Exactly one year ago today, on September 21st, I stepped onto the red dot of the TEDx stage. It was one of the most terrifying and rewarding moments of my professional life. The video is out there for everyone to see. But the video only shows the final 16 minutes.
What it doesn’t show is the full story. The nine-month journey that started not with a grand ambition, but with a simple, professional goal: to start being a good public speaker.
It All Started with a Book
At the beginning of 2023, I set my annual challenges. One of them was painfully clear: I needed to get better at public speaking. As Webamboos was growing, my role as CEO demanded better communication. I’d had a few presentations in the past that didn’t go as planned, and the feeling of not connecting with an audience was something I wanted to fix.
My first step, as it often is, was to find a book. I picked up "Talk like TED" by Carmine Gallo. I was completely captivated. It wasn't just a manual; it was a window into the art of storytelling. I started watching TED talks, and one, in particular, mentioned in the book, has stuck with me ever since: Ernesto Sirolli’s "Want to help someone? Shut up and listen!" His story resonated so deeply with my own experiences, especially in business.
Inspired, I set a new milestone: I would attend a TED event. I looked it up and found that the closest city that was hosting TEDx periodically was Cluj-Napoca. "Perfect," I thought. "I'll buy a ticket and go."
Turning Point
Less than a month later, my phone rang. It was Dragos Argint, the curator of TEDxAristideDemetriade in Timisoara, whom I’d met at a previous event. He explained his mission to bring the TEDx experience to our city and asked if Webamboos would consider helping with a sponsorship.
I was floored. The universe had just delivered a TED event right to my doorstep. I didn't have to travel anywhere. I immediately said yes. Inside, I was just thrilled to be attending. The idea of actually stepping on that stage myself? No way! It was too insane to even contemplate it.
As a sponsor, I was invited to a pre-event shooting session. Dragos and I were chatting, and he asked how our outsourcing business was going. At the time, we were deeply involved in supporting a local startup, Helperz.ro, and it was something I was passionate about.
I told him, "I believe that outsourcing companies in Romania have a greater calling. We need to help more startups. It’s the best way to transform our country from a nation of outsourcing to a country that creates its own intellectual property, and this is our mission."
Dragos just stared at me for a second. Then he said, "This is such an interesting topic. Would you like to talk about it at TEDx next year?"
I was shocked. Stunned. I managed to say "yes," but in my mind, I was convinced he was just being polite. I walked away thinking it was a kind gesture, and soon, the event passed, months went by, and I mostly forgot about it. It became one of those "how cool would it be if..." daydreams.
But then, one day, Dragos called again. "Are you still interested?"
Of course, I was.
"I have to warn you," he said. "This isn't easy. The training is serious and takes about nine months." I didn't really believe him. I thought he was trying to give me an easy way out, to make me refuse.
I accepted.
The 9-Month Grind: This Isn't Just a Talk, It's a Marathon
A few weeks later, the training began. I was assigned a mentor, Razvan Pitulice, and it was a perfect match. We connected instantly.
The process was nothing like I imagined. We met every single week. For the first few weeks, we barely talked about the speech. We talked about life, about stories, about what drives me. We were digging for the core message. Then came the writing. Draft after draft. Idea after idea. For two months, all we had were scattered notes and comments.
When we finally had a first draft, I thought, "Great, we're almost there. Maybe another week or two."
I couldn't have been more wrong.
Razvan began teaching me techniques for structure, delivery, and impact that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. Every new technique meant another round of changes. What I thought was a nearly-finished script was torn apart and rebuilt, again and again. It took another full month just to fine-tune that draft. After several online rehearsals and feedback sessions, we finally had it.
From Vacation Panic to the Red Dot
One week before the event, I was on vacation with my family. With more time to think, the panic started to set in. I spent hours every day repeating the speech, walking back and forth, trying to burn it into my memory.
I came back feeling prepared. The day before the event was the final on-stage rehearsal. The venue was buzzing with noise and familiar faces. I got up, delivered my speech, and it felt good. "I'm ready," I told myself.
The next day was the big one. I was the second speaker, which I was happy about. Sitting in the audience, I felt surprisingly calm. Then, I heard my name.
As I walked towards the stage, Razvan’s instructions on how to walk, where to stand, and how to breathe were running through my head. And then it hit me. I saw the audience, nearly 400 people looking right at me. A wave of emotion washed over me.
In that moment, I understood why Razvan had been so insistent that I know the speech by heart. I've always been comfortable improvising, but he knew something I didn't: when the pressure hits and your emotions are running high, you can't improvise. You need muscle memory.
I took a breath and started to speak. With every word, I could feel myself becoming more comfortable, more present. I delivered the speech. The audience applauded. And I felt an incredible sense of relief and accomplishment. I had achieved my goal.
The Real Prize Wasn't the Applause
Looking back a year later, I’ve realized the TEDx talk itself was just the tip of the iceberg. It was a moment of euphoria, but the real, life-changing part was the process. The nine months of training, the mentorship with Razvan, the endless drafts, the lessons in storytelling - that was the prize.
That journey transformed how I approach communication. Every time I speak now, whether it's at a professional event, a team meeting at Webamboos, or even a family gathering, I mentally walk through the principles I learned.
It wasn't a perfect speech, but it was the best version of me at that moment. If you're curious, you can see the result of that nine-month journey below:
