Failing Forward

Mimi

Darlings, I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!

On Thursday while I was hiding away having a work day I discovered something exciting. My friend and a hugely inspirational woman in my life, Rebecca Northan has a Ted Talk! Rebecca is an immensely talented artist – her specialty is improvisational theatre. I had the pleasure of meeting her in 2007 when Les Coquettes were invited to be part of the magic of The Spiegel Show. Rebecca created a turn for that show called ‘Blind Date’ and that turn grew into her sensational theatrical production.

The premise of ‘Blind Date’ is that Rebecca’s character, Mimi (an adorable French Clown) has been stood up on a blind date. In order to save her evening from total ruin, she selects a completely unsuspecting gentleman from the audience to be her date. The entire performance is improvised, and if you ever have the chance to see this show, I highly recommend it. Something really magical and truly hilarious happens every single time. You can imagine how the story twists and turns depending on the guy she chooses. She’s an absolute master of improv, and a sensational performer.

Rebecca’s Ted Talk is all about how the skills she’s mastered as an improvisational performer are the natural characteristics can be applied to real life, and she has a really moving epiphany that she shares. I watched the talk first delighted by her slightly nervous banter, and impressed by the amazing outfit she put together, and then she blew my mind with her total openness and vulnerability.

SHE IS JUST LIKE ME WHEN SHE IS SCARED!  This amazed me, and so when she admitted each of her self-protective maneuvers I was riveted, and when she arrived at her epiphany, I was deeply touched, particularly about what she says about sharing with your partner.

Oh Rebecca, I hope you know how amazing and wonderful you are! And dear readers, I truly hope you enjoy this beautiful Ted Talk!