Kane Hall on the University of Washington (UW) campus holds a special place in my soul. Seven years ago, I attended my first TEDx conference at Kane Hall, a production by a few dozen UW students. That morning, at the conclusion of the programs, the host asked anyone in the audience who had ever dreamed of standing on the TEDx stage to form a line near the front. I jumped at the chance, as did my newest friend, Marcelle, who happened to be sitting next to me.
The instructions were: Stand on the round red carpet and deliver what you think might be your opening line. I cannot remember what I said, partly because the thrill of placing my feet on that dot with a microphone in my hand was more important (at the time) than anything I might have said.
Leaving Kane Hall that spring day, I knew a seed was about to germinate in me. Two years later, mere days before the world was about to fold due to a global pandemic, I stood on that dot and delivered an ode to my special mother. I owe TEDx Everett organizer Joanne a million thanks for doing just the opposite of what every other live event producer was doing in the final days of February 2020.
Three days ago, I was drinking my first cup of early morning Saturday coffee when I read a social media message from John Chen, CSP, a friend who lives, eats, and drinks all things speaking. We share much common ground around well-produced, disciplined public storytelling. Our circle includes seasoned speakers and some like me, who dream of one day trading the top hat for full-time thought leadership.
John’s early morning message implored anyone awake: I have 20 event tickets to the UW TEDx conference today! Weeks before, I had made a note of this upcoming gathering but sadly didn’t add it to my calendar. If not for John, I would have spent the majority of a sunny Saturday power-washing all the surfaces around our house.
All TEDx gatherings are inspirational, sometimes controversial, but always thought-provoking. Some of the best ideas around self-reflection and challenging my belief system have come from TEDx talks. Some of the people I admire most, like Pediatric Brain Tumor Researcher Dr. Jim Olson and Human Champion Traca Savadogo, have left some really important thoughts on that red dot.
One of John Chen’s best attributes is how fast he responds to communications at nearly any hour. His simple response to my request for TEDx tickets was, “I’ve added you to the list.” With an answer like that, I didn’t give my desire to attend a second thought. In addition to John’s incentive, there was a speaker I had met many years back on the program, talking about a subject near and dear to my family.
Kris Engskov is a previous global corporate leader with my favorite coffee company. Kris and I share some common ground around soulful leadership and using a global brand as a platform for good. After working with coffee, life’s path led him into an executive role with a set of upscale regional assisted living and memory care communities. His leadership included navigating COVID, a nearly impossible task when protecting a vulnerable population during this tragic global pandemic. Kris noted several other coming trends that had no meaningful solutions, and some included a loud, ringing alarm.
One of those critical issues is how woefully ill-prepared we are as a society for the care of dementia patients. During his 15-minute TEDx talk, Kris almost perfectly recounted the path my family walked during the four years of my mother’s protracted dementia journey. I found myself nodding in agreement and trying to manage my tears at the same time.
Kris is trying to solve some incredibly complex challenges within our care system. He’s the first person I‘ve yet to meet who clearly knows what‘s before us and what’s coming in the very near future. His startup (Rippl Care) will soon be the game changer millions of families need to manage a journey with an unknown destination.
Even though his TEDx talk brought back many of the most traumatic moments from my mother’s chapter with total memory loss, I will be forever grateful that Kris understands what it means to: #BeTheAnswer.
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom. 💝