Shownotes
- Demystifying the TEDx Process: Sami Kinnison explains what really goes into applying for, getting accepted to, and presenting on a TEDx stage—plus, what organizers are actually looking for.
- Why “Stage Guarantee” Agencies Miss the Point: The hard truth about those companies promising to book you (for a fee), how they operate, and why real “ideas worth spreading” can’t be bought.
- The Power of Being Local & Having a Real Connection: Why TEDx organizers want speakers who have roots, stories, or significant ties to their communities.
- What Makes a Great Application (And the Fastest Ways to Get Rejected): Sami shares her biggest speaker turn-offs and the applications that made her say “YES” on the spot.
- Storytelling That Sticks: How speakers can use humor, relatability, and authenticity to capture attention—without relying on dramatic trauma dumps.
- The Prep, The Practice, & The Realities: What actually happens before that red dot moment, and how to use your TEDx talk to build real career momentum.
- Get Inspired & Apply: If you’ve got an idea worth spreading, start researching your local TEDx events at ted.com, build those local ties, and apply directly—you don’t need anyone’s permission (or $10,000!) to start.
- Connect with Sami Kinnison: Want to learn more, hear her podcast, or maybe (pleasantly!) pitch your own idea? Head over to bfreakingawesome.com or find her on LinkedIn.
- Share Your Story: I’d love to hear about your own journey to the stage! Reach out at myfirststagepodcast.com and let’s connect.
- Subscribe & Review: If this episode helped you or made you rethink the stage hustle, leave a review on My First Stage, subscribe, and let me know which guests or topics you want to hear next.
- Practice Makes Progress: Join a Toastmasters club, host a webinar, or go live on your own platform. Start sharing your ideas—every audience counts.
Transcripts
Stage, the podcast where experienced public speakers share how they started getting booked on stages and how they use them to grow their business. I am here with my friend Sammy Kinison. She is the organizer of TEDx Fayetteville and the host of the Be Freaking awesome podcast which she hosts with her mom. I've been a guest on it. It's amazing. Or I should say it's freaking awesome. So go listen to it. But they help leaders and entrepreneurs remove roadblocks and step into their full potential.
Sara Lohse [:So Sami, thanks for being here.
Sami Kinnison [:Absolutely. I'm so excited to be a part of this conversation.
Sara Lohse [:I'm excited to have you here too because you have a different perspective than a lot of the people that have been on the show or will be on the show. Because you actually are one of the organizers for TEDx.
Sami Kinnison [:That's right. I host the TEDx Fayetteville. I originally my very first one was TEDx Dixon street because you have to start off with like a smaller audience in a neighborhood and then was able to earn or you know, build my way through the licensing requirements that now I can have unlimited attendees. My next level would be a multi day event. I don't know that I'll do that one though. So we'll stick with our one day event.
Sara Lohse [:And how like have you done a TEDx?
Sami Kinnison [:I have not given a TEDx talk because all of these TEDx events that I've been a part of, I've always been on the organizing team and at a certain point crossing like weird lines for my own self to just put. Give myself a stage. I also think there's, there's rules in the rule book against it. So anyway, yeah, try to be honoring to the TED brand and guide. There's like a 70 page rule book in order to become a license holder for the name and I try to do really well by all of the requirements that they've given me.
Sara Lohse [:Well, I'm sure you do great from what you see because I know you and I were just at an event together. We were at Podfest and there's companies there that are guaranteeing you a TEDx stage and we can make sure you get booked on like five different TedX. All of this. And you kind of gave me the like, do not an impassioned.
Sami Kinnison [:An impassioned speech. Feelings. Strong feelings.
Sara Lohse [:Yes, we had some strong feelings that day. And you know, I got to listen to your essay about why that's not a thing. So as the person that actually organizes it, what, what should people actually know
Sami Kinnison [:about getting a TEDX the thing with these services where people will say, pay me $10,000 or $30,000 and I'll get you on a TEDx stage, it one is a little bit disingenuous to the TED and TEDx brand, which is meant to find ideas that are worth spreading and that is the start of it. It is not who has the most money and can find somebody to market them. You really do have to start with something meaningful and worthwhile to say. And that meaningful, worthwhile thing to say can't be buy my stuff. Because as much as you want to go say that, that's not really what the TED stage is for. It's not. Yes, it will build your brand and your credibility and likely you have an opportunity to build your business from that. But if that is your number one, I'm only here to build my business.
Sami Kinnison [:There are plenty of other stages that are more suited for that kind of event and that kind of outcome, if you will. And so a lot of these people who are charging people money to end up on TED stage end up spamming organizers like me and, and I will end up with an email to my TEDx email to my personal email to my work email, a LinkedIn message, a DM on my private Instagram. And like I just get hounded all over the place being like, I've got a great speaker for you. Let me tell you, they've got the best idea ever. It's going to be the next Brene Brown. It's going to be amazing. And I am like, great. How are they connected to our local community so specifically the idea of having international events is that people can be spotlighted from anywhere in the world.
Sami Kinnison [:And when somebody's like, yes, I am based in New Zealand and I think that you should pay me to come fly to your event in Fayetteville, Arkansas in the United States because I have a talk that is meaningful to your local community. I'm like, I, I don't buy it. I don't buy it. I don't see how you are connected to my local community. So I think that, number one, have something very meaningful to say. Number two, find the audience closest to you. Okay, we our guidelines for when we are accepting speakers specifically it's anybody within our state and anybody within like our 3ish hour radius. So we're in the northwest corner of Arkansas.
Sami Kinnison [:If you don't know where that is, that's totally fine. Like look at the map of the United States. It's right in the middle of the country. We have just here an hour north of me is Missouri. An hour to the west, west of me is Oklahoma. Like an hour and a half is Kansas. And so all those people are still a part of our community. And so we kind of take this little broad stretch.
Sami Kinnison [:We can't just say Arkansas, because there's people in Joplin, Missouri that are closer to us than in Texarkana, Arkansas. And so we, we take that approach. So find somebody close to you. Find somebody that is relevant to you. And then kindly, politely, without harassing, reach out to their team to ask, how do they accept speaker applications? You do not need to just email and word vomit your whole application. Ask, are they accepting applications, nominations, how do they solicit them? Is there some way that you can get involved in that process? Those are my three real fast tips to think about if you want to get on a TEDx stage.
Sara Lohse [:When I worked in PR, the head of PR, Lindsay Hebert, she would always say, you have to be pleasantly persistent. Yes, pleasantly persistent. Do not just annoy the shit out of these people. That's not going to get you anything. No, but I love what you're saying, because actually episode one of this podcast that came out a couple weeks ago was Colette Fair, and she is a TEDx speaker. And she was talking about her experience of getting that booking and getting that set up. And she's says so much of what you just said, which I'm like, oh, hello, it works. But she's like, she was approached by the people that said, for $30,000, I can guarantee you a stage.
Sara Lohse [:She's like, I don't have $30,000 for that, so I'm gonna try to do it myself. And all the places that she applied were places that she had some kind of connection to. Like she applied for one in New York. Cause that's where she grew up. She applied to one at the university that her husband went to that she visits with him all the time.
Sami Kinnison [:And.
Sara Lohse [:And she applied for one at Tulane because that's her alma mater. So finding places that you actually have a connection to, whether it's like you live there now or you just have some kind of connection to that, it's makes sense for you to be there versus that random person in New Zealand.
Sami Kinnison [:Right, right. Being. Being connected, being near some way, somehow. Got to tell me a good story. You tell me a good story about why you should be considered, then I'm willing to listen to you. But if it's stretch at best, no, we're not doing it.
Sara Lohse [:What have been the things that, other than Just annoying the shit out of you made you just instantly say no.
Sami Kinnison [:Somebody who says, we ask on our application, why should we pick you? And there was somebody who was like, you should pick me because I'm going to become famous and make a lot of money from this. I was like, neato, mosquito, we're done. You got to figure out how are you providing value for other people? And so annoying me. It's going to get a no. I also, our team, we do it a little bit different and that our, the team that actually selects the speaker is not public. And so you don't know who those people are. And that has been done to protect their identity, protect them from harassment. That I get to just be the shield for them and endure all of that.
Sami Kinnison [:And I pass along all my notes about like, yep, and this person was. This is what they said in my DMs. And they're not going to be selected now. So even though I'm not picking them, I definitely veto the speakers. I think that if your talk is the same as something else that's already out there, that's also something I'm going to be like, what? What makes this different? What makes this unique? Why? Why is your angle special? And I don't mean it in a mean way. I just mean it in like, yes, if you want to tell me about vulnerability and you used. I'm just going to keep picking on Brene Brown. You use Brene Brown's research and you're going to tell how her research applied to your life.
Sami Kinnison [:I could just go watch Brene Brown's TED Talk and get the original source of the research. And so really make sure that it is clear what qualifies you to be the expert on this or to how is this going to benefit other people that you're going to talk about something, even if it is something that a lot of people are talking about. There's a lot of talks coming out right now from the TED and TEDx stages about AI. Give me something different, give me a unique angle. What's your take on it and why? Why should we consider it in that way? I think that's a really big thing is when you're too generic and too the same as everybody else. It's not gonna. You're not gonna get selected. Gotta stand out a little bit.
Sara Lohse [:Can you remember any applications or messages that came in that you were just like instant, like, yes, this person. I want them on my stage.
Sami Kinnison [:My favorite application that came in was somebody who had done PhD research on 1700s literature and how it applied to prison reform. And, and she actually was, corrected me, it's not prison reform. She is a prison abolitionist. And how she is using 1700s literature to help people who have been incarcerated, who are incarcerated. Access freedom and liberty and justice and all of these things. And I was like, I'm sorry, what? I was like, number one, can you be on my podcast? Can you come be on my TEDx stage? Can you come like be my best friend and tell me about how you got into this field? And it's true. She's on our podcast. You can go listen into that because it is just such an interesting and dynamic and unexpected and it just hooks you right away.
Sami Kinnison [:I want to know how the story of Frankenstein helps connect with modern day people who are incarcerated and them dealing with their lives. And the book club that she hosts with judges and parole officers and incarcerated folks and formerly incarcerated folks to talk about these, these pieces of literature. Fascinating. I want to hear it. That was one that I loved.
Sara Lohse [:So very relatable, so relatable advice. So go start your research now. If you want to get on this TEDx stage. Go get your PhD in something completely off the wall.
Sami Kinnison [:I also think people who have an interesting story. One of the very first events that I had we that was tedxiction Street. It was somebody who had a brain tumor and they were an artist and they actually talked about how they ended up like embodying this idea that they were going to be an astronaut preparing to go to space. And really and truthfully, they were a human being preparing for brain surgery. And he made a space helmet with his art and he like did a photo shoot in his hospital gown of like, I'm gonna be an astronaut going to space and I'm doing all these things and. And took his own lived experience of which is not to say that it's everyday and casual of somebody getting a brain tumor. Like that's a heavy thing. But he did something real special and unique with that and, and told a story and for his own healing journey did something different with it.
Sami Kinnison [:He did something out of the norm and ended up sharing how other people can do that as well. And what can you do to consider if you end up with a diagnosis or something unexpected, how can you spin it and turn it into something that is artistic? And he now has a local gallery and the pieces from that he made during that time period are on display and you can go interact with his space helmet and the little mannequin that has his spacesuit, AKA his hospital gown that he Put all these patches on and things like that. So I think that when you do something unique, those are the ones that speak to me that are a little bit. Yes. I don't even need to talk to you. I just want to put you on our roster and let's go.
Sara Lohse [:I love that. I feel like people see these TEDx talks on YouTube, they see them all over and it feels like it's kind of like I step on the stage and we go and then everything happens next. But there's so much that leads up to it. What are some things that people should keep in mind? Some things that like, you should know before, like, do you need to have a speaker reel first that you can send to the organizers? What's the prep work look like? Like talk about that.
Sami Kinnison [:Yeah. So each TEDx event is going to be unique to their own organizing team. For starters, I can give a little bit of my own. I didn't ever require a speaker reel. I didn't need to see that because, well, I like talking to people who aren't speakers, people who may not have had a stage before and people who have a great idea and need a platform for it. If somebody is like, yeah, I've been on hundreds of thousands of stages. One of the questions we ask is, do they actually need this stage or is there somebody else who might be better suited for it? So if you're someone out there who's like, man, I, I haven't spoken a lot. I don't have a lot of credits to my name.
Sami Kinnison [:That doesn't necessarily mean you can't give a TEDx talk. I also, for us, the development process, you are going to have to give your talk multiple times. We have learned from experience. We had one event where we strongly recommended but did not require that all of our speakers give their talk at least two times in advance. And we had one speaker who showed up the day of and was not off their index cards and messed up their slides and the whole thing. And we did not release their talk to TED to go be published on the Internet. It was just something where I was like, no, this is a bad look for you. It's a bad look for us.
Sami Kinnison [:Like we're not doing it. And so we require now you have to give at least two to three times. Usually we'll do one or two over zoom or a video call where everybody is just, you just got to practice in your own home. And then we try really hard to have an in person event. This past time we had a couple of speakers who were from northwest Arkansas, but they weren't living currently there. And so they did theirs. We required them. You have to give it live where you are.
Sami Kinnison [:Like, you need real human beings to react to your talk in person. And then that. That feedback process is invaluable. And so we are giving people tweaks and edits. We're reminding people that the talk that you give in other places, if you have, like, your standard keynote talk that you give that may not actually fit the TED format, like, it's got to be 17 minutes or less. It's not a. We had a executive director of a library, and he was talking about his. Literally, his library has won the award for the number one library in the country and is on track to become, hopefully, fingers crossed, this year, the only library to win it twice.
Sami Kinnison [:And he had a whole talk ready. And the first time he practiced it, we're like, that was lovely. Isn't that. That feels like the talk that you give to donors or potential donors. I. We're not potential donors. People listening to your TED Talk are. Not that I want you to give that same talk, but give it to librarians across the country and to people who are doing this for their own library.
Sami Kinnison [:And so we might remind you that the audience may not be your standard audience and it might not be the people you typically give your talk to. That's okay. Feedback is good. And even if you have your standard keynote that you give and your TED Talk version of it is going to be a little bit different, let it be a little bit different. This format, they have a lot of rules on what makes it specifically a TED Talk. And I know it's really fun on the Internet. Everybody's like, welcome to my TED Talk or thanks for coming. Coming to my TED Talk.
Sami Kinnison [:There's actually, like, a lot of rules to make it specifically a TED Talk. And I get to be that, well, actually person. And it's just different. It's a different format. And that's okay. So go with the feedback. Figure out how to hold true to this format and your content and. And being too rigid.
Sami Kinnison [:And this is exactly what I have to say may not work for you. And you're also not. You're giving it to two audiences. You're always giving it to the live audience on the day of the event. And. And you are simultaneously giving it to viewers around the World on YouTube from the TEDx channel. And so you gotta carefully hold both in mind. I strongly discourage speakers from talking about an inside joke from that day, because four years from now, when Somebody is watching your video and they weren't a part of the whole day.
Sami Kinnison [:They will have no idea what you're talking about. So, like, as fun as it is, so for the people in the room to kind of do those callback moments. Don't do it. Is not going to land for the permanent piece.
Sara Lohse [:So this is not a time for crowd work.
Sami Kinnison [:No, it's not a time for crowd work. You can give, like, a quick raise your hand. Okay, now put it down. But we're not. We're not going back and forth. It's not good for the mics.
Sara Lohse [:This is not a Matt Rife show.
Sami Kinnison [:Absolutely not.
Sara Lohse [:I get it. So I've given this. This example a few times. Like, I've talked about this.
Sami Kinnison [:I've.
Sara Lohse [:I've judged speaker competitions where the only rule was you have three minutes. You have to tell a story, and it has to lead to a message. And 10 times out of 10, they would give that one big traumatic story from their life. And then we would, like, there's not a dry eye in the house. Like, everyone's in tears. This is so moving. And, oh, my God, I can't believe you went through that. And then they wrap it up with.
Sara Lohse [:And that's why you need a big business coach.
Sami Kinnison [:My gosh.
Sara Lohse [:And I'm like, is it. I didn't know that's what we were talking about at all. But they were just. They so much wanted to tell this one specific story that they just shoehorn it in to the message that they want to give. But there really isn't, like, a correlation, a connection at all. And it ends up feeling really disjointed. What. I'm sure you've seen that.
Sara Lohse [:What would you say about, like, choosing a story and how you go about the storytelling piece with maybe not relying on having to make the audience cry because of some traumatic event in your life?
Sami Kinnison [:I think sometimes you have to sacrifice the golden calf, and the thing that you love the most, that you're so attached to might not actually serve your message. And if you are dead set that this is what I have to tell, then maybe you got to change your message. Like, if these things don't fit together, well, here's the thing. You actually don't have to sacrifice it. You could do it. You're gonna stay a less than great speaker if you do that. If you want to be a great speaker, if you want to rise above and really move people in a way that I'm sure you actually want to do, you got to make hard choices. And otherwise that's fine.
Sami Kinnison [:If you choose to like, nope, I'm just going to keep my story and make my stretched point. It's like the LinkedIn post that my kid was playing soccer over the weekend and I made a bad call and that's now why you should buy my services. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Like if that's what you really want to set out to do in life, then fine. You probably want to achieve the goal of becoming a great start speaker and so you have to sacrifice the golden calf sometimes.
Sara Lohse [:No, I love that. I think like the stories that you're able to tell, all of them are important and they all can have their moment, but they're not all the same moment.
Sami Kinnison [:Nope.
Sara Lohse [:And you have to be strategic with what you choose to focus on in these different moments. And if it is something that isn't as traumatic or isn't as big of a story, like I love the little stories. Like I talk about my stupid tattoo story. Like that was not meant to be a life changing story, but it put me like made me a bestselling, award winning author. Like, that's nonsense that should not have happened. But like, what would you say about, like, because you want to stir up emotions, you want to connect with the audience, does it have to be sad as the emotion? Like, have you had any really great speakers that just made people happy or made them laugh, like talk about the emotion side of the story?
Sami Kinnison [:Absolutely. I think connecting with an emotion is super important. It does not have to be devastation and heartbreak. I we had a speaker at our past event who was actually talking about the power of youth sports and how we're doing it wrong. And at first his talk was like 90% statistics on everything we're doing wrong with youth sports. And he had this one story in the middle about like a high school basketball coach that just like was mean to his people and, and really like did not care for the students on his team well. And there are people who got angry. Now I would say the angry is like probably more of a negative emotion, kind of like sadness.
Sami Kinnison [:But it, it was a motivator. It still brought up that he had that experience and other people could see themselves in that story. They may not have been school basketball players, but does your story relate even your story about a tattoo? I think it relates because we've all made dumb decisions. We've all like, you know, I too, I may not have a crazy tattoo story, but I have a crazy story of doing something that I didn't necessarily love. May not be the most proud of. But like, you know, life happens and those things. And so I think the stories that can connect really matter more. And even if it is that same sad moment or if it's that like, wow, and then I crossed the finish line of the marathon.
Sami Kinnison [:I don't know, marathon running is probably less relatable, but I don't know, I got definitely. I got off the couch and decided to start training for a 5k. Like that feeling is more relatable. And so finding a way to connect with people is super important. I also think humor, I mean, I love a good funny talk. And if you can make me laugh naturally, not forced, use it. You know, find a way to, to entice people with that option. My.
Sami Kinnison [:One of my favorite TED talks is actually, it's like seven minutes long and it's about how to properly dry your hands with a paper towel. And he uses zero stories. It's literally just a demonstration of this older man drying his hands with paper towels and telling you how you're doing it wrong and how you need to do it correctly. And that's it. That's the whole TED Talk. And it has millions and millions of views. And he's probably not filling up his coaching roster with it, but he definitely
Sara Lohse [:views like ironic or is it actually genuinely, like, good? It.
Sami Kinnison [:I think it's good. I. So during our last event, we chose to play a couple of pre recorded TED talks like that one. We had some heavy. We had a lot of heavier talks that day. And I was like, we need to lighten things up. And so in between to talk about somebody who had been incarcerated and somebody who had cancer, I threw that talk in there for palate cleanser. And I had a lot of people who said that was one of their favorite moments of the day.
Sami Kinnison [:And even now it's been six months since that event. And she's like, I still think about that moment every time I'm in the bathroom drying my hands. Like, I still think about that TED Talk. And so it, I mean, I was one of those views and I put it in front of our couple hundred people at our event to teach them how to properly dry their hands. Your. Your talk can be shorter than you think it needs to be. And. And that's the other thing.
Sami Kinnison [:You might be like, wow, this is my one moment to be on the TEDx stage. I have to cram every single story that I have, every anecdote, every funny moment, all has to be right here. And like, you're gonna miss it. You're gonna muddy it if you have one story, one point and you end up with an eight minute TED Talk, that's a great talk. Like that does not have to be. You don't have to fill every 17 minutes of your whole talk so that you got all of your stories in. They may or may not relate. You really have to take every second.
Sami Kinnison [:Is this the most important thing and does it deliver the point I'm trying to get? Does it cause people to change their behavior, to change how they think about something, to inspire or uplift? And if it doesn't serve that one purpose, consider it for later. Put it on a blog series, go make a video and put it on your social media. And then when people follow you afterwards, they can see those extra stories that you have to share. But yeah, not every story belongs in your TED Talk facts.
Sara Lohse [:Like I said, we had cauliflower on the show and she did a TED Talk and she was very honest in saying that like since she did the talk, nothing's really changed in her. Like there hasn't been any like real tangible impact other than like she had this great experience. She gets to say that she's a TEDx speaker and put that in her bio and all of that. What would you say to do like from a strategic standpoint, to use a TEDx Talk to impact your business or your brand that isn't trying to turn your TEDx talk into an infomercial?
Sami Kinnison [:I think that as hard as it might be to self promote, like you have to let people know that this exists and people aren't going to know. Not everybody who is here with you in this exact slice of life that this moment is happening is going to be the same people with you a year from now, 10 years from now, even like four months from now. And so talk about it. Embrace what might feel awkward to be like, yeah, I've done a TED Talk and I'm really excited about it. I would also say you've done a TEDx talk because a TED talk and a TEDx talk are technically. So please don't put on your bio. You're a TED speaker, you're a TEDx speaker. And here's the thing.
Sami Kinnison [:I my own self, I want, I'm going to be a published author by the end of this year and I'm very excited about that. There is an element that for a long while I've been putting this title on a pedestal to be like, once I'm a published author, then I will have made it. Once I am a TEDx speaker, then I will have made it. And frankly, you're still going to put your pants on the same way the day after your TED Talk. Like, you're still the same person. So are you good now without it? You. If you're good now without it, you'll be good with it. And it's not as hard as it's not.
Sami Kinnison [:There's the people who brag about it, like, oh, I'm a big deal. I've done a TedX talk. Look at me. I'm like, okay, please. Like, I know the process that goes into that and it's not as impressive as you're making it. But then on the other hand, there'll be a lot of people who don't know the process that goes into it and they'll be like, wow, so prestigious. You've done a TedX talk. That's amazing.
Sami Kinnison [:Use it both ways, Use it both ways and ride that line. But don't be afraid to tell people, yes, I have done a TedX talk and I am confident in that. I bold in it. I'm going to put it on my website. It's going to be in my bio on LinkedIn. It's going to be my links on my link tree. Like, whatever it is, put it there. Make sure that people know it exists.
Sami Kinnison [:The ones that from our events we've hosted that have done the best are the ones that people promoted themselves and even that their own telling of the story, their own promotion led to a snowball effect. And so I think the most watched one I have has 750,000 ish views. And she was really big on getting it up to the first thousand views. And after that first thousand views, I really think the snowball took off outside of her. But you don't have to go find 750,000 people to watch your talk, but can you find a hundred to be interested in it? You know how many TEDx talks have less than like 15 views? Like, no, go make sure that your whole family watches it. Even if they were there with you live, they can go watch it on YouTube and, and those kinds of things can help to increase that effect. But it's not going to be. You don't get to just say, okay, well, I did a TedX talk.
Sami Kinnison [:Now I'm going to sit back and become a successful multimillionaire and I don't have to do any work ever again. Like, no, Mel Robbins did not become who she is today because she just did a TED Talk and then sat back back and moved on like this. How happened? And so if you want to do something with it, gotta go do something with it.
Sara Lohse [:That's so true. Across the board, too. I, like, I, I do a lot with, like, podcast guesting. And when I first got into, like, my, my first company I launched, it was to focus on podcast guesting. And people would tell me, like, well, I was a guest on a podcast and nothing came of it. I'm like, okay, well, what did you, like, what'd you do? I guess it on the podcast. Did you share it? Did you include it in your email newsletter? Did you post it on LinkedIn and Instagram and Facebook and pull out quotes and send it to people and tell people that you were on it? Or did you just rely on that host's audience to just turn you into a celebrity?
Sami Kinnison [:Right.
Sara Lohse [:And so many of times it's, no, that was it. I just showed up that that's not enough. Like, you have to do additional work.
Sami Kinnison [:Yes. If you want something to come from it, you've got to put some investment in. And that doesn't have to be money investment, that can be time investment. But like, cool. I got a gold bar and then I kept it in a drawer and I didn't do anything with it. And now I'm mad that it's just one gold bar and not a hundred gold bars. Like, that would be dumb. Nobody would expect one gold bar to turn into lots of money if you did nothing with it.
Sami Kinnison [:Same thing is true in this case.
Sara Lohse [:I feel like people rely too much on the. Like, we talk about the power of social media being that things can be like exponential growth because one person shares it and then more people see it and they share it and more people see it. And it's almost like we just assume that's going to happen versus, like, if you write a book and you hit publish and you never tell someone you wrote a book, you're not going to expect anyone to buy it.
Sami Kinnison [:Right.
Sara Lohse [:But when it comes to, like, digital content, for some reason, we're just like, no, the Internet will just do its thing.
Sami Kinnison [:And sometimes we don't even go publish the content. We're like, oh, it was. It's in Spotify and it's in Apple Music. And so there you go. That's all I need. Someone somewhere will find it. You're like, you're right. Three people might find it.
Sami Kinnison [:Or if they, you know, good podcast. But like, it's not. Gotta. Gotta act a little more on it.
Sara Lohse [:It's like on Friends when the crazy girl was told, ross, like, you don't. You didn't even ask for my number. If it's meant to be, I'll guess it.
Sami Kinnison [:Exactly. I don't know why that's what it
Sara Lohse [:reminds me of, but that's. If it's meant to be, I'll guess it.
Sami Kinnison [:That is exactly what it's like. And. And then she walks off like, excited.
Sara Lohse [:Yeah, that's what we do. He'll guess it. You're gonna get married. No. No one's gonna see your content. Nobody's gonna buy your book. Nobody's gonna hear your podcast if you're not talking about telling people it's there.
Sami Kinnison [:Yeah. Nobody's gonna see your TEDx talk. And it just is what it is.
Sara Lohse [:So I, I do wanna jump back because I know how heated you can get about this. The. The companies that say they will guarantee you a stage. The thing that bothers me about them is that they are great salespeople and they are very good at getting people to believe them and buy into them. Break it down. What are they selling?
Sami Kinnison [:Why?
Sara Lohse [:Is it bs? Is it bs? Maybe it's real.
Sami Kinnison [:I. I don't know. I would venture to say that they can guarantee that they will get you on a TEDx stage somewhere. Okay, I, I do think that's. That's likely, that there, there's truth to what they're saying. We had a member of our volunteer team for this last event who, who joined the team, and he met with me and he said, hey, I paid a company $10,000. This was specifically $10,000 so that they could get me on a TEDx stage. And one of the things that they told me to do was to find my local, the closest local TED TEDx talk happening to me, and to go to the volunteer team and become friends with the organizer so that the organizer next year will pick me for their TED Talk.
Sami Kinnison [:And I'm just so excited to be here on this call with you so that I can do that. And I was like, I'm. I wish I was joking that those, all of those words came out of this man's mouth.
Sara Lohse [:That is an inside thought.
Sami Kinnison [:That is an inside thought. If you are, manipulate me into selecting you for the next. And then he spent the rest of the time volunteering for the event being like, yeah, I'm going to be one of the speakers next year. Next year. I'm one of the speakers. I'm so excited to be doing this. I'm a speaker next year. And I had to remind and say, the speakers for next year have not been selected.
Sami Kinnison [:And then when I Say, here's the application for speakers next year. He goes, you already know me. And I said, if you want to be considered for speaking next year, you will fill out an application. And he did not fill out an application. And I'm like, dude, you're not going to be considered. You got to follow the process.
Sara Lohse [:So just screams like, do you have any idea who I think I am?
Sami Kinnison [:Yeah, yeah. It's just a lot. And it like, really pisses me off. One of the things that the people who you're going to hire to do are going to do for you is they're going to go to the, they're going to try to sell you. Like, we know where all the TEDx events are happening. Well, so do you. You, you actually have access to that. Every person who has an Internet connection has access to that.
Sami Kinnison [:If you go to Ted.com and you browse to find a local event, you will be able to see every approved license, the date that they're doing it, and the contact information of the organizer, which sometimes infuriates me that the contact information of the organizer is right there. But if your organizer has filled out their profile correctly, you also find the website for the event. You can look by state, you can look by, like area of the world. You can just browse. You can see what is coming up in the next six months. What are all the TED talks that are happening in the next six months? What are all the TED talks happening in the next 12 months? What are the TED talks that have happened in the past 12 months? You can look at all of this information. And so what these companies are going to do is they're going to say, we have access to all of this data. And they, they do.
Sami Kinnison [:So do you. You, you don't need to pay somebody. You also have access to Google and you will be able to find better information. Going to see what is relevant to me. Go, go look across the country that you live in and see or countries you've lived in. If you want to go travel back to a country that you used to live in, go do that. That's amazing. You probably should not assume that your TEDx organizers are going to have the funds to be able to fly you to your event.
Sami Kinnison [:I know there are some of them that are definitely very successful and do a great job of that and are able to provide travel stipend, but some of us are not, and some of us are not that successful. And I'm like, no, I actually don't pay a travel stipend specifically because I don't want people who don't aren't connected to me. Like, you gotta have grandma who you can come stay on her couch when you come back into town. Something like that. Maybe one day I'll get to a third level, but that's where we're at right now. And, and so go to that, go to Ted's website and see where are the events happening. You have access to that information just as much as they do. Heck, use an AI tool to go scour the website for you now as well.
Sami Kinnison [:If that's really what. Don't go pay $10,000, you know, use a little bit of the earth's water supply and go do it yourself. And so like, I don't know, just, you don't need an expert. You have what it takes on your own. If you are persistent and willing to do some research and willing to put in a little bit of legwork on where these are and how their application process goes, you don't need them. End rant, end rant. Soapbox down.
Sara Lohse [:And that was shorter than the one at PodFest.
Sami Kinnison [:It was, yeah, I kind of ran out of steam. I don't know. They were right there in front of me and I could see their faces over and over again. And another thing like, and they had a bunny at their booth to like entice people in to like come. I thought it was a bunny. I wouldn't go over. I, I don't know. I didn't get close enough because I thought it was even worse that they were using cute animals to bring people in so then they could sell them this dumb service that people didn't need.
Sami Kinnison [:And they are, they are very good salespeople. Don't use cute animals to entice me to come over to your booth so you can just shitty chat with me. And like, no, no, I refuse.
Sara Lohse [:What is it about? Besides like, there's really good sales people, like, what is it about these companies that make them successful? Because I know of multiple of them. Like, it's clearly a business model that works. Is it purely just manipulation?
Sami Kinnison [:I mean, I think that there is something about the enticement of having a TEDx talk that so many people put that at like the top of their list. Like, I will have arrived when. And that like, like we were saying earlier, like, no, if you have, it's not going to change your life if you don't do something with it. And there are hundreds of thousands of TEDx talks a year. And how many TEDx speakers do you know who like Their whole world has changed. Sure, you know the top 10 talks, you got Simon Sinek and Brene Brown and Mel Robbins. But like, you probably don't know hundreds of thousands of TEDx speakers. And so people think that this is a thing and that that goal does, does drive people.
Sami Kinnison [:Like, I do really want that. If I could just have a guide, somebody who can show me the way. Because it is different. Like, on the flip side, every single TEDx event is different. And there are two TEDx events that happened in Northwest Arkansas. There's TEDx Bentonville and TEDx Fayetteville. And even between me and Elizabeth, the other organizer, we do things differently. We both support each other and we have like a really fun collaboration where we get to like, encourage people to be a part of both, but we do it differently and that's fine and allowed and makes sense.
Sami Kinnison [:And that is true of every single TEDx speaker. So there's a part of it that you're like, wow, I can't just learn Sammy's process. And everything Sammy's telling me today is going to apply to all the thousands of TEDx organizers around the world. Like, no, it's not. And that is a little overwhelming. And so they're able to take that, that goal and dream that you have. Capitalize. Like, this can be confusing and overwhelming.
Sami Kinnison [:You'll, you, you might get there on your own, but let's think about how much work it's going to take to get there on your own and like, and then use that to spin people into. I can guarantee results. If you're taking the shortcuts to guarantee results, you're not going to have that feeling you want to have also, like, yep, you can put that feather in your cap a little bit faster. If you work with somebody neat, like, I don't know, then what and then what happens next? And you don't need it. You don't need to. Anybody who's charging multiple thousands of dollars for this. No, I'm out. If you have like a coach you're working with and somebody one on one and they help you with a lot of things, they're helping you develop your speaking career and they're going to help get you on a lot of different stages and they're pitching you for all these things.
Sami Kinnison [:Absolutely. I'm actually way more in favor of that. But the service that, like their one thing they do is guarantee people get on TEDx stages. No, no, no, no. I support a lot of speaker agents and I listen to those requests and those solicitations. Of, like, I'm speaking on behalf of somebody. Like, I not going to knock those. That one in particular just grinds my gears.
Sami Kinnison [:People are spending money on something they don't need to spend money on. And it's not true to the TED process. Like, this is not what the event is about. The event is about ideas worth spreading, not who has the most money in the room. And so if you've got a great idea, you should get on a stage. I absolutely think you should. If you don't have a great idea, don't just pay money to find somebody to get you on the stage.
Sara Lohse [:I feel like, I feel like it would, like, hit different. Like, if, if you're just paying to be up there, it's going to come across as I'm paying to be up there. And I'm sure there's some, like, people that they do pay because they don't have the time to do it themselves and they want it done for them and they get up and they crush it. Like, I'm sure that happens. But I also feel like there's going to be the ones where it's like, oh, I got it. Okay, cool, here I am. And it doesn't mean as much to them because they didn't put the work in to get it. And I could be, I mean, I could be making this up.
Sara Lohse [:I could be completely untrue. But I feel like part of the process is, like, really wanting it enough to put the work in and not just write a check.
Sami Kinnison [:And like, the work sometimes that you have to put in is developing your idea is making sure that you have a message that is meaningful and valuable. And there's a lot of people who do not have meaningful and valuable messages. And those are a lot of the people who I see who are like, yeah, I'm absolutely writing a check. And so then it breaks my heart when I know somebody could have gotten it on their own and, and, and didn't trust themselves, didn't, didn't believe in themselves enough and, and sort of bought into what can feel like manipulation that you've got to do it with me and I can make it happen for you. There are a lot of people who, like, yeah, you. Probably the only way you are going to get it is if you work with one of those people because you don't have anything meaningful to say. But if you've got something meaningful to say, golly gee, like, please just believe in yourself, please, for the love of God, somebody needs to hear your story.
Sara Lohse [:I feel like even those people that like, they probably do have something meaningful to say, but maybe like the, they're hiring these people that are kind of just being yes men, where it's like, this is a story I want to tell. And they're like, okay, cool, yeah, we'll, we'll put that story on stage instead of like, like you said, like, if you work with a personalized coach or like a speaker coach, whatever it is, they're actually trying to develop the talk. And maybe they're saying like, that's not the story.
Sami Kinnison [:That's not the story. I love you and I love your, your message, and that's not the story. That's a good person, somebody who's willing to tell you no people are just
Sara Lohse [:going to write a check. I know.
Sami Kinnison [:And it is technically against the rules to pay the organizers to be on your stage. And if there are organizers who are out there doing that, they can get their license revoked. And so the way that people like, I can pay to be a consultant to work with the organizers, and you're not paying the organizers. But like me, as the TEDx payable organizer, I cannot accept gifts or bribes to put somebody on the stage or else I will be hosting no More TEDx events. And I've hosted six so far, so I kind of want to keep doing it. And like you, if somebody wants to sponsor an event, they also think that, like, oh, maybe I can sponsor and then I'll get to slide a speaker in there. But very explicitly against the rules that your sponsors have no say over who the speakers are or the content in the talks. So, like, your sponsor can't even say, hey, I don't agree with that person and I want them to not talk about that thing too.
Sami Kinnison [:Dang bad sponsor, you should have known you were supporting ideas worth spreading, even if they're ideas that don't work with you. So is what it is, like, I
Sara Lohse [:can't, like, give you money. Can I, like, kind of slide you like fresh cookies? Like, I baked these for you. Can I give your mom a gift and be like, pass that on. Hint, hint, wink, wink?
Sami Kinnison [:Nope, Definitely not. Now, what's so funny is that people do think that, like, being friends or nice to me, like, gets more. And I, I don't know. When you approach with that attitude, it makes me immediately want to give you less.
Sara Lohse [:Like, hi, I'm here to be your friend. So you put me on stage next year.
Sami Kinnison [:Right? Right. I'm like, absolutely not. We will not be friends and you will not be on my stage.
Sara Lohse [:I love how you and I were talking at podfest and I was like, oh, I have to introduce you to somebody. And it was someone that, like, is a speaker coach that works individually with people. And in my brain I'm like, this is actually a good match. And I just see the light drain from your eyes because you just assume that it's going to be like someone who's just desperate to have a TEDx talk or one of those agencies.
Sami Kinnison [:And I'm like, you were trying to segue to be like, sammy, we got to get you to stop talking about why you hate these like, TEDx salespeople so much. And I was like, and I have a TedX and all things. And you're like, oh, I have somebody you need to meet. I'm like, oh my gosh. I literally, Sarah just told you, don't do this. And then you were like, I'm not literally doing something different, Sammy. I'm completely different. And I was like, thank you.
Sami Kinnison [:I'm sorry. I'm so triggered because it happens. It happens. And it's, it's just really hard when you then somebody, you find out like they, when somebody does use a friendship in that way, you're like, this is a bummer. Making friends is hard enough in 2026 and now you're gonna try use me. Ugh, I don't like it.
Sara Lohse [:I use you so that I can have your 2 year old on a podcast call and talk to her because she's precious.
Sami Kinnison [:That's true. But I think I'll allow that. I. I'm here for that. And when somebody are like, I'm like, oh, no, you have kids. I'm like, I do. Here are the pictures. Look at them.
Sami Kinnison [:Look at all my children. They're beautiful and amazing. And you're like, hi, the baby, how's she doing? And I'm like, yeah, okay, I'm here for it. So I don't know, just a mom who wants to always share the pictures of my kiddos. So just.
Sara Lohse [:And those pictures will be in the show notes. No, only kidding.
Sami Kinnison [:There you go.
Sara Lohse [:Any last minute advice? Especially like, what about the people that maybe aren't ready for a TEDx talk? Like, how do they get started? Get on some, like, practice stages and start their speaking career. That might not be. I'm gonna land my TEDx talk right out the gate.
Sami Kinnison [:Well, number one, what a great way to kick off your speaker career speaking career is with the TEDx talk. Because the person who is undiscovered, who has an idea that's been sitting there and Nobody else has. Has. They've not given it to anybody else. Like, I actually really like those applications because I'm not, I'm not getting a repeat of an idea that you're putting out somewhere else. So if that's you, don't cut yourself. Don't sell yourself short. Like, you.
Sami Kinnison [:You could kickstart your speaking career with a TEDx talk. Absolutely, yes.
Sara Lohse [:I'm gonna change my question then.
Sami Kinnison [:Okay.
Sara Lohse [:How do you know if you're ready then? Like, I feel like with TEDx, like, you have to be, like, you have to memorize a script, you have to be paced for the slides, and you're supposed to speak without the ums and us and all of that. Like, that could not be untrue. That's just what my impression is.
Sami Kinnison [:How do you know when you're elected, does not require all those things? Now if you get selected and you are like, golly gee, I can't stop saying. I keep saying golly G today. I can't stop saying this one filler word or whatever it is, then get yourself a speaker Coach. If your TEDx organizing team does not offer you one or does not provide one, get yourself a speaker coach so that you can make sure, hey, I landed this. I was selected. I have a great idea. I want to make sure I execute it. Well, like, that's a really great idea to get yourself a speaker coach.
Sami Kinnison [:Yeah, but do you have passion behind your idea? Does that have to be. Because I, like, I work with people at times and can coach them, and I cannot coach you into passion. I can absolutely coach you through any speaking technique whatsoever and how to, you know, impactfully use pauses and all of those kinds of things. But if you don't care about your story, like, pass, why should I? I. I'm not interested in something that you don't care about. So if you are really impassioned, if what you have to say, if the work that you're doing with people is helping others that especially like, and it needs to be shared, there's other people who will benefit. The world will be a better place if other people can hear this idea, then you're ready. Like you, you can believe in yourself right now and say, you know what? I'm gonna jump out of the parachute or jump out of the airplane and, like, build a parachute while I'm falling and go get good at speaking and, and trial by fire.
Sami Kinnison [:Now, if you want, you can also definitely go practice in smaller venues. We actually encourage all of our speakers to get plugged in with a Toastmasters Club, because those are very generous speaking audiences and they are like trained to give feedback on things. And if you just needed to like go practice a couple times, I'm sure that there's a Toastmasters Club near you who'd be like, sure, we'll take a guest speaker. Why not? You can go join the club and do the whole thing as well. But like, we actually just send people to go like trial their talk a couple times in front of people. So practice. You're only going to get better by doing it. If you are just sitting at home saying, like, one day I will be better.
Sami Kinnison [:And I, I'm just gonna wake up one day and then I'll be ready. Sure. But probably not. Like, I don't think that that's it. I think that it is the, you know, it's within you all along, as cheesy as it is, but it's true. It really is within you all along. And you know, Dorothy was wearing the slippers the whole time. Like, just do it.
Sami Kinnison [:Go, go for it and see what happens.
Sara Lohse [:And now as somebody who has, is so involved in the TEDx space that has never done a TEDx talk, what would your talk be?
Sami Kinnison [:How to have better conversations. I think that we spend so much time having conversations that our arguments or not connecting or surface level. And so the loneliness epidemic is like awful and, and just getting bigger and worse. And I think that especially as we get more into our technology and more into AI and there was a really funny reel I saw where somebody was like asking their phone, how do I ask for where the chips are at the grocery store? And then they asked it out loud and then that person said, how do I answer this question? And they just kept asking ChatGPT back and forth for the answers. And it was like, the more that, that like is like, oh, it's sort of, sort of funny, but also feels kind of real. I think that the art of conversation and of just being with other people is important. And so that's what I want to talk about. That's what my book is going to be about too.
Sara Lohse [:So yeah, I love it. Well, eventually we will hear that on a stage somewhere.
Sami Kinnison [:I love it. That's right.
Sara Lohse [:Yeah. Awesome. Well, if anybody wants to get in touch with you, listen to your podcast, all of the things, how can they find you?
Sami Kinnison [:You can go to my website, Be freaking awesome dot com. That's the letter B, not Be freaking awesome. You can also find me on LinkedIn, SammyKinison or Instagram SammyKinison as well. All the places. So happy to. To continue the conversation or give you a little bit of advice if you're not harassing me. Being politely persistent.
Sara Lohse [:Pleasantly persistent.
Sami Kinnison [:Pleasantly persistent. You can send me a DM to ask about how do you get on a TEDx stage, but if you're not connected to my local area, it probably won't be mine.
Sara Lohse [:Because you can always ask the question nicely and pleasantly.
Sami Kinnison [:That's right. You can.
Sara Lohse [:You can.
Sami Kinnison [:Absolutely.
Sara Lohse [:I love it. Well, thank you so much for being here. Everybody that's listening. Thank you all so much for hanging out with us. And come back next week for another My First Stage story.
