My journey to the TEDx stage
Only a few days before I took the TEDxBerlin stage on May 8th, I finally rehearsed my presentation in front of my family.
Laura Baxter, one of my coaches, had urged me to do this. But I’d been so preoccupied with preparation that I didn’t stand before my raucous crew until just before leaving for Berlin. “See if your kids like it,” she said.
My wife and children listened intently, then nodded approvingly at the end. I was relieved. “Don’t give a presentation,” Laura had also advised. “Think of it as giving your audience a gift.”
A gift, indeed—of courage.
I was about my children’s age when I first dreamed of traveling the world. That curiosity was a gift from my modest parents, one I nurtured until I finally left home at 19 to attend college in the United States. My education at Morehouse College, and later at Harvard University, gave me transformational perspectives that shaped my career as a business and brand strategist for global consumer brands. Along the way, I was fortunate to meet and work alongside some of the most creative and innovative people in the world, benefiting from their nurturing and wisdom. Sometimes, the gifts came in the form of challenges and adversity, forcing introspection and shaping who I am today.
Our greatest gifts tend to find us at just the right moment, meeting our deepest needs. The best gifts keep on giving. The experiences I’ve collected have not only fueled my career but, more recently, brought clarity to my life’s purpose.
Time has flown by. Suddenly, I have found myself answering the curiosity of young mentees, sharing insights with classrooms and emerging executives about how to transform their careers. Old friends and colleagues are re-engaging, seeking my counsel on decisions about new and fascinating challenges in a period of the unprecedented normal. I have become drawn to governance work, grounded in decades of lessons and values about how best to drive transformation and impact in organizations large and small.
Aspiration, education, and vocation have evolved into a mission: to help others discover their gifts by harnessing the best of mine.
Photo credit TEDxBerlin
When Stephan Balzer invited me to speak at TEDxBerlin EVOLVE, among a remarkable group of thinkers and speakers, I was already deep in reflection—retracing my path, revisiting moments of triumph and trial, and pondering which idea was worth sharing from a life that had presented me with so many. What surfaced was this: the powerful gift of courage as the critical link to a life of impact.
Courage is the invisible force that propelled every leap I’ve taken and comforted me through every misstep. It’s the gift I hope my children remember me by, the one I hope they carry into the world and share freely with others.
As I prepare to share my talk with the world in a few weeks, I am deeply grateful for everyone and everything that led me to this conviction. Because the most powerful gifts are not the ones we keep—they are the ones we live, and give away.
#TEDx #TEDxBerlin #courage #impact #gift
