TED, a global media nonprofit, is known for its invitation-only annual conference and free video “talks” on topics ranging from technology to business to design. TED-licensed TEDx events are independently organized, community-based, and open to anyone.
Once accepted into the TEDxEvanston event, Godsey was encouraged to work with a speech coach to create an impactful presentation and incorporate her own personal experiences, which wasn’t easy.
“I didn’t want it to be a lecture, and I wanted to connect with the audience, but I wasn’t going to share the deep personal information that I did,” Godsey said. “It took me a while to get comfortable with that.”
In his talk, Godsey recounted a time several years ago when he was training for the Big Sur International Marathon: “I went from being able to run 26.2 miles to barely being able to walk, and I had no idea why.”
Over the next year, she gained weight and developed high blood pressure and sleep apnea — all warning signs of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke. At the same time, her mental health deteriorated.
“I woke up every morning hating myself, and eventually I began to contemplate suicide. On the outside I had everything I wanted, but inside I felt miserable,” she said in the talk.
Godsee finally saw a doctor, who diagnosed her with thyroid disease and multiple spinal injuries with compressed nerves. From there, she began to recover through stretching, walking, eating healthy and practicing self-care and mindfulness to accept and work through the physical and mental pain.
“I got back on my feet really little by little by doing a lot of the things I needed to do to take care of myself, and that made a big difference. I still do it every day,” she said.
In fact, before her talk, Godsey sat in the audience, listening intently to the speakers ahead of her (she was the last of seven to speak that day), and practicing mindfulness to calm her nerves.
Godsey said she has received positive feedback about her talk and that she wants to continue speaking publicly about the topic and her experiences, saying she is “learning so much.”
“I would like to see a paradigm shift in healthcare to incorporate a mental health aspect into everything,” she says. “It’s important to consider the human experience and not just the medical aspects when treating patients. … People should be allowed to talk about their mental health when they’re struggling.”
