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# Creating My Own Stage
- URL: https://zahradnik.io/creating-my-own-stage/
- Published: 2026-03-28T17:16:39.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-28T17:16:39.000Z
- Author: Vladimír Záhradník
- Tags: Field notes, Embodiment, Toastmasters

I decided to create my own meetup.

And the weakest link is… *me*.

As a speaker I reached a point where small audiences are not enough anymore.

I want to train on meetups or conferences.

But then I realized:

I am always on someone else’s turf.

Fighting for a speaker slot.

Every opportunity counts.

But this cannot be the foundation of my development.

So I came up with my own format.

At first, small:

- 15–20 people
- friends as first guest speakers
- word of mouth
- me as organizer and host

And that last part is the problem.

Me as a host.

That is why I am not starting next month.

Most likely September.

Because I want to be natural on stage.

Toastmasters won’t teach me much more here.

So I look elsewhere:

- daily embodiment training (these days I literally learn how to walk)
- tango
- face micro-expressions
- camera presence

The goal is not perfection.

It is to remove distortion.

To appear:

- natural
- relaxed
- and hopefully a charismatic host

As an IT guy, this is unusual.

Instead of optimizing systems, I deliberately work on the body.

Models.  
Repetition.  
Play.

The meetup is just the surface.

The deeper idea will come later.

But if you translate “storia” from Italian,

you will get a clue.