Since 2006, TED speakers have shared stories, ideas and illuminated the minds of live audiences and via the web. Self proclaimed TED junkie Dr. Tina Thomas has long been a fan of the events that allow visionaries a platform on which to speak in front of a worldwide audience. For years, the nurse/psychotherapist/author/social worker/motivational speaker watched the talks on the web and loved every minute of them, soaking up the energy through the glow of her computer monitor.

A resident of Louisiana, her first live TED experience came at the 2011 TEDxPeachtree, a mere eight hours away from her home. It was the closest TEDx to her at the time and she was certain the long drive, hotel room, and registration fee would be worth it. Her friends and colleagues worried that her experience might not be equal to the amount of effort she would be putting into it. Fortunately for Thomas and TEDx, it turned out to be an internet romance that that grew even stronger when the two met in real-life. She recounts the experience as one that made her brain both weary and enlightened.

When she was called upon to speak at TEDxCitadelPark in 2012, it was a shock and an honor. Her work in cracking the code of the human personality and helping people realize their full potential was lauded by so many. She had published books, worked with individuals and large organizations; but this was a new level. Her favorite thing about presenting at TED was that,  “I felt like I was giving my message the chance to breathe, a chance to get some exposure – and hopefully a chance to begin making a difference in the world.”  The audience played a large role in that message taking flight. Thomas says that when speaks in public she finds that the larger and more attentive and audiences the more enthusiastic and engaged she becomes.  She states, “I find that the larger and more attentive an audience is, the more enthusiastic and engaging I become. It’s a conversation – if I get feedback from the audience then I can respond – it’s very much like how people dancing and bands energize each other.”

Reflecting upon the experience, Thomas says, “The only thing to me that would be more powerful than being a TEDx speaker would be a chance to be a TED speaker!” From her mouth to TED’s ears.

How many TED and TEDx audience members have an idea worth sharing? An invention that could change the way the globe thinks of communication? A concept that could improve the state of the entire world as we know it? If Dr. Tina Thomas is any indication of the caliber of men and women who fill the chairs of these gatherings, the answer would be quite a few.

Dr. Thomas’ talk can be seen here: