I hope I'll never forget !

« And the artists selected to go to the final of tonight’s contest are ….. «

Heavy breathing … tension in the room ... crossed fingers … heart pounding ...

My palms are sweaty but i’ve never felt so happy, convinced to be at the right place, in the right time, I’m smiling because tonight was worth all those years of work and dedication ...

Hold a sec : Did you think I was one of the contestants ?

Well noooo : Say hello to the new member of the judges panel of the University of Nice Talent contest :) :) :)

When I received a call from my friend and coworker David asking if I ‘d agree to be doing this I was beyond honored and flattered : me ! A jury member !

I’m often being told that I have an opinion on everything ( not sure it’s always a compliment haha ) and that my judgement is on point when it comes to casting or giving advice on how to perform better or in which direction to work to get to the next level.

That’s why I decided to do workshops years ago - but well that’s subject to another post or this one will be to long !

And finally, I can put all of this to use !

D day arrived, I spent 2 hours deciding what I should wear ( to finally wear what I had cause I was about to be late ), I did my nails - those who personally know me know how important it is for me to always have my nails done ;) I even do it in the car at red lights sometimes (!) and drove with my other half to the contest.

That’s when panic kicked in:

what if suddenly I was out of words ? What if i didn’t find a way to encourage the weakest participants ? What if on the contrary i used words that killed their passion forever ( I’m not exaggerating, if you have been doing competition you know that wrong wording can kill your self confidence for years ), what if after all, my jugement was to harsh or not significant or completely wrong, what if ... then my thoughts stopped when I heard my name.

I stepped on the stage, waved hello, went to my place and the show started.

The next 3 hours went by in the blink of an eye.

I was glowing, I felt useful, I had goosebumps, tears and witnessing that my words had a real impact on the artist on stage made me truly full of joy.

I wish It would have lasted even longer as it seems that time had stopped.

I witnessed raw artistry, deep passion and above all connection between us.

Each person that stepped on stage, had the courage to share their piece, their doubt, their fear but all of them shared their talent. I was sincerely impressed by the quality of their work !

Above all, the event organizers did an amazing job making sure everyone was presented in their best light, in the most professional way.

The connection between us ( the jury ), the spectators that came to encourage their friends, the hosts and the organizing team was unbelievable !

Sometimes when I have one of those days when I’m down, I forget the career I had as a show skater and today as a producer and mostly what it took to get there.

Those strangers & that night taught me that there are some things in life that you should never forget, and pass on to help some others that may go through the same doubts or situations.

Because sometimes,

I forget that not being the best of the team made me stronger mentally

I forget that having people not trusting me to reach my dream was a gift

I forget that it takes just one person that believes in you ( even if that person is YOU ) to change everything

I forget that doubting is ok and no one but you has the right answer when it comes to YOUR dreams.

But I hope i’ll never forget that it’s

all the lessons I learned the hard way,

all the mistakes I made,

all the sacrifices it took,

all the doubts I had,

that lead me to

all the tears of joy i shed,

all the clap I heard,

all the emotions I share on the ice,

all the passion i hope I communicated,

all these unforgettable life moments

And being there, on that judges panel with these other 3 incredible woman I knew that day changed me a little and added a new line on my goal list.

And for this, i'll be forever thankful :)

Tell me, what's the moment that changed you a little .. ?

xxx