You ever get that itch where you know you’ve got more to say… but you’re not sure anyone’s really listening?
That was me.
I’m a sports chiropractor. I help people fix their own pain—shoulder issues, knee tweaks, mobility problems that keep them from hitting that next lift or moving without discomfort. CrossFitters, climbers, lifters… people who are serious about staying strong and pain-free.
But I had this nagging feeling I couldn’t shake. I was doing good work, sure. But it was all one-on-one, session after session, and I started thinking, What if there’s a way to scale this? What if I could teach what I know—not just treat symptoms in my clinic, but help thousands of people understand their bodies and take back control of their movement?
TEDx was that stage. And Leadr.co (formerly Thought Leader) was how I got there.
What I’d Say to Anyone Thinking About It
Don’t go in expecting shortcuts. This isn’t some “buy a TEDx talk” hack. It’s not like you swipe your credit card and boom, hello stage time.
It’s work. But it’s focused, guided, meaningful work with real results if you show up and do it.
Leadr.co didn’t just hand me a set of scripts or some fluffy pep talks. They showed me how to lead with what actually matters. They helped me extract the clearest, most potent version of my message, one that I could stand behind fully and deliver with confidence.
And that’s something I’ll carry with me far beyond the TEDx red circle.
Finding the Right Fit
I didn’t stumble onto this by accident. I actually heard about Leadr.co through someone I was talking to about a completely unrelated program. I mentioned I was working on some new ideas and content, and this guy just stopped me mid-sentence.
He goes, “You’ve got something here. You ever think about doing a TEDx talk?”
And honestly, I hadn’t. But the seed was planted. I started looking into it and realized pretty quickly this wasn’t some glorified public speaking course. It was an infrastructure—one that gives people like me, who aren’t “in the spotlight” but have real, useful knowledge, the tools to share it on a bigger stage.
I needed guidance. I needed a roadmap. And I definitely needed accountability. Because it’s one thing to have an idea. It’s another thing to actually shape it, pitch it, and deliver it in a way that gets people to care.
The Reality Check I Didn’t Know I Needed
Let me be real with you, I went in thinking I had it mostly figured out. I had years of experience, stories to tell, and a clear understanding of my audience.
But those first few sessions hit different.
Turns out, there’s a big difference between having a story and knowing how to tell it in a TEDx-worthy way. I had to strip things back, dig deeper, and really challenge myself to find the core of what I wanted to say, and why it mattered.
That’s what the coaching was all about. It wasn’t just someone saying, “Great idea, run with it.” It was, “Let’s make this tighter. Let’s make it resonate. Let’s make sure you’re not just heard, but remembered.”
And honestly? That level of refinement is what took my talk from decent to impactful.
The Shift That Happened
By the time I started pitching, everything clicked.
My message was sharper, my confidence was higher, and for the first time, I felt like I had a talk that could actually do something, not just fill time on a stage.
And here’s the crazy part: I didn’t just land a TEDx talk. I started getting messages. Emails. People reaching out after watching the talk saying it helped them finally understand the pain they’ve been struggling with for years.
I even had new clients show up because they found my TEDx video and said, “That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”
It wasn’t just exposure, it was impact. And that’s the thing nobody tells you going in. This isn’t about ego. It’s not about “look at me.” It’s about taking what you know, what you’ve lived, and using it to help someone else.
What It All Comes Down To
If you’re on the fence about joining Leadr.co or doing a TEDx talk in general, let me say this:
You probably already have something worth saying. But unless you’ve spent years reverse-engineering how to pitch TEDx organizers, structure a compelling short-form talk, and coach yourself through the fear of being seen… you’re going to need support.
That’s where Leadr.co makes all the difference. They take people like us, experts in our own field, and teach us how to communicate in a way that sticks. That scales. That transforms.
You don’t do this to be famous. You do it because your message matters. You do it because someone out there is searching for the exact insight you’ve been sitting on. And when you step up to say it, everything shifts.
That’s what this experience gave me. And I’ll never forget it.
This article is published on Humane