From Fear to Flourish – My Toastmasters Story
“Atty. Den, I’m inviting you to join Bench and Bar Toastmasters.” That single line from Fiscal Jen changed my life. It was both a blessing … and a curse. A blessing, because I knew Toastmasters was filled with brilliant, confident, and inspiring people. A curse, because I thought — “Oh no. I’m not one of them.” So I said yes — not because I was confident… but because I wanted to become confident. It was July last year — my very first Zoom meeting with BBTM. When I joined, I saw DTM Gie Europa and DTM Rene Lizada on screen. And my first thought? “Unsa mani akong gisudlan?! I thought this was a walk in the park — pero murag Jurassic Park man diay!” I was the only guest that day. Nervous. Sweaty. Silent. Then came the words I dreaded most: “Let’s call on our guest for Table Topics!” My heart said, Noooo! But my mic said, Yes, go ahead! I gave a short, trembling answer, filled with “uhms” and “ahs.” Then in the evaluation portion, I accidentally said, “Opo”...