Category: Ignite Denver

Ignite Denver 28: Speakers Announced!

Stephanie Vail

We never know what we are going to get with a February show, sometimes it’s a snow storm, other times 70 degrees. But thankfully, what we do know is that we have an incredible line up waiting for you! Early bird prices will give you 50% off tickets from now until 2/9.

*Please note this is just an announcement of the speakers, it is not the order they will be speaking in night of.

Kaleigh Vance Embody Your Animal
Chris Englert 10 Ladies Walk into Denver…
Michael Jennings Even More Love…
Julia E. Torres Love is a verb. Education is liberation.
Curt Bean Creative solutions to modern day problems
Jackson Stevens You Should Delete Facebook
Brian Inderwies Rising Together: Growing With Foster Kids
Gregory Kotsaftis The Truth About Lies
Russell Agnew One brave smile
Meridith Marshall Captain Planet gave me a Complex
Pavel Reppo Britney Spears said it best, you drive me crazy
Danielle Giffin We Are The #MeToo Generation
Jim and Louise Gunderson Robots, AI, and the workplace of Tomorrow
Ellen Penrod American Lung Association

Ignite Denver 27 – Speakers Announced!

Stephanie Vail

Fall is just around the corner and that means our October show is coming up. We could not be more excited to share with you the brave, creative, inspiring souls who will be taking the stage. With talks ranging in topics from cocaine and storytelling, to life threatening situations like being caught in an avalanche and surviving cancer, from modern day experiences like going viral – to facing retirement today and defining what that means for you.

 

 

Are You There, Orwell? It’s Me, Taylor. Taylor Holden
Cocaine, Neural Hacks, and Craving Better Stories Jon Cook
Connecting the Dots: Remote Leadership Summer Weirich
Fitting In: A Social Disease Jason B. Kendrick
Food, Sex & Worthiness Maddie Berky
Listen! Your Body is Talking to You Meg Gibbs
On Staying Sane, Speaking Truth, and Going Viral Aimee Van Ausdall
That Time I Got Caught in an Avalanche Steve Hibbard
The Art of Being Fabulous: A Cancer Warriors Motto Trisha Trixie Hunter-Merrill
What if Retirement is not an end, but a beginning? Stephanie Bruno
Why Superheroes Terrify Me! Cooper Braun-Enos
You Did What at Chef Prudhomme’s??!! Leyla Eraybar
Learning to love myself after betrayal and forgive Rebecca Sacks

*Please note this is not the lineup for the evening, simply a list of the Sparks for October 12.

Mark your calendars for October 12! Don’t miss your opportunity at missing out on the fun- early bird tickets are available currently for $5 until September 29. Also, join in the fun on our Facebook event!

Ignite Denver 26 – Speakers Announced!

Stephanie Vail

One thing that is true about Ignite Denver is that anyone and everyone has an opportunity submit and speak on stage at The Oriental Theater. We were completely blown away with 35 impressive submissions for Ignite Denver 26, and it is our honor to announce the line up for June 8th:

The Mystical, Complicated, Edifying Nature of Deep Female Friendships and What they Can Teach Us Shaughnessy Speirs
October 2005, in the North of Nigeria, two men have been convicted of sodomy and have been sentenced to death by stoning. Karen Stewart
The Reflection in My Mirror is a Person I Can’t Remember MicheleElys
What Water Fountain are you Drinking From? Nita Mosby Tyler
Stop the Trauma Lily Nussbaum
What is a Legacy? Nicole Nageli
Shrinking the income equality gap through VR Lawrence Wagner
Blockchain and Bitcoin Explained Bruce Daley
Sometimes you have to sell out to know your self-worth Joseph Chehouri
How Asking Stupid Questions Makes You Smarter Brian Peterson
Toddlers, Terrorists, and Everyone In-between: Negotiating The Long Game Taj Moore
A public thank-you to my amazing father, and a word of encouragement to the parents of “lost” children Amanda Gold
My True Story of Sex, Shame and Addiction Scott Slack
My Maddy’s…The Art of Friendship Tammy Abramovitz
Gaston taught me everything I need to know about Donald Trump Gena Ozols
Bubbles Make Everything Better Carlyn Shaw

We are so excited and hope you will take advantage of the $5 prices– hurry, they only last until 5/20!

Connect with us on Facebook and invite your friends!

Ever Thought, is Speaking at Ignite Denver for Me?

Stephanie Vail

Ignite Denver has been in my life now for seven Ignites. Throughout that time, I have gone from a complete novice, blinded by the lights as I hesitantly walked on stage and accepted the microphone from Kat… to a bit of an Ignite Denver junkie. After attending the workshops, feeling the rush of giving my Ignite talk and meeting the community of Ignite Denver: I was hooked. And I wanted more. I asked to join the committee, having no real skills or talents to offer except a willingness to learn, grow and be present. They are probably still wondering, why did they ever let this girl join?

But that’s what Ignite Denver is. It’s a place for anyone to come and feel the beautifully chaotic accepting warmth of our community. And don’t just listen to me. 95% of our attendees (who completed the survey) from Ignite Denver 25 said that they would return to future events. So, in the time that you have sat in the velvety seats of the Oriental Theater, have you ever thought to yourself, “That could be me?”

If so, then I invite you, come- join us. Inform us. Teach us. Show us your fancy yoyo tricks. Make our mouths water as you explain why your apple pie is the best on the block. Share about your ant collection. Have a unique perspective on a topic? Completed an interesting research project? Share the wealth of knowledge!

Or, have you never attended an Ignite Denver, but interested in learning more? Regardless of your experience as a public speaker, or experience not as a public speaker, Ignite levels the stage. Everyone has five minutes to talk and everyone prepares a slide deck that auto advances every 15 seconds. Speaking at Ignite Denver is different. It’s fun. It’s a challenge. Intrigued? Submit a spark. Not for you? Refer a friend- after all, that’s how we grow our speakers and our community.

Be well, Denver.

What Kat Thinks …and Other Brilliant Insights from our Emcee

Stephanie Vail

When people have asked me about what to present at Ignite Denver over the course of the past few years, I’ve suggested they talk about their passions. And while pursuing that direction of thinking has provided countless amazing sparks, I’ve come to realize that focusing solely on our life passions can limit what options we have for presentations.

This time around, if you’re considering submitting a spark idea, either for the first time or as a repeat presenter, I’m going to challenge you to be different. Create something that will surprise people. Hell, create something that will surprise you. You don’t necessarily need to change the trajectory of a person’s life.

Do you buy collectible spoons with your name on it when you go on road trips from those shops along the side of the highway? Can you describe your first high school dance experience? Just how bad WAS your first job? How do you rank Halloween candy? What makes zombie crawls so magical? Be honest: Do you think adult coloring books are cool or weird? Why?

You don’t have to be funny, by the way. Some people find collectible spoons to be very serious business. For real, though – don’t be funny if you don’t want to be funny. Some of my favorite presentations have simply opened my eyes to things happening around the world I didn’t even realize were happening.

As the emcee of Ignite Denver, I’ve done several sparks since 2014. There have been a few times when I’ve known exactly what I’ve wanted to say. However, there have been an equal number of presentations I’ve thrown together at the last minute simply because I couldn’t think of anything “good” enough. Surprisingly, some of those talks turned out pretty great. For example, it wasn’t until I started talking about how much I loved the month of November that I actually realized that, dude, I really do love November.

This time, I’m approaching the process differently. My excitement for Ignite 24 has already begun to percolate. I’m undertaking this challenge to talk about something quirky, too. Here are a few ideas I’m mulling over right now:

· I Hate Possums

· That One Time I Got A Brazilian Wax on a Dare

· It’s Time I Come Clean: I Love Historical Romance Novels

Will I actually create a spark about one of these? Maybe. Am I excited to see where this line of thinking goes for me and the other speakers? Heck yes. Go for it, you guys. I can’t wait to see what’s up your weird, deviant little sleeves.

Tuesday Two! Alcohol. (There, I said it.)

Guest Writer

Our lives don’t revolve around alcohol. Far from it. But we do enjoy a libation from time to time. Responsibly, of course. And in moderation. (What’s that saying? “All things in moderation, including moderation.”)

We’ve distilled two talks about alcohol from the long history of Ignite Denver, and we’d like you to watch them responsibly. And perhaps in moderation.

Scott Sheridan: Interesting Facts About the Wines of the World – Ignite Denver 6

Joseph Labrecque: Absinthe: Artistic Rituals, Intestinal Parasites, and Psychoactive Madness! – Ignite Denver 12

(Stick with the meandering camerawork here, folks. It’s an interesting Spark!)

Someone might talk about alcohol at Ignite Denver 21. We don’t know. It’s up to you to vote.

Come out to Ignite Denver 21! Buy tickets here. Early bird pricing! What what.

Bonus alcohol video! “D.R.I.N.K.” by The Jazz Butcher (The video is just some pictures of folks who seem like they like drinking. The song is by The Jazz Butcher.)

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