This Talk in a Foreign Language Taught Me More Than Any Course Ever Did

And what it taught me about fear, growth, and showing up before you’re ready.

Almost ten years ago, I found myself on a plane to Seattle, wide awake the entire flight.

Not because of the excitement of visiting a new country, but because of everything running through my head.

I had been invited to speak at a project management event, and there was one problem: I had never given a talk in English before.

As a Brazilian, English wasn’t my first language. I had practiced. I had prepared my slides.

I kept thinking — What if I can’t follow the questions? What if I forget the words? What if I freeze?

By the time I landed in Seattle, I wasn’t jet-lagged. I was just mentally drained from overthinking.

But I knew I had a choice. I could keep worrying about sounding perfect, or I could focus on the reason I had been invited: to share my ideas, to contribute, to connect.

When the moment came and I stood in front of the audience, everything felt unfamiliar. Speaking in another language. Presenting in a new culture. Thinking fast, listening carefully, and watching people’s reactions.