2/9/25

My Journey to TED: How a Pitch Practice Turned Me Into a Pioneer

This is the story of how one “yes” can reroute your entire life in the best possible way.

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If someone had told me years ago that I’d be on a TEDx stage and co-organizing the first-ever TED Women event in Namibia, I would have laughed, asked them what they were drinking, and politely walked away.

But this is the story of how one “yes” opened the door to another, and how mentorship, community, and a little bit of courage can reroute your entire life in the best possible way.

And here’s the wildest part: It all started with me awkwardly learning how to pitch my startup.

Palms sweaty, voice shaky, and an underwhelming slide deck. But somewhere in that clumsy beginning, something clicked.

That small, nerve-wracking moment ended up unlocking a path I never expected, one that would eventually lead me all the way to the TED stage.

The first “Yes”

Let me rewind.

I run WhomLab, a Human Resources technology startup. Like many startup founders, I quickly realized that having a great idea means absolutely nothing if you can’t explain it in 60 seconds sharp: the classic elevator pitch.

So, I started showing up to “learn to pitch” groups, those casual-but-kind-of-intimidating gatherings where startup founders practice convincing others that their idea is The One.

I was just trying to figure out how not to sweat through my shirt while saying, “WhomLab is reimagining hiring…”

What I didn’t expect was to bump into actual TEDx speakers. You know, the ones who wear head mics and don’t flinch on stage.

They were warm, smart, and surprisingly down-to-earth. And after a few conversations, they told me:

You should apply to speak at a TEDx event.

Really? Me?

Putting words into action: Taking the first step

To be polite, and maybe a little curious, I applied to be a speaker for a TEDx event happening nearby.

I prepared my application the best that I could, fully expecting to get a kind rejection – maybe a “Thanks, but no thanks.” Instead, I got a “Congratulations!”

And just like that, I had barely a month to write, memorize, and perform a TEDx talk.

No pressure. Just a global platform and a countdown clock.

A Conversation That Changed Everything

Now, at the same time, I was mentoring young women, which I still do to this day. It is my way of giving back, building up their confidence, and trying to be the kind of mentor I wish I had starting out.

One of my mentees was already organizing events – both online and in-person women-focused events, with dozens of participants.

In our next mentoring session, I told her, “Hey, I just got selected to be a TEDx speaker!”

Her eyes lit up. “No way, I love TED.”

And I, still riding the TEDx adrenaline, said, “You should totally organize one!”

She hesitated. Big time. She said it sounded like a lot, and she wasn’t sure she could pull it off. Then she looked at me and said,
“If we do it together, I’ll do it.”

Honestly? I hadn’t even finished the script for my own TEDx talk.

I was knee-deep in drafts, edits, and imposter syndrome.

But when I looked at her, I saw someone I believed in – someone with a powerful story she didn’t yet see in herself, and I realized she’d never do it alone.

So something in me said, “Let’s go.”

“Are We Really Doing This?”

It was uncharted territory, but honestly, as a startup founder, I have completed so many applications for so many different grants and programs that I no longer fear applications.

We put in a lot of effort and submitted it, but being our first, we did not expect much – until, surprise! We got approved.

Not just approved. We were now officially organizing the very first TED Women event in Namibia.

Let me just pause here.

My two passions are technology and women empowerment, two forces I believe will shape the future.

At that moment, I realized I wasn’t just organizing an event. I was making history.

40 years of TED. Zero TED Women events in Namibia. Until us. The fourth country in the whole of Africa ever to host a TED Women event.

And here’s why that matters so much.

Namibia has seen some movement toward gender equality, with women now holding about one in four senior business roles, and nearly a fifth of roles in the tech workforce. These numbers are similar to many other countries, but far from what true parity would look like.

Yet, these signs of progress exist alongside real and urgent challenges.

In 2023/24, Namibia recorded more than 4,800 cases of gender-based violence, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality – a staggering number.

Silence is often socialized, particularly for women. In some spaces, it’s still quietly expected, and even enforced.

So, when a woman stands on a TEDx stage and owns her story, it shifts something.

In her.

In the audience.

In the culture.

It hit me then: this wasn’t just about pulling off a cool event. It was something much bigger. This was legacy work.

We were building a stage that had never existed before in Namibia, a platform for women to share their ideas, lived experiences, dreams, and truths.

In their own voices. On their own terms. With the world listening.

What we created wasn’t just a moment in time. We opened a door, and once open, there was no going back.

The Hustle Behind the Headlines

Once the shock wore off, the real work began.
• We needed a venue.
• We needed speakers.
• We needed sponsors.
• We needed, you know, an audience.

And we had to do it all in a matter of weeks.

My main focus? The speakers. The heart of any TEDx event.

Some had never spoken publicly before. Others were experts in their fields, but unsure how to compress a lifetime of knowledge into 15 minutes. I became part coach, part editor, part therapist.

We spent long nights on video calls, rewriting scripts, refining tone, rehearsing hand gestures, practicing silence. There were moments of breakthrough and moments of doubt.

Some speakers cried. Some wanted to quit. All of them rose.

It was chaotic. It was exhausting. And yet, it was magic.

Witnessing that transformation – from hesitant to empowered, from uncertain to unforgettable – is one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever experienced.

By the time they stepped onto that red dot, they weren’t just speakers, they were TEDx speakers.

People showed up. Sponsors got on board.

And me? I flew to Namibia, stood on that stage, and opened the event by telling this exact story.

How one “yes” opened the door to another.

How mentorship, community, and a little bit of courage can make history in a distant country in the best possible way.

A Legacy Beyond the Event

For many speakers, it was their first time being heard on such a visible stage. For some, it was the first time speaking publicly at all.

Namibia’s first TEDx Women event was in 2022, and every year since, it’s sparked a concrete shift. It gave women a stage to share their stories and ideas, helping break down barriers, and change how people think about women in leadership.

And every year since, that ripple has grown wider.

As of 2025, TEDx Women Namibia is an annual event, featuring dozens of speakers, national sponsors, and regular TV coverage – reaching more than 500 attendees each year in person, with thousands more online.

It’s become something bigger than all of us, and yet, deeply personal to each of us who helped build it.

Then, in 2024, Namibia elected its first female president – a milestone at a time when women still hold less than 5% of presidential roles across Africa.

While no single event can claim credit, it’s clear that public platforms like TEDx Women help open doors where there once seemed to be none.

Sometimes, the ripple effect is bigger than we can predict.

Life is what happens while you are busy making plans

Looking back, I’ve realized you don’t need to have it all figured out.

What truly matters is showing up, messy, unsure, maybe even scared, and still saying yes.

Yes, to the coffee chats.

Yes, to the awkward pitches.

Yes, to taking that first step, even when you are not sure where it will lead.

Sometimes, the little things, helping someone out, going to a casual event, or just being there, turn out to be the moment that changes everything.

I never set out to start a TEDx Women event. I just followed a few small chances and trusted they mattered.

And somewhere between stumbling through a pitch and standing on a TED stage, I learned that the most life-changing things rarely begin with certainty.

They begin with courage.

So, say yes to the little things. Trust that they may not be so little. Follow the sparks.

And let them take you somewhere wildly, beautifully unexpected.

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