The 5 year wait is over!

In 2019, I set a big goal for my speaking career. I was ready to develop a speaker reel. For many aspiring speakers, this is the elusive brass ring they are reaching for as they try and try and try to get onto more and bigger stages.

I was that aspiring speaker in 2019.

I sprung into action to make this happen. I hired a videographer to join me at all four speaking engagements I’d been booked for in the spring of 2020. I had a new keynote presentation developed and was ready to hit the road. 2020 was going to be my breakout year!

Then the pandemic hit and all of those presentations were canceled.

Through perseverance and pivoting, some of these presentations continued….

…as virtual presentations

…1-2 years later

In late 2022, I finally started speaking at more live events, but they weren’t right for the recording.

I finally had all of the elements lined up this February.

• In person event
• Great stories
• An appreciative audience
• A highly talented videographer in the city where I was speaking

The event went very well and both the videographer and I were satisfied that we delivered and captured great footage. Truth be told, we were planning to sit on the project for a while. I didn’t have a burning need to have the reel created…until the day after the presentation. A big opportunity requiring a speaker reel landed in my inbox.

Back to the pivoting.

In ONE WEEK, my amazing videographer and I collaborated on this reel.

It’s more than a reel.

It’s the story of Let Her Out.

It combines footage from some of those rescheduled virtual events with my most recent stage appearances.

It shows rooms full of people where I was able to do some of my best work and form great relationships.

I didn’t know what to expect when the final copy landed in my inbox last Tuesday night.

When I watched it I cried.

I showed it to my husband and he got teary eyed. The next day I sent it to my mom and told her she might want to get out tissues.

It feels symbolic to share this on Professional Speakers Celebration Day, where together, we are showing the world that our profession is strong and growing and that there is enough room for all of us (and even more) to thrive!

I invite you to watch this video and as you do, be reminded that whatever dream you had 5 years ago can still come true. That dream will happen one step, one pivot, and one dose of perseverance at a time.

Thank you for all of the cheers. Now onto more and bigger stages!

Thank you for reading this article. I draw on my experiences as a coach, author and speaker, as well as my roles of wife, daughter, mother, sister and friend to create content on meaningful connections and living authentically. I'm currently documenting my 6-month Quest to "Shed the Heavy" and invite you to subscribe and follow along. Other work that might be of interest: 52 Weeks of Meaningful Connections and my bestselling book Let Her Out: Reclaim Who You Have Always Been .