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The Day My Panel Disappeared and I Learned to Trust Myself
This past weekend, I spoke at a Podcast Festival for the second time taking the stage there.
Last year, I was nervous but excited as I hadn’t facilitated a panel discussion in a few years, but it went well!
This year, I was coming back more confident, ready to share how podcasters can use story arcs to keep their audiences hooked.
It was supposed to be a panel of four…
A week before the event, one of the panelists texted that they had to stay home to care for a sick family member.
Totally understandable — family comes first.
That left three of us.
I figured, okay, it’ll be more intimate. We’ll still deliver a strong session. Fast forward to the day of the festival. I flew into Baltimore the day prior to the event, got to the venue four hours early to set up my booth, and texted the only other remaining speaker.
No response.
One hour before the session, still nothing, so I started prepping to completely take on this “panel” by myself.
Ten minutes before showtime, I finally get a text.
“Sorry I was driving, something came up last night.”
That was it.
I called — no answer.
Texted — no reply.
And that’s when it hit me.
I’m about to lead a four-person panel… by myself.
At that point, I had two choices:
Panic.
Pivot.
I chose to pivot.
I told the event organizer what was happening, took a breath, and decided to turn the session into an interactive workshop.
If I was going to be up there alone, I’d make it something worth remembering.
People started filling the room.
Then more people.
Until every seat was taken and folks were standing in the back.
I looked out and said,
“Alright y’all, you’re stuck with me today. What was supposed to be a panel is now a workshop. So let’s make this fun.”
They laughed.
The tension broke.
And for the next 45 minutes, we built something together.
We talked about how to structure stories that keep listeners coming back.
I asked questions that made them think, not just nod.
You could feel the energy shift as people started really engaging, taking notes, connecting the dots.
When it was over, three people came up to me right away to say how much they learned.
Throughout the rest of the day, others stopped by my booth to thank me.
One person even came back for more notes.
As I’m reflecting on this, I realize that..
Sometimes the moments that feel like chaos are actually invitations to trust yourself.
If everything had gone to plan, I would’ve been one of four voices.
But because it didn’t, I got to stand in my own story, literally and figuratively, and own it.
So yeah, the day my panel disappeared turned out to be one of the best speaking experiences I’ve ever had.
Because it reminded me:
You can’t always control the room.
But you can always control how you show up in it.