The Nothing’s Wasted Talk

Leverage the Life You Have to Get the Life You Want

“You’re like a Cracker Jack Box. Every time someone goes in, they get a prize.”

For every pregnancy I announced after my third, this became the response. I had become a punchline to other people’s jokes. After “one too many babies,” people I cared about began pulling away from me. People I respected stopped respecting me and started questioning my future. To them, I became “the woman that could have been”  or “the woman that was.” In their minds, my decision to have children disqualified me from my ability to be great and to “make good” on my potential. But in my mind, becoming a mother fueled my drive to be great and to accomplish the impossible. People had gotten it wrong. According to others, I had gone down “the wrong path” and “thrown away” parts of my life. And yet, contrary to what they said and may have even convinced me to believe, nothing was wasted.

  • "Sagashus was simply phenomenal!! What an amazingly powerful way to close a day full of learning! I felt unified with and mesmerized by Sagashus. Her standing ovation was well-deserved! A brilliant speaker who gave of herself so whole-heartedly. I'm humbled and honored to have been in the room."

  • "This was my favorite talk of the day. I appreciate Sagashus sharing from her heart and being so vulnerable in front of us. Her talk really moved me."

  • "Sagashus was an amazing speaker, and was very touching and personable."

  • "She was amazing and her story was amazing and so inspiring. The standing ovation at the end was not enough to show her just how moving her speech was. I am glad she shared things that must have been extremely difficult, especially things people would say to her when she was pregnant. Reminds you to not judge so quickly, etc but also reminds you that there are cruel people in the world and you need to be YOU and not let that get you down."

    sagashus

Join me for the Nothing's Wasted Talk

Let me share with you the tools, techniques and strategies I used to leverage the life I had to create the life I wanted. I am confident that you will leave Nothing’s Wasted inspired, more focused, and transformed. I’m confident that after experiencing this keynote, you will be closer to owning and accomplishing your wildest dreams. 

Learning Objectives that will help you leverage the life you have to create the life you want

  • Transform your biggest setbacks into your biggest comebacks

  • Claim back your story

  • Become a master of the remix

  • Dream boldly and defiantly

According to others, you have made choices that have disqualified you from standing in your purpose. You have gone down “the wrong path” and “have thrown away parts of your life.” And yet, contrary to what they say and may have even convinced you to believe, nothing’s wasted. Every place you’ve been has prepared you for where you want to go.

ALL KEYNOTES

  • Inconceivable

  • Naked

  • Your Hands Are in My Panties

  • Covet

  • Nothing’s Wasted

  • Story

  • Perseverance/Tenacity

PRE -PROGRAM SETUP

What is the best way to set up the room? 

Please, if possible, make sure the stage or platform is as close to the audience as possible, 10 feet or less is great! 

While Sagashus will move around the stage, she will require a lectern with a told that holds her water, book and notes and a hidden shelf for her purse. 

If the AV requires the computer on stage, please make sure the lectern has space for it. Otherwise, please create a setup where the notes, book and technology can all be in the same space. The goal is for Sagashus to be able to move seamlessly between the technology and materials without having to separate them. 

AV REQUIREMENTS

Sagashus requires the following A/V equipment be provided:

Wireless lavalier microphone 

Computer 

LCD projector with the capacity to play audio and video 

Large screen or screens 

Confidence monitor 

Sagashus will bring her program on a Flash Drive in a PowerPoint format. But she will also have a backup in Google Sheets.

Is audio/video recording allowed? No audio or video recording of any kind is permitted during the presentation without Sagashus’s prior written permission.

All rights reserved. No selling, distribution, or reproduction of the contents of this article are permitted without the prior written consent of the author.

Dr. Sagashus T. Levingston was born in Chicago and raised in the area now known as Bronzeville. She holds a bachelor’s in English Literature from the University of Illinois. She also holds a master’s in Afro-American Studies and a PhD in English literature—both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While her research focused primarily on literature, it was informed by theory and criticism from rhetoric, motherhood studies and black feminism.