“It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities”. – J.K. Rowling
Landing, writing, preparing, and delivering my TEDx talk was hands down one of the most significant accomplishments of my life and business to date.
It was a huge leap of faith to apply.
I’m going to walk you through the exact 6 steps I took to turn my TEDx vision into a reality in Oneonta, New York on September 13, 2019.
Watch my TEDx: “Rising Is a Risk. Do It Anyway.” here.
1. Get clear on your WHY.
I started out this year with a clear vision to create an impact that changes women’s lives and ultimately transform their businesses. I decided TEDx was the platform I wanted to pursue to help me create the bigger impact I knew this year contained.
Not having a clear, burning hot why stops most people from chasing a big audacious dream. Knowing why you’re doing this and having your mission so front and center is what’s going to fuel you to keep going when your goal feels unattainable. For me, the desire to impact millions of lives ultimately kicked my butt in gear to make this goal happen no matter what it took.
2. Connect with your network and do your research.
The thing about manifesting is – it requires equal parts INTENTION and ACTION. Once I had my clear intention set, I started reaching out to everyone I knew with a connection to TEDx or who could point me to someone who did. Like I always say, relationships are CRUCIAL and the biggest asset in your business.
I had my team research every TEDx that was happening in 2019 in a location that I had a connection to. I crossed off everyone that didn’t have a connection to me and got to work on the ones that did.
3. Fail like a boss.
And, ta-da! I submitted to each one and got so many offers I had turn some down. NOT. After careful research and meticulously crafting my pitch, I submitted my pitch to over 3 different TEDxs that I either didn’t hear back from or got rejected by. Instead of seeing this as an opportunity to quit, I used it as fuel to propel me forward, I decided to look harder. I decided I needed to get even more clear in my search to make sure I’m delivering my most impactful speech to the right audience.
4. Pick yourself up and persevere.
If this bullet point had a theme song, it’d be: “I get knocked down but I get up again!” Persistence is the most important thing you can have after you fail because the ONLY way to truly fail is to stop trying. You are going to get knocked down. You are going to get told you’re not a match. People are going to slam doors in your face. The people who succeed are the ones who decide they’re not going to take no for an answer. This is what got me my TEDx. I went back to the list and on that new list, there was only ONE TEDx. That was the one. I was going to land it, no matter what it took.
5. Get scrappy and follow through.
I researched who was on the organizing committee and found a man I could cold pitch. I led with value. I led with how I was going to serve his community and this conversation put me in the running. I worked tirelessly on my application because this was the ONE chance I had left. I needed to nail this.
A month later, I got an email that I was going to be delivering my talk in Oneonta!
6. Hire a coach.
After I worked my butt off trying to land a TEDx talk the first half of the year, now I actually had to deliver it. And I had to absolutely blow it out of the water. I hired a coach to help me make sure that I was delivering the absolute best message I could. This talk has the potential to reach millions of people and I needed to do everything I absolutely could to be prepared for it to provide the most possible value for YOU.
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Watch my TEDx: “Rising Is a Risk. Do It Anyway.” here.
I NEVER want to see another woman back out on her dreams because fear got the best of her.
That’s where I draw the line.
We’ve all suffered the fear of failure. We’ve all suffered the fear of success. We’ve all suffered the fear of disappointing others.
Here’s what I want you to know, sister.
Your fear may be loud but your genius is louder.
If you’ve ever struggled with the RISK of RISING into who you were meant to be and what you were born to do, this video is for you.
Watch my TEDx: “Rising Is a Risk. Do It Anyway.” here. Let me know your biggest takeaways in the comments below!
