How a Chance Meeting Led Vicki to the TEDx Stage

Vicki is the kind of woman who says yes to hard things for no reason other than they’re hard. I interviewed her to understand how she transforms “the unattainable” into “the attainable.”

For Vicki hard is a big part of the allure. Reaching the summit ignites the parts of her who will not let ruggedness, steepness, nor altitude stop her. She approaches challenges with a five-year-old’s sass and the pragmatism of a mature woman.

Here’s what Vicki relayed:

Adele: Tell me about making it to the TEDx stage.

Vicki: The idea started as a spark, and grew. Like with any big challenge, I asked myself, “Could I do that?”

Adele: Why did you seek that particular challenge?

Vicki: I had been listening to TED Talks for years, and they sounded like something a really cool, smart person would do. When it branched off to TEDx, it became something an average person like me could do.

Adele: What was the driving force: to write, share a story, be on stage, a stamp of approval? All or none of what I listed?

Vicki: I wanted the experience, and to be able to say I’d done it. Applying is very competitive, with a 95% rejection rate. That made me want it more.

While I loved the idea of a TEDx Talk, I didn’t like the idea of being on stage. And knowing the video would live on in perpetuity made it scary. Forever is scary.

Adele: Challenge encourages you as opposed to discourages you. How can other people, who aren’t as naturally competitive as you, adopt this attitude?

Vicki: It was through persistent action over a year that I got there. I joined a paid community about how to land a TEDx Talk: how to apply, write the applications, create video submissions. There was also a workshop and a mastermind where coaches helped me develop my topic. And I had an accountability coach who I met with once a month; she would check-in on how many applications I had submitted, how many rejections I got, and what was up next.

Adele: You are mentioning five specific things here: focus, continuity, community, accountability, and perseverance.

Vicki: Yes. It was a lot of work.

Adele: I want to ask you about something you mentioned earlier–that you really wanted that seal of approval.

Vicki: Right. I feel like that’s important to say because I don’t think we should be embarrassed by setting goals and going after them.

Adele: The TEDx offer came through a connection you made on an airport shuttle. I know you will tell a door knob what you’re up to.

Vicki: [laughs] Yes, that is true. I’ve made a few good friends on the Querétaro/San Miguel shuttle. That day, I was talking to a woman about travel and volunteering (I was headed to Nepal), and she said, “Have you ever thought about doing a TEDx?” I, who had spent two years thinking about just that, opened with, “As a matter of fact…”

Adele: Your chat that day connected you with the organizer of TEDxCalle Allende, to whom you submitted your application. It was in the Himalayas when you learned you had gained a spot.

Vicki: Yes. As we were transported back down to Pokhara, hours in a bumpy, jeep ride, I got to work outlining my talk. I had eight weeks before I went on stage, and that got me going.

Vicki spent years crafting this victory by enrolling a can-do attitude along with mapping a path forward, adding deadlines, showing up, and keeping at it. Even after she heard “no” again and again.

What relationships do you need to strengthen to be more like Vicki?