++++++++Warning+++++++++++++
Reading this might make you want to volunteer, sponsor or speak at the next TEDxTinHauWomen event in Hong Kong.
This article contains a few inside jokes. Apologies to those of you that don’t get them. Join next year, so you do. 

Just saying. 
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D plus 5 days. 

I am suffering from acute TEDxTinHauWomen organising withdrawal. 

I miss the Monday evening Organising Committee meetings and the Slack message attacks that followed them.
I miss the headaches going over the latest versions of PPT slides of the final, final, FINAL speaker presentations.

I miss voting for charity partners and filling out the poll for which scarf to wear on the day of. I miss getting to know the committee members and speakers better. I miss the wonderfully bubbly Jen Flowers pep-talks at the beginning of our meetings. I miss the call-ins and awkward moments when people forgot to press the mute button – how did that rice cooker work again, Frankie?!?

I miss Stefanie Myer’s follow up messages checking in with us after each speaker coaching session. I miss receiving the Lotus Notes calendar meeting invites that may or may not end up on my Mac calendar. I miss all the laughter and the – organised! – chaos behind the scenes. Most of all I miss the incredible women of TEDxTinHauWomen.

D minus 5 minutes.

The speakers are ready to go on stage.

It’s Friday, November 3rd, 2017 and I left the TEDx Speaker Dressing room at PMQ where the speakers were just about to get ready for going on stage. Seconds later I entered a packed event hall just across the corridor.

The buzz will be imprinted in my memory forever.

The engaging music, the energy, the blue light balls glimmering through the room, the Instagram pictures with lots of smiling faces displayed on the massive screens.

I could not help it, I had to dance into the room and grabbed the first person that came my way for a huge hug. I think it was Célia, Nikki, Lulla, Frankie, Belinda or Emma, or all of them, I just remember lots of hair in my face and screaming on top of my lungs:

“OH GOSH, IT IS REALLY HAPPENING!”

After months and months of work, it all came together. I could not believe it. The live speeches at the inaugural TEDxTinHauWomen event, the first annual TEDx event in Hong Kong dedicated to women, were about to kick off.

For the first time, I felt really, REALLY nervous for the speakers.

I had been working with the TEDxTinHauWomen Curation Team for the last 5 months, joining coaching sessions and serving as a speaker buddy for Cristina Tahoces. I never doubted that all the speakers would shine on stage. But seeing the massive crowd in the event hall and the beautifully lit-up stage, I could not help but freak out. Oh,  those poor speakers, I thought, I hope they don’t freak out as much as I just did.

I took a deep breath and somewhat calmly walked myself back to the Speaker Dressing room to make sure “my” speaker Cristina did not feel like running the last second. That was part of my role as a buddy.

“Make sure that you don’t lose your speaker!”

I hear our Curation Committee’s Head Stef Myer’s warning still ringing in my ears. But Cristina was ready and I did not share with her at that point how nervous I felt.

The speakers did exactly what they were meant to do: They shared their ideas. They told stories. They inspired. They made people laugh, cry, think and act.

When I was sitting in the audience, watching one speaker after the other go on stage and give their impactful presentation, I could not help but feel nostalgic.

Is this year’s TEDxTinHauWomen event almost over already?

I felt a little bit like during my wedding day. I just wanted to stop time. I had to make a conscious effort to just take it all in and enjoy the moment and reserved reminiscing about the TEDx experience for the day that followed the event.

The next day came and – still on an event-high –  I had to smile when I looked back to that very first organising committee meeting sometime in – I believe it was June – of this year.

D minus 5 months. 

I entered a room full of strangers at the PWC Experience Center office.

Well, not all were strangers. There were a few familiar faces, but the rest were strangers- women working in so many different areas. I quickly decided to join the Curation team and had the incredible privilege to work alongside Stefanie Myers, speaker mastermind and Curation Team Head extraordinaire to find and coach this year’s TEDxTinHauWomen speakers.

And what speakers we found! 

D minus 2 days.

I learned so much from each and every one of the brilliant TEDxTinHauWomen speakers.

Lucy Choi – Bridging Modern Society and Opera

Lucy taught me about the beauty of finding passion in the work you do. I loved that music was bringing so much joy to her life. Coming from Vienna, some call my city the music capital of the world. We Viennese dance into the New Year to the tunes of Johann Strauss’s The Blue Danube Waltz so I do share Lucy’s passion for music. But when it comes to Opera, Lucy really made me think. I have to admit that I never gave Opera the chance it deserves. Goosebump moment: When Lucy started singing live from one of her favourite Operas on stage. That made me look forward to my next Opera visit even more.

Lucy, thanks for making me want to give Opera another try! 

Fiona Callanan-Thorsby – Living Life to the Fullest

Fiona taught me that it takes willpower and courage to get back on your feet, no matter if you have one or two to stand on. She also taught me that humour can help to get through the most awful setbacks. It was her, who I shared one of my most embarrassing moments of TEDxTinHauWomen with. Just before she was called to go on stage I said to her “Oh there is this German saying we tell people before they go on stage – Break a leg!” O gosh, when I said it, I wanted to disappear, it just came out. Fiona had lost one leg during the 2004 Tsunami and she was about to share her experience about this loss with our audience. Could I have said something even more insensitive? You know what Fiona did? She laughed really hard and just said: “Well, let’s hope I won’t break my leg!”

Fiona, thanks for your refreshing honesty and laughing with me in that embarrassing moment!

Cristina Tahoces – “Sleep, Love, Poop” – Nutrition’s Role in Mind-body Strength

Cristina taught me not only about the importance of a great breakfast. Since I met Cristina I do start my day with an eggs and avocado breakfast and it has affected how I sleep, love and poop very positively. But there’s more: She taught me that it is okay to show vulnerability on and off the stage. I loved how her young daughters were sitting in the front row, looking up to their Mommy on stage. What was even more moving was that moment after the event ended, when I went over to Cristina to give her a huge hug. Her girls were clinging on to her and would not let her move an inch. It was so wonderful to finally meet her daughters, after all, it was them that caused my first teary moment of TEDxTinHauWomen, when I heard Cristina’s presentation at a coaching session this September for the very first time. Cristina shared how she wants to teach her daughters resilience and that she hopes that they would drown their first heartache not in ice-cream like she did but in Avocado mash and Veggie Sticks. I had just found out I was having another baby girl and could relate with all my heart in anticipation of raising two girls.

Cristina, thank you for being you and for making me want to revisit how I nurture and nourish myself. I am so grateful that TEDxTinHauWomen brought you to me!

Liza Avelino – Breaking Notions and Finding Freedom in the Mountains

Liza taught me that it is so incredibly important to believe in yourself and take on challenges that might appear too great to overcome. If you work really, really hard – you can make your dreams come true. Liza trains so hard for her climbing expeditions. Time and money do not allow her to train in a gym, so she climbs the 20 flight stairs of her house every day after she finishes her work instead. I shared a beautiful moment as well as a delicious chocolate cookie with Liza when she was getting ready at the hair salon. “I feel so special today,” Liza said with tears in her eyes. But as many other people in the audience that she moved to tears with her talk at TEDxTinHauWomen will attest: Liza is special EVERY DAY.  I don’t think there was a single person that did not feel touched by her story. It’s difficult to give enough credit to Liza’s journey with my own words, you should hear and see for yourself from Liza – you will find her talk on Youtube soon. (Hint: Follow TEDxTinHauWomen on Facebook so you won’t miss it!)

Liza, your strength is an inspiration! Thank you for making me want to take on bigger challenges that I before deemed too scary.

Joey Law and Hillary Yip – A Mother and Daughter Bridge Education and Learning

Joey and her 12-year-old daughter Hillary taught me so much about making tough decisions and sticking to them. It was very moving to hear about Hillary’s struggle in the school system. Taking her out of the system and homeschooling her was a very brave decision of her parents to make. Seeing Hillary thrive, in charge or her education and her business – yes, Hillary is an entrepreneur as well! – made me smile.
I loved chatting with Hillary and Joey behind the scenes, not about school and business, but about the little things in life. How challenging it can be to have a little brother, for example. Yes, Hillary and I share this – wonderful, but sometimes difficult – destiny. It was so much fun when Amanda, probably one of the most warm-hearted and talented stylists out there, started to dance in that tiny dressing room with Hillary. Hillary’s laughter was contagious.

Thank you, Hillary and Joey, for making me understand that being a parent will come with making tough decisions at times and for being brave enough for sticking to what I believe is best for my family. 

Tricia Yap – GRIT: The Role of Perseverance in Success

Tricia taught me that life will throw massive hits at me but that it is in my own hands to get myself up again and keep fighting. She had suffered many setbacks – professionally, emotionally and physically – but she did not give up and got herself up on her feet again. Thanks to Tricia, I look at how I define success differently now. Many examples she shared about her own shortcomings in defining success, as lead by opinions of others, really resonated with me. I think I was one of the people in the audience that shouted the loudest that “I am enough!” Behind the scenes, it was also heartwarming to see the support and love she received from friends that cheered her on.

Tricia, thanks to you every time I will doubt myself from now on, I will recall that I am actually enough. 

And the committee?

What did I learn from the TEDxTinHauWomen committee members?

They actually taught me a lot about myself. I have to share something that is a bit very uncomfortable to admit.

When I joined the very first organising meeting for TEDxTinHauWomen earlier this year I felt so intimidated. I had been in a room filled with strong women before. But this was different. This was a room full of strong women that I was supposed to be working together with.

When I am committing to something, I am all in. But after the first meeting, I was not sure if I could handle it.

This room filled with resilient women, so in charge of their careers, their families with their strong opinions and leadership skills freaked me out. There was so much female empowerment, and I am really embarrassed to say – it was almost scary. What contribution could I really make? Do I have what it takes to fit in with these power women? Am I enough?

YES, YOU ARE ENOUGH, shouts Tricia in my head today!

But on that hot and sticky summer day, when I went home after the very first Organising Committee meeting I felt worried if I could live up to the expectations of the team. Despite self-doubt, I did go back to those meetings, and with every week I realised something wonderful:

These women are just like me.

We all have our insecurities, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. No one has it all figured out. We are all good at something. We can all contribute in our own ways. And if we work together, we can move mountains – and TEDx letters.

But there’s more.

TEDxTinHauWomen also taught me about the power of female-led and run communities. If women, all insecurities, self-doubts, judgements and worries aside,  just work together, really really REALLY amazing things will happen.

I miss you awesome TEDxTinHauWomen. THANK YOU ALL! You know who you are. 

Listen to an interview with the makers of TEDxTinHauWomen to hear all about this year’s event. Find it here.

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About the author: Regina Larko is Host and Producer of #impact Podcast. Born and raised in Vienna, Regina moved to China in 2009 and worked in international relations and conference programming. Regina launched #impact Podcast in spring 2017 to bring inspirational, motivational and impactful stories to listeners interested in social impact and sustainability initiatives. Regina is part of the Organising Committee of TEDxTinHauWomen and is a Mentor at the NextGenWomen Network in Hong Kong. Regina loves dancing with her two-year-old daughter to her favourite tunes and is working hard on showing genuine excitement when singing Wheels on the bus with her for the 100th time in a row.