TEDx Blog 4: “Whiteboards, Word Vomit and a Room Full of Legends”
🌀 TEDxTruth #4: The message becomes magic when shared in community.
December was for script-doodling and I had no clue where to start.
So I turned to my community. I asked people close to me for advice. Their early thoughts and reflections were the scaffolding of my entire talk.
Armed with their insights, I turned to the only place I know where to start when the blank page stares back: A whiteboard.
I mapped out an opening, a few possible sections and a close.
I scribbled six big themes.
I pulled real-life stories from our community.
I tried weaving in my own experiences.
Make it relatable. Ground it in nature. But don’t go too woo.
It needs scope. Depth. Warmth.
Serious, but not academic.
Playful, but not fluffy.
Give people enough, but leave them craving more.
Easy, right? Ha!
Eventually I ended up with nine pages of glorious word vomit.
And weirdly, I felt good about it.
I knew it was raw. It needed shaping.
But I could feel the bones of something important.
So I printed it off. Took a photo of my whiteboard. Attached an Excel sheet (because… why not?) and started preparing for what TEDx Northwich lovingly called:
The Stumble Through.
It was a cold and snowy January when Ije and I drove up together.
We arrived early to watch some of the other rehearsals and wow, what a gift.
That room was filled with incredible speakers.
Martin’s talk got me emotional.
Ije’s story blew me away.
There was this powerful feeling that something special was brewing
and we were all in it together.
Also - just to say - the TEDxNorthwich team knows how to put on a spread. Snacks, treats, drinks... 10/10.
When it was my turn, I did a full 19-minute run-through.
I paused. I improvised. I stumbled.
I now understood why they called it a ‘stumble through’.
But I also got rich, helpful feedback.
Thought-provoking questions.
And some great tips to help me zoom in on what I was really trying to say.
What excited me the most?
Ricky and Martin, the only two men in the room, loved the topic.
They saw the power of it. The relevance. The message.
And it gave me this buzz - this deep YES - about the journey ahead.
Afterwards, no one rushed off.
We hung around, chatted, and connected.
There was laughter. Story-sharing. Mutual hype.
It felt like the beginning of something magical.
And really… it was.
🌀
Click here to read the previous blog about how I found out I got in.
Stay tuned for the next blog talking about following rehearsals.
Find all the blogs on the Period Reality TEDx page.
This talk was never just about me.
It’s about a global call for gender equity through Cycle Awareness.
It’s about system change that starts with understanding our bodies.
It’s about bringing that conversation to the TEDx stage - and far, far beyond.
Because the TEDx stage wasn’t the destination.
It was just the beginning.
#NotDesignedForTheGrind
#TEDxTruths
#TEDxNorthwich
