Sara Knapp

Transcript

so I'm in an old hotel but that's a different story actually I was in an old Warehouse in an offbeat part of Toronto inside reminded me of a gym from my childhood this isn't what I was expecting for corporate training and the people here aren't really what I was expecting either nobody seems to put in any effort to dress up and look professional one woman is actually wearing purple leg warmers who does that and everybody's on their phone nobody's making eye contact nobody's introducing themselves as one does at these types of events they really need this training I think so where we are is we've

all signed up for a course called presencing since I coach corporate clients on influence and executive presence I had assumed that this would be a good refresher for me and maybe I'd pick up some new ideas that I could bring back to my clients yeah no that didn't happen instead class starts with an ice breaker I am paired with a tall skinny guy named Paul the instructor comes up to us and gives us a rope and tells us to tie our legs together why you ask musical chairs of course which we win and then we move on to introductions not on the chairs that we

just used as one would expect we're invited instead to sit in a circle on the floor crust Leed like we're in kindergarten and then it happens the instructor starts to speak and I realize with horror that I am not in a corporate training program mm-m I am in clown school I am in clown school with a bunch of actors who are there to learn how to create greater rapport with their Audience by playing failing and being vulnerable playing failing being vulnerable who signs up for that which is why I feel like I might cry I think about excusing myself to the ladies room and not

coming back I think about owning up to my mistake and calling it a day and then I think about being brave and staying and so I do and let me share with you some super weird happens next we are giv clown noses and we're running around the auditorium we're chasing each other up onto stage to do ridiculous absurd songs story skits that we've made up we play tag we play dodgeball I make animal survive it's day two and I'm back in my costume a signed costume it's not something I would choose um everyone is still there's no clowns and I've given the assignment that I

am a French can Canen girl on her way home from her late night show in Texas when I'm pulled over by a Texan Ranger and my job is to flirt my way out of the ticket with my heavy French accent and by any means available to me yeah there's no time to plan it's just one two three go oh M you are very attractive cute no okay I am a serious person I do not flirt I do not do accents I am an introvert an accountant a corporate executive this is not my jam I I can't even believe I'm doing it because I'm not really

I am so bad at this it's cringeworthy it's like look away from the train W wreck bad now we're all going to have times in our lives where we're challenged to stand or pushed to go so far out of our comfort zone that we can't remember where we were before and in those moments we have a decision to make we can say no and return to the known or we can say yes and embrace the adventure ahead for that weekend in clown school I chose to say yes and I'm so glad I did because now looking back I can say that my courage muscle grew

three times that day and as the true nature of the adventure came through I found the strength of 10 Saras plus two I have a photo of myself from that day in my outfit on my mirror in my closet at home and it's there to remind me that with yes on my breath and courage in my heart I can go any direction I want and so my friends can you

Transcript generated from the recording and lightly cleaned. Some names and wording may differ from the spoken speech.