Have you ever wanted to do something but you kept it to yourself? What happens?
Do you take the next steps to make it happen or does it seclude itself inside your heart and mind and remain dormant?
Two years ago, I attended a workshop hosted by the National Speakers Association Carolinas Chapter in Raleigh, NC. One of the guest speakers was Tamsen Webster, a renowned keynote speaker, business strategist and four-time Executive Producer of TEDx events. She shared with us how to turn the seed of an idea into a living, breathing thing that has the potential to change how people view something. In other words, a TED Talk.
At that workshop, Tamsen challenged us to think about what our big idea would be that could transform people's perspective. That's when I came up with the notion of Why Talking About the Elephant in the Room Heals Bereaved Parents and Families. The concept simmered inside me for more than a year and I finally announced in a podcast in spring 2019 that I wanted to do a TEDx Talk about how to talk to bereaved parents.
Funny how things change when you say it out loud, right?
By doing that, I made the goal real. I was then interviewed on another podcast in summer 2019, Greater > Than with Jen Hoverstad, a young woman whom I admire both personally and professionally. A second time now, I made the declaration that this idea needed to happen.
I invite you to listen to the podcast.
Let me know in the comments if you resonate with our conversation.
In the meantime, I did apply and was accepted to do a TEDx Talk on December 19, 2019 at TEDx Cary Women. It was the most incredible experience of my professional life. It fueled me to create this website and online community for bereaved parents. It also became the catalyst to introduce a word to English speakers, vilomah, so that we can come out of the shadows of grief and talk about our experiences, sorrows and joys.
I look forward to my to posting my talk when it becomes available on line.