My new speaker reel and how I started

This is the best early birthday gift I could imagine—my new speaker reel!

I started my speaking career 10 years ago. My first speaking invite was in the lobby of a chiropractor's office, with an old projector and just six people in the audience. At that time, I had no experience in public speaking, no idea it could become a career, and no confidence in my English. And to be honest, in Western societies, a person who looks like me and sounds like me is known to be an engineer or a doctor, not a public speaker.

But I had a story to tell and a growth mindset, so I persevered. Over the years, I learned how to be funny, how to connect with the audience, and how to use storytelling to inspire others. I got better and better, eventually becoming one of the top booked speakers in the industry. In 2019, I became the first person of East Asian descent to receive the Golden Gavel Award from Toastmasters International for leadership and communication.

It goes to show that your starting points don’t matter, other people’s expectations and perceptions don’t matter, and your own flaws don’t matter. What matters are your ambitions and actions.

I will write a full blog post in the future on the skills and actions required to become a keynote speaker if you are interested in this field. But today, I will just say this: if you are going down a path that very few others take, don’t take it as a signal of low probability, but as an opportunity to become a pioneer.

P.S. Let me know what you think of my reel. I’m super proud of it. And if your company or organization wants to have an awesome speaker for your next conference or event, I’d love to be that speaker. Connect me with the organizer, and I’ll rock the stage and make you look like a hero. :)