I'm giving a TEDx talk!
I'm giving a TEDx talk!
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I'm giving a TEDx talk! 〰️
Last updated Friday, May 6th, 2022.
Event details can be found here.
This still feels completely surreal to say, but I’m giving a TEDx talk tomorrow! You can read a bit more about my experience getting nominated and selected to speak here.
So that I can put all of my energy into talk prep, I put together this handy-dandy resource for friends and family that answers frequently asked questions regarding the talk and my experience. All information regarding the event will be posted on the TEDxUW website and Facebook - please check there for updates!
In the spirit of my talk (advocating for your own wellness needs!) I am going to be fully transparent here; I don’t have bandwidth this week to answer any logistical questions about the event right now and am putting all of my energy into staying calm, getting things right, and practicing. If you’re looking for an answer that is NOT in this blog post, it’s most likely because I don’t have the answer. Please check the TEDx resources linked throughout.
ONE IMPORTANT LOGISTICAL NOTE FOR THOSE OF YOU INTENDING IN PERSON: Saturday, May 7th is also the Opening Day of boating season on Lake Washington. During Opening Day, the Seattle Yacht Club and University of Washington Rowing put on an assortment of events, and it gets VERY busy on campus. Give yourself extra time for parking, traffic, etc.,
The TEDx process has been a wild ride. You can learn more about my experience here.
The reality of giving a TEDx talk has been one of the most exciting and challenging experiences of my life. Giving a talk about my experience with depression and loss has been especially difficult to maneuver. You can read more about it here.
event details
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The title of my talk is: Your body is talking to you, are you listening?
My talk covers my experience navigating losing my mom to cancer while I was a college athlete, and how the contrast between the two experiences made me reexamine wellness culture.
Here’s a little preview:
When I was in college, I was what most would consider "healthy". I was a D1 athlete, a disciplined vegan, and rode my bike to yoga on the weekends. I took dozens of vitamins and supplements.
But at the same time, I was witnessing the slow decline and eventual death of my mom to colon cancer. I was privately having weekly panic attacks, experiencing intense chronic pain that nobody could diagnose, my periods were all over the place, and I was deeply depressed. I constantly felt like I was split between two different realities - one in which I was seen as a benchmark for health, and another one where I felt deeply sick.
I kept trying to "fix" myself - but the things that would make me feel better for a little while (exercise, diet, supplements) never made a significant change. I felt like a bad person for not being able to just fix myself. When people would remark on how healthy I was, I would feel guilty. What did they mean by that? How could they know if I was healthy? Who gets to decide what "well" even means?
I wish someone had told me that the word "well" can mean the opposite of healthy. It can mean something like "in accordance with a norm." And norms are really arbitrary things. We need them because we can't all agree on everything - but it's really easy to conflate them with actual health and happiness and self-worth.
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Yes, it will be live-streamed! As of publishing this post I do not have a link to share, but you should be able to find information on the TEDxUW website or Facebook.
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Yes! Once I have the links, I’ll be posting them EVERYWHERE! I’ve been told it will be posted to the TEDxUW and TED YouTube channels.
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I was anonymously nominated as a speaker for TEDx and was contacted to audition my topic in January 2022. From there I interviewed with a panel and waited a few weeks to find out if I’d been selected. Once the TEDxUW conferences ends, (and I don’t need to focus on memorizing and perfecting!) I’ll put together a more detailed blog post on my experience from start to finish.
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Can I buy tickets to attend in person?
Yes! It will be at UW HUB on Saturday, May 7th and you can buy tickets here (as of May 5, 2022 they still had some available).
If you buy tickets you do not need to stay for the entire event, you can come and go as you please. There will be food vendors, booths, activities, etc.,
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There are 7 speakers, I am the second. There are two speakers after me and then a break for lunch. Once the conference breaks for lunch I can leave our speaker area and socialize at the HUB! There will also be a Q&A for all the speakers during the last ~25 minutes of the conference.
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These are the parking details I received from the event organizers:
The HUB's address is 4001 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA 98195. Attached is a map of where the HUB is and a map of where the Padelford parking garage is - it’s the closest lot to the HUB.
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The conference starts at 10 and I am the second speaker out of 7. There are also a lot of other presentations/performances/things happening at the conference throughout the day. All of this to say, no exact time has been released and I probably won't know the exact time until the day of, but I am guessing around 10:30. If you are attending in person or want to watch it live online, I would just plan to block out 10-12 to be safe. I'll also be participating in a speaker Q&A at the end of the conference (again - no exact time on this)!
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My talk is about 15 minutes long.
🌼 TOO LONG; DIDN’T READ 🌼
I’m giving a TEDx talk about my experience losing my mom to cancer in the midst of my college athletic career - and how it made me rethink what it really means to be well. For information about attending in person, watching the live-stream, or about the nomination process, check out the links included above.
DISCLAIMERS:
This article is for informational purposes only, even if and regardless of whether it features the advice of physicians and medical practitioners. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.
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