I have not written here since September.

Not because I forgot.
Not because I ran out of ideas.
But because I needed space to think and didn’t rush to fill it.

Since my family’s sabbatical, I have learned something uncomfortable about myself and I guess obvious to everyone else.
Pausing is easy when you are on a beach in Bali.
Pausing is harder when you are back home, building a career that asks you to show up, speak up, and stand out every week.

The last stretch of the year helped me get honest with myself.
Not dramatic, just real.
What fuels me.
What drains me.
What matters for the person I’m becoming.

From September to now, I have been pressed, stretched, sharpened. I have spoken more. I have been challenged more. I have said yes to bigger rooms and no to things that kept me small. I have learned that being a speaker is not about the moment on stage. It is about who you become between stages.

And now it all leads to this.

On Saturday, November 22, I step onto the stage at CBC Headquarters in the Glenn Gould Studio for the Speaker Slam Grand Slam Finals at 7pm. The theme is Legacy, and it could not be more personal.

Back in March, I won first place at Speaker Slam - click out the video to refresh your memory. It was a clear signal that my voice, my story, and my perspective resonated. It helped me see that this craft is not random. It is built. And it is becoming something solid.

This finale is not just a competition.
It is a milestone in the journey of trusting my own voice.

And I would love for you to join me.

Two ways to join this moment:

1. Be there in person.
Glenn Gould Studio. Real energy. Real community. Real support. If you can be in the room, I would be grateful.

2. Watch virtually from wherever you are.
Bring a drink. Bring a friend. Bring the version of yourself who wants to believe their story still has power.

Click on this link to join or watch (https://lnkd.in/g4DtZabh)

Here is what I know now.
The pause is where the transformation actually happens.
Not on the stage.
Not in the applause.
But in the space you create to ask yourself who you really are and who you want to become next.

This fall, I finally answered that question with honesty.
And on November 22, I get to speak from that place.

See you Saturday.