Sonia Chavez – The Journey
I have always been a big dreamer. Since being a child I’ve loved to daydream and have entire musical set-ups in my mind of being the heroine, or the badass of the story. I thought that everyone had dancing musicals of major success in their heads until my bestie looked at me like I was crazy! Since watching my first TED Talk, I knew I wanted to be on that stage.
TED and TEDx was a place of hope and possibility. The speakers so intriguing, so bold, and with ideas to change the world. These were disruptors of the norm. There were longing and a knowing within me that I was meant for this. I didn’t know how or why, but from that moment, being on a TED/x stage one day became a huge dream of mine. Getting into TEDxCherryCreekWomen was like fate. I had previously applied to be a speaker but something felt different this time.
I was and continue to be incredibly grateful and astonished to be a speaker. I sometimes have to pinch myself. There are a beautiful reputation and expectation that comes with being a TEDx speaker and it’s been really fun to see how friends and family respond as I ask for support to practice my speech. There is an air of honor and it’s been a gift to bring others into this experience with me.
The process of training for TEDxCherryCreek has not disappointed in the least! I’ve loved being held at a high expectation, thrown deep into the process, and held so kindly at the same time. Just the first training session gave me such confidence that this is what I want, I’m willing to work for it, and it’s what I’m meant to do. I have the idea and the story within me. It’s there, and now I get to offer the world a beautiful perspective that can truly shift the lives of many. What an honorable opportunity to have!
I will admit that every single practice I do live in front of friends and family is nerve-wracking right before. What has been truly altering for me however is getting to see how much my idea impacts those who resonate with it. Getting to see people I care about feel permission to see themselves differently, to see possibility where there was none before, and to feel the relief of knowing they are exactly where they should be today; that experience has been priceless.
I can’t wait to share this experience with all of you.
With Tons of Love,
Sonia Chavez
Looking2Leap LLC