off as speaker. And she trusted me when I let her know that the slide was mission critical, and she worked with Evan, who has more experience as a producer, to get it in. She and Evan were very impactful in so many ways!

The tribe’s photographer, Alessandra Nicole, is a person with a tremendous background in living bravely and facing adversity with grace, as well as a person with a huge heart, who happens to also be a great photographer and visual storyteller. She also demonstrated her helpfulness throughout the days I was there, even helping me get from the speaker dinner to my hotel since I didn’t have a car.

Jake Voorhees also played a huge role in making the event what it was for me and others. He offered encouragement consistently offered balanced constructive feedback to the speakers during our dress rehearsal. And he managed to do that with a smile on his face, and new responsibilities out on stage. He gave my introduction and demonstrated that he clearly understood the effort I had put into my talk preparation, as well as my journey as a person recovering from trauma that wants to help the world do the same, incorporating Somatic Experiencing into their journey to recover from or prepare for traumatic situations. Jake saw my vision and helped me get it the point that it was on November 30th. I cannot give enough credit to the impact Jake has had on the trajectory of my life through who he is, and how he employs that on behalf of this tribe of volunteers.

And don’t let their titles fool you, every tribe member does so much more than their titles imply- Alessandra, Elissa, Evan, and Jake- they were called on to give speaker feedback during our dress rehearsal, right alongside the folks who make their living coaching speakers. These folks played a significant role in making the event all it was.

As for the speakers, I cannot say enough good things about them. I drove to the event sitting on a red bath mat that reminded me of my vision of success I was embarking on, and heard a speaker talk about how vision boards change lives. I’m living proof Karen’s message was spot on. (pun intended) I saw men like Dominick and Frankie, who were willing to show their feelings so deeply, in ways that men often do not, and call men and women alike to live powerful lives full of feeling and bravery and art. I saw women overcoming debilitating illness to find healing and health in alternative ways and suggesting how we can advocate for ourselves with our doctors. Women with a vision for the future of our young ladies, wanting to impact them as leaders from a young age. Women who want to provide structure for how we can stand up and say so, when we have been spoken to in an exclusionary way, or if we have been the one to speak out of turn. We heard wisdom on how to divorce “happily ever after” through mindfulness. How to turn your passion into your health and wellness. EVERY SINGLE SPEAKER and speaker coach (like Angela Jo Maneri, Geoffrey Berwind, Laura Harrison, and Tucker Stine) imparted their knowledge, passion, feedback and ideas to me. And an idea is a gift as much as feedback is. Getting to hear all the speakers and feedback given to them on dress rehearsal day, and then many talks on the day of the event, I had the blessing of hearing many twice. Because of them, I learned about the ways to tell stories of family members before they are gone, to consider giving up eating meat for the benefit of the planet AND the animals. To tell everyone I meet that YOU MATTER.

Like many things, the hardest things are often the most rewarding, despite the bumps and hurdles. And that is how I sum up my TEDxWilmingtonWomen 2018 experience. It was one of the hardest things I have done, and it was so rewarding.

And though the event itself is done, the relationships that were forged through the heat of pressure and deep desire to make an impact will continue to make an impact on me. And once the talks are live on YouTube, they will continue to make an impact on many…hopefully countless others. And ideas will spread, which is the point of all of this.

C’est fini. For today.