How insecurity can breathe gifts.
In celebration of our 8th birthday, three speakers (virtually) took the stage to explore the topic of INSECURE.
Stephanie Tan, our first speaker, explores how insecurity can cause us all to act in inauthentic ways. She advocates for a different approach to leadership that allows us to bring our whole selves to work (including the parts we’re not so sure about).
Next up is Nicole Römer, who encourages us to speak insecurity aloud, believing that by doing so “our insecurities can breathe gifts”. Nicole refuses to see insecurity as a solely negative force, exploring how we can use our insecurities to create connection.
Finally, Sadie DeMaioribus brings good news: everyone is insecure. She provides a three-step guide to giving exactly the right amount of sh*ts, helping us all reach the moment where we see insecurities come and go like bikes winding their way down a Dutch street.
Our speakers were welcomed to the stage by Samuel Andryk, a singer-songwriter who resides in Amsterdam. His lyrics dive into personal stories of transformation, love and curiosity – and were performed live on acoustic guitar from his apartment.
About the speaker
Stephanie Tan, a Malaysian transplant who has lived in the Netherlands for five years, is a brand storyteller and communications specialist. She believes that stories are key to cultivating empathy and creating mindset change, so she spends her free time providing comms support to Creatives for Climate and mine risk education non-profit Mine Mark.
Nicole Römer is originally from Curaçao and has lived in The Netherlands for 11 years. A lawyer by trade, Nicole spent years working a corporate nine-to-five. While she was busy climbing the corporate ladder, her creative interests took the backseat. After realizing that her true passion lay in writing, Nicole left her legal job to travel and pursue a career as a writer. She is currently working on her first book.
Sadie DeMaioribus is a Creative Strategist from the United States with a simple mantra: “Creativity is invaluable, but execution is essential.” An avid Google-searcher, you can find Sadie diving into any and every topic from global economics to bee-hive thieves. She credits her boundless curiosity to being the oldest of six kids and the only girl. From Richmond, VA to Chicago, IL and now, to the Netherlands, Sadie brings that same sense of curiosity and “let’s do it”-ness to her creative work and – well – everything.
Favorite quotes from this talk
