8 Years Later: What My TEDx Talk Taught Me

Eight years ago, I stood on the iconic red dot and delivered a TEDx Talk called Why Ballet is Brilliant.

The moment itself was only the tip of the iceberg. Months earlier, the TEDx Helensvale team reached out with a question: Would I be interested in sharing my story?

At first, I hesitated. But then I reminded myself of something I often tell my students — do at least one thing each year that scares you. This would be my thing. Practice what I preach.

Three months out, I sat in a quiet corner of the Helensvale Library with the organisers. From there, the process began. Every fortnight I met with my assigned speech consultant. Drafts turned into rewrites. Paragraphs were whittled into sentences, and sentences into keywords. TEDx has incredibly tight parameters for speakers — no commercial agenda, no self-promotion. It’s about ideas worth sharing, and I loved that.

Finding the idea wasn’t easy. At the time, I was reading Angela Duckworth’s Grit and felt drawn to its message. Ballet and grit go hand in hand. My beautiful friend and fellow business owner, Ruth, helped me shape the early ideas when I felt stuck. She reminded me to stay focused and not lose sight of the core message — something that’s surprisingly easy to do when your mind spirals into tangents.

The closer we got to the day, the more the talk took shape. I memorised paragraphs, then key sentences, until I only needed a few key words to trigger entire sections.

But even with all that preparation, five minutes before stepping on stage, I did something no one expected. I left my palm cards behind. The stage manager rushed after me, holding them out. “You’ve left these!” she whispered. I smiled calmly — though my heart was pounding — and said, “No, I’m going to be fine without them.”

I’ve never felt more petrified in my life. But I knew that if I wanted to truly embody my message, I had to trust myself. So I walked out, no cards, no safety net, just the words I’d worked so hard to distil.

What the Talk Taught Me

This experience taught me more than I could have imagined. It forced me to ask: What do I stand for? What do I want my life and work to mean if they’re in service of others?

It refined me as a speaker. I’d always been relatively confident thanks to a wonderful junior school that encouraged public speaking, but TEDx demanded a different level of clarity, pacing, and presence. Skills I still work on to this day.

It also marked the birth of Balanced Ballerinas. This process gave me the space to consider how my holistic philosophy could become more than a teaching style — it could become a brand, a movement, a place for students to explore ballet as a tool for lifelong growth and wellbeing.

The Ripple Effect

Eight years on, I can see how that one decision shaped both of my businesses. Balanced Ballerinas and GC Dance now attract students and parents who value more than just dance training. They’re seeking mentorship, balance, and a space where growth is measured in confidence and joy as much as technique.

The talk has reached almost 200,000 people and continues to inspire comments and messages from viewers worldwide. Some have signed up for their first adult ballet class the very next day — and they write to tell me. That alone makes every nerve-wracking moment worth it.

Looking Back

I’m usually my own harshest critic. I’ve often looked back on past projects with a mix of pride and discomfort, critiquing every detail. But this talk is different.

I’m proud of it. Proud of the version of myself who took the risk. Proud of the professional and personal work it took to get her on stage. And proud of the legacy it continues to leave behind.

If you haven’t seen it, you can watch Why Ballet is Brilliant here → [Watch Here]