STORIES FROM THE STAGE: Behind The Scenes ??

Welcome to the latest edition of "Stories From The Stage," a limited series newsletter designed to offer a peek inside JAKE Small's TEDxRoxbury 2024 journey. This newsletter features some of JAKE's favorite TED talks as well as advice for those who aspire to take the TEDx stage one day.

The Nerves ??

Over the last 6 years, I've had the privilege of speaking at dozens of professional conferences and on countless college campus stages. As an independent consultant, I've led workshops for senior executives and even a handful of Fortune 500 companies. I would, at times, get a bit nervous before these opportunities... but nothing compared to the nerves I felt leading up to TEDxRoxbury .

The three nights leading up to the talk were the worst. I had progressively more painful stomach cramps that would keep me up all night. On the nights I managed to fall asleep, the crippling abdominal cramps ripped me awake and I would quite literally yell in pain.

My partner made me hot chamomile tea, massaged my body, and soothed me back to sleep as the pain subsided.

Surprisingly, I didn't link these bouts of pain to my nervousness until the night after the TED talk... That night, I finally slept soundly.

That's when it clicked!

This was just the worst case of "butterflies in my stomach" ever.

What I thought was some unrelated medical ailment, was actually my first real experience with performance-related anxiety.

The Day Of ??

The entire team of TEDxRoxbury organizers and volunteers deserve the biggest applause for creating a truly unimaginable experience for the audience as well as all of us speakers.

We arrived early for the final sound check, shuffled into the green room, and began our final preparations before taking the stage. Before kicking off the day, Carmen Blyden, MBA led the group in a beautiful prayer acknowledging all of the work it took to get to this point.

From the beginning of the day to the very end, the speakers, organizers, coaches, and volunteers moved between the backstage corridors uplifting and celebrating one another.

The Crew ??

I gotta give it up to the team of photographers and videographers who captured the emotions and special moments throughout the day. ????

Dante Luna (@dantemoon on IG) and his team did an incredible job. Please check out the reel he put together:

The Speech ??

When the co-host, James ‘Jimmy’ Hills , read my bio and I was announced to take the stage, I felt a surge of adrenaline wash over me. Stepping onto the TEDxRoxbury stage was a surreal moment, one that I had envisioned countless times during my rehearsals.

The bright lights obscured the audience, but I knew they were there, waiting to hear my story. The initial seconds felt like an eternity as I adjusted to the spotlight and began to speak.

To my surprise, once I started, the nerves began to dissipate.

I found myself in a flow, connecting with the audience through my words and expressions. I remembered the coaching sessions and the feedback I'd received —slow down, make eye contact, and most importantly, be authentic.

As I shared my journey, the laughter, nods, and even the occasional gasp from the audience fueled my confidence.

I'm looking forward to sharing the video with everyone soon! ??

Thank you for reading!

Follow www.imjakesmall.com to keep up with JAKE Small and his work as a justice-driven consultant and speaker. JAKE is passionate about advancing education equity and focuses his research on the mattering of Black boys as a tool for academic persistence and professional success. He is the author of the upcoming book titled "For Every Black Boy." Learn more >>>