The Art of Finishing

Anah is a mom of seven. As a single parent, she has managed to accomplish almost every goal she’s set. Inspired by her success, other women set out to accomplish their goals just to fall short. Some believe that if they could just work as hard as she does, they will fulfill their dreams, just to discover that that’s not enough. Some believe that they will out-think everyone else and use their intelligence to fulfill their dreams, just to discover that that’s not enough. Some believe they will use their charisma and their story to succeed, just to discover that these are not enough. Had anyone asked Anah, she would’ve told them that at different times all of these were needed. But all the time, what has gotten her to the finish line was her ability to persist.  

  • "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

The most underestimated key to success is finishing what you’ve started. That’s it. That’s all. Intelligence is good. A strong network is great. But what’s better than any tool one may have in her toolkit is the ability to persist. Join me in this talk as I share the techniques I developed to go from being a person who struggled to finish things to becoming someone known to complete extraordinary goals under the most difficult and impossible circumstances. These skills have helped me to increase my bottom line, purchase my dream home, complete my doctoral degree and so much more while also raising six children, being a survivor of domestic abuse, clawing my way out of low income housing and learning how to love myself in a world that had convinced me that I was invisible. These lessons are too good to keep to myself, let me share them with you. Join me at my keynote address on the Art of Finishing.

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

  • To establish criteria for choosing the “right” goals

  • To introduce the idea of a “protect the mission” plan 

  • To establish a criteria for when to finish versus when to finish well

  • To identify the need for healing after each finish

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.