The Ripple Of Now
At the 2025 Speaker Slam® Grand Slam, the Inspirational Speaking Finals held at CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Regula Fischer delivered “The Ripple Of Now”.
Transcript
See my old dented suitcase? She and I have been on the go for a long time. Last week London. This week Toronto. Next week, New York City and then off to Bangalore, India. People often say, "Wow, you get to travel a lot. I wish I had your freedom and energy." And I just smile. Over the years, I've created an image of the unstoppable woman who has it all together. You know her, shiny, confident, the one who replies to emails before they even arrive.
I have a long-distance relationship, no kids, a consulting career in leadership, and an international podcast called Many First. And honestly, the external validation has been so gratifying. Somehow, I truly believed I had to do all this to prove my worth and create a legacy. However, behind that image and the punishing pace, I was secretly longing to slow down. But how? I'd assumed my energy was everlasting, that exhaustion is just a mindset. And so, I kept ignoring the messages my body was shouting at me.
Please pause. I'm so tired. Now, if you're at all squeamish about women's health issues, fair warning, the exits are over there. In July, I got my period as usual. In August, I was still bleeding. In September, I was still bleeding. By October, I had been on a threemonl long non-stop period. That's when I finally caved and went to see my doctor. Her first response, why didn't you come sooner? We could have helped you. And then she diagnosed me with iron deficiency, anemia, and perry menopause.
What? I'm not ready for that. I'm still so young. I'm strong. And my dream of having a family one day, it's gone. I couldn't believe how far I'd pushed myself, what price I'd been paying in this constant pursuit of significance, of legacy. Telling myself that there was still time had become a giant lie. So now what? I've been dragged kicking and screaming into this new season of my life. What do I do with all this emotion? Bnee Brown says, "Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we're supposed to be."
That's scary, but also liberating. I get to release the Wonder Woman persona. I'm in the process of discovering a whole new way to be, a strength that feels soft. gratitude for the here and now, saying no and yes more intentionally. And I'm also learning to serve the hormone waves. And some days that's easier than others. I've come to the conclusion that legacy isn't some future recognition. It's who I am and what I do while I'm still here. It's the ripples I create now.
I can't control how and where those ripples land. I may not ever have a big monument in my honor and I'm completely fine with that. Not having children, that's harder. So, in my glorious messy humanity, my trusty suitcase and I are learning to live differently. Not perfect, but present. How I show up as my full true self matters. How people feel in my presence matters. How you feel matters. Maybe it's time to slow down enough to listen to that voice inside you that's whispering or begging to be heard.
Don't wait for your body to stop you like mine had to stop me. So today, rather than asking yourself, what legacy will I leave behind? Ask how am I showing up for myself and others right now and what am I rippling forward? In the end, what you live becomes what you leave. And again, what you live becomes what you leave. Thank you.
Transcript generated from the recording and lightly cleaned. Some names and wording may differ from the spoken speech.