28: Lead Well Live Well with Dee Blick - Episode 2828: Lead Well Live Well with Dee Blick - Episode 28
UK Health Radio Podcast
TEDx Crawley organiser Wendy Bell and speaker coach Dan Ford join host Dee Blick to talk about the work, courage and kindness behind a community TEDx event. Their conversation touches on addiction recovery, authentic voice and how people can find confidence to share their stories on stage.
50:44•22 Aug 2026
Standing in the Circle of Power: TEDx Stories with Dee Blick, Wendy Bell and Dan Ford
Episode Overview
- TEDx events are independently licensed, community-centred platforms for sharing big ideas with global reach.
- Effective speaking starts with bringing your real self on stage, rather than hiding behind a professional mask or slides.
- Strong structure and clear messaging make it easier to manage nerves and connect with an audience.
- Kindness and a sense of safety from organisers can give speakers the courage to share vulnerable personal stories.
- Standing in a personal “circle of power” can help focus on service to the audience rather than fear, especially when sharing recovery experiences.
“Bring yourself on stage. You are your greatest asset to be a human being on stage talking to some other human beings.”
What drives someone to seek a life without hiding their true voice? This UK Health Radio episode of Lead Well Live Well brings together three very different perspectives on courage, community, and speaking from the heart. Host Dee Blick shares how giving her TEDx Crawley talk, "From addict to author", felt unlike any business keynote she’s ever done.
She talks frankly about the emotional risk of putting her recovery story on a global stage, and how rooting herself in “that orange circle of power” helped her focus on the audience rather than her fears. TEDx organiser Wendy Bell explains what makes TEDx events unique – independently licensed, community-focused, and built around “big ideas” – and why she felt Crawley was “crying out for a TEDx event”.
She lifts the lid on the sheer workload behind the scenes, from gaining the licence to supporting 15 speakers, and shares a charmingly honest confession: the biggest thing that went wrong on the day was forgetting the biscuits. Story coach and former actor Dan Ford, founder of Story Screen, adds a different layer by looking at how people share their stories in an age of AI and large language models.
He describes the pressure of being a presentation coach stepping onto a TEDx stage himself, and unpacks why structure and clarity matter more than fancy performance tricks. His core message is simple: “Bring yourself on stage.
You are your greatest asset to be a human being on stage talking to some other human beings.” Across the conversation, you’ll hear themes of kindness, vulnerability, and finding safe spaces to speak honestly – all highly relevant if you’re rebuilding life after addiction or trying to share your own recovery story. Could it be time for you to step into your own circle of power and let your real voice be heard?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.