In December 2019, I organised the TEDxAinleyTopWomen event in Huddersfield. The day was a huge success and 19 amazing speakers gave their first-ever TEDx talk. The audience were wowed, the speakers were phenomenal, and the organiser (that would be me) went home exhausted but very happy.
So, who were they – the intrepid bunch of speakers? And why did they put themselves through the process? I interviewed all of them, to give you a behind the scenes look at the whole process. Perhaps you might want to get involved in a TEDx in the future. These interviews will shed light on what it takes, why you might want to do it, and who you need to be, to be a TEDx speaker.
In this “Journey to TEDx” interview I spoke to Alicya Son, who helps people heal themselves with the power of minerals. Her book – “The Power of Minerals – Healing Spa’s of Europe” has just been published on Amazon. If you prefer – you can watch the video or the interview or read the blog below.
“Alicya, how did you find out about TEDxAinleyTopWomen, why did you want to do the talk and what might have put you off doing it?”
I found out about the event through you Cheryl, as I am part of the Live Love Laugh Lounge. I joined the Foundation because of the fact you are not just a speaker, but also someone who I felt understood me, how I felt and I wanted to work with you. I also joined your Wyse Council as I wanted to take my career further.
For many years I have been hiding, I know a lot about health. But I wasn’t really sharing that with the world.
I believed there was more to life, and I wanted to share more. And you have allowed me to do more than I could have done alone. I want to say a huge thank you – you enabled me to publish my book – The Power of Minerals. That book wouldn’t be here, it would still be just a thought, just a script, if it wasn’t for you.
My talk was originally the same as the book – The Power of Minerals, Healing Spas of Europe. When I first submitted the title, you asked me to change it for something more exciting. So, we came up with Minerals Rock, Inside and Out. It was your idea, and it grew on me, and we absorb minerals.
We had to be mindful of the fact that TED don’t like ‘pseudoscience’, so you told me I had to make sure the talk was full of facts.
So, you’ve changed your talk, fast forward to 13th December , how was that for you before, during and after this process?
Well, before I was excited of course, but also nervous. As a coach you helped me with that – you gave me lots of tips for managing that. It was great to have the hair and make-up room which I made use of a lot during the day, to relax and do the breathing exercises
It was my first public speaking event – 100 people who I didn’t know, and I didn’t know if they were going to like my talk.
When I did this I was relieved but still was beating myself up about what I missed out and what I wasn’t able to share everything I wanted. I loved it. The day after, I was thinking it would be terrible, and I was worried.
I also remember you saying I shouldn’t have slides but I insisted. On the day – it was the slides not working properly that put me off. I should have listened to you and I have since spoken and NOT used slides and that worked much better, and flowed much more.
So afterwards, we had a long wait over Christmas and into the New Year. And I was concerned that we perhaps hadn’t given enough evidence for TED. What were you thinking?
It was challenging – especially when everyone else’s talk was published and mine wasn’t. Rather than worrying about whether or not my talk would be approved I decided to focus on the positives – I did my first ever talk for 100 people and I am now a TEDx speaker.
You also gave me lots of feedback about liking myself and my voice, and you helped me so much with that.
What have been some of the positives for you?
Oh the positives are many – firstly, it gave me the last push and confidence to finish the book. You know there were moments I had writers block and much angst about whether I should publish it or not. You gave me the framework around what I do, which helped me to structure the book and finally complete it.
Also, not just the confidence to speak, but also confident about looking for opportunities to pursue my purpose. I was putting my experience on the back burner and you have turned the key to open up my horizons, and to go for things that I love. And that’s also what I love about the Live Love Laugh lounge, the 8am lives, the gratitude – which is so good for health.
You allowed me to start looking at the skills I have and start sharing them with the world.
Finally, if someone was to get the opportunity to apply to do a TEDx talk – what would you say to them?
If you have the passion and the message just go for it, what have you got to lose – the exact same thing you said to me. Just do it and learn from the feedback. I also don’t think you can do it on your own. If I didn’t join the Find Your Why Foundation and the Live Love Laugh Lounge, I wouldn’t have been a TEDx speaker in December 2019.
The story behind that is I joined in 2017 and then I dropped, and when I met you again in 2019, I renewed, and it has made such a difference. Your honest feedback is the difference – that’s what I like and what resonated with me. And, also, Marion – with her focus on health and I think she knows me better than I know myself.
You don’t have to do it on your own. Contact Cheryl and Marion. Because I now have the confidence to speak – not just on stage, but in person. And I learned from you Cheryl that if I say something and people don’t like it, then that is their problem not mine!!
Watch Alicya’s talk about the power of minerals here.