“I hope I didn’t make my mom cry.”
In 2024, a monumental shift occurred in the fear complex of Americans. For the first time in over a decade, the fear of public speaking (glossophobia) was surpassed as one of America’s greatest fears by… a fear of sharks?
Reading this sparked two immediate reactions. The first was an urge to congratulate sharks on their huge 2024 (great work, guys! 🥳). The second was a wave of relief, hoping I’d never again have to hear what I consider one of the great made-up stats of our time at another conference, wedding, or corporate event. Because let’s be honest—there’s simply no way public speaking is actually anyone’s #1 fear. And if it is, kindly send them my way.
In high school, I was a fairly proficient public speaker and debater (yes, I know the joke you’re laughing at right now—get your mind out of the gutter 😂). It’s probably the most important skill I developed during those years. Aside from the odd occasion, I haven’t regularly found myself in front of large crowds since, but I’ve been fortunate enough to coach friends and family for their own speeches and presentations—including some impressively important ones.
There’s a saying that goes, “Those who can’t do, teach,” which, besides being wildly insulting to all teachers, would be more accurately rephrased as, “Those who can’t play, coach.” Because everyone’s playing days come to an end eventually.
Yesterday, my mother, Christiana Egi, was invited to speak at the Customer Experience for the Public Sector (CXPS) Summit 2025 in Toronto. She was understandably excited about the opportunity—especially given the speaker lineup, which was almost entirely made up of high-level officials from federal, provincial, and municipal governments and agencies. The excitement, however, was accompanied by nerves. She was eager to do well and deliver the impactful message she had prepared about patient-centred care.
So, what did she do? She asked her eldest (not favourite!) son to help with her speech—the result of which you can see in the video above. In the interest of full transparency, she did ask me for help over a month ago, but hey, time gets away from us all.
Now, if we’re going to talk about fear, I have to admit: I was a little nervous to make this post. I think the general perception of me is much kinder and gentler than the one held by my family and close friends. Just yesterday, I was messaging a near and dear friend, moaning about how I wish I could clone myself to better handle my workload. Their swift response? “no1 needs that.” (Maybe a tad too swift there!)
Before posting, I shared the video with my mom to make sure she was comfortable with how she—and our dynamic—came across, especially given the tense exchanges at the start of our practice. Given the time constraints, my coaching style probably created the tension. I’m pretty much the middle school basketball coach who walks into practice and immediately yells out, “Alright, basketballs away! To the baseline, everybody!”
Combining her (justified) anxiety about last-minute changes with my…approach(?) was dicey at first—I actually thought I was going to make her cry. But eventually, we got to where I knew we would. I have immense faith in my mother, because as someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes care, how could she not be great? All she had to do was be herself. My only job was to be Fifth Business and help her get there.
And she most certainly did. Congratulations, Mom.
Always,
Will
Share this post