My TEDx Experience

How did I stumble upon this opportunity to be a TEDx coach?

Read on…

The first time I was asked to coach a TEDx speaker was in 2011. One of the people scheduled to speak at the Grand Rapids event had missed his flight only a few days before the big conference. I was a busy professor with two small children at home when my husband asked me to step in and help. My first reaction to his request was,

“Are you kidding me? Does it look like I need more work?”

After a lot of convincing, my husband finally wore me down and I agreed to look at a few PowerPoint slides - but that’s it!

Little did I know then that my decision to say, “Yes” in our kitchen that night would set me on a path to an entirely new career of a public speaking coach!

I found great success simply offering advice to anyone who asked and then one day a good friend said to me,

“You know, you should be charging people for these services.”

I never really thought about being a coach as a career but after several other volunteer projects that year, the stage was set and in 2011, Zoe Carmichael Consulting was born. Soon after the local Grand Rapids event, I was on the team. Word spread that if you were invited to give a TEDx talk, you had to consult with me. I found great pleasure in offering advice and working with others to find their voice.