The invitation that changed everything
Beginning of the year, one of my former Online Scrum Master Summit speakers invited me to speak at their conference Business Agility Bulgaria. I regularly find myself “on stage,” both in-person and online, but usually as a facilitator, trainer, or conference host. This invitation, however, brought a completely new dimension: stepping on stage purely as a speaker.
When I told my fellow OSMS organisers—my rocks, my cheerleaders—Anita, Jeannie, and Karla, they immediately encouraged me to grab this opportunity with both hands. And yet… something familiar showed up.
When imposter syndrome shows up uninvited
Like so many women, I often struggle with Imposter Syndrome. We tend to downplay our experience, question whether our achievements are “enough,” and quietly wonder if someone else might be more qualified. Even when all evidence points to the opposite, that little voice can show up at the worst possible moment, whispering: Who do you think you are?
Trust me, mine is very talkative.
Building my talk
The months flew by, and the organisers, Bogoy and Nikola, needed my topic. My Imposter Syndrome peeked around the corner for a second round, so I asked them if there were any missing themes in the conference lineup, and that’s where my journey began to create a talk on Scaling Agile.
At one of the companies I previously worked for, we went through a major SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) transformation. I had experienced the first waves as a Scrum Master and later joined the Agile Coaching Competence as an Agile Coach. Those two perspectives deeply enriched each other and gave me a 360° view of what large-scale change really looks like.
In the weeks leading up to my talk in Bulgaria, I reached out to former colleagues to chat about those transformative years. Their stories, our shared adventures, and the challenges we navigated together helped my presentation take shape.
My at-home “Speaker studio” experiment
One of my biggest speaker role models, Artur Margonari, once told me that he practices his presentations over and over and over again. I had never done that before. But this time, I decided to take his advice to heart.
So there I was at home, building a small “studio” setup—laptop on a raised stand, tidy background, camera on, lights adjusted—and I started practicing. Practice. Adjust. Practice. Adjust. Practice.
A great tip for speakers in the making: this helped me so much. I could literally feel my confidence growing with every round.
The hardest part: Asking for help
It would have been smart to run my talk by a mentor. And it’s not as if I don’t know enough speakers or mentors who would happily support me. But asking for help? That felt like a huge barrier. What if they completely hated it? What if they wondered how I ever dared to step on a stage?
Of course, none of that is true—but that’s the thing with Imposter Syndrome. It doesn’t care about facts.
Then came departure day. At Eindhoven Airport, I was traveling together with Evelien Acun-Roos—another one of my speaker heroes. When she offered to go through my presentation with me, I nearly said no out of sheer nervosity. But I took a deep breath and said yes.
And I am so glad I did. She had incredibly valuable feedback, and we immediately implemented her suggestions. I even managed to send the organisers a final updated version just in time. Yay. Ready to go!
Meeting people
This conference was also the moment I met several people for the very first time “in real life”—including the wonderful and always colorful Sara Davidsson, and of course the organisers Bogoy and Nikola. It’s amazing how well you can get to know people online nowadays, but meeting them in person? That’s a completely different kind of connection.
Stepping on stage: A moment I’ll never forget
I found out last minute they had scheduled me in the large conference room.
Keep calm. You can do this.
From the moment I walked on stage until the moment I stepped off, it was absolutely mind-blowing. The audience was warm, engaged, and curious. I loved every minute of it. Even though they accidentally used the first version of my slides—which confused me for a split second—it didn’t matter at all. I really enjoyed it.
Luckily, I had Evelien and Sara cheering me on. Thanks, ladies. You truly rock.
The beginning of something new
I want to thank everyone who played a part in my journey to becoming a first-time conference speaker.
I think I’m hooked.
You will definitely see me on stage more often, starting at Women in Agile Europe on the 21st of November in Cologne.
Can’t wait!
