Ron Geertse delivered a great talk on the coolness of surfing during the 2015 TEDxBreda edition. Now I must admit I am partially biased because I love the sea and Ron’s talk has to be one of my favorites. Also because of this one quote that stuck with me, something in the lines of “…a bad day at the beach is still better than a good day at the office.” Let’s see what high waves he’s caught and how he’s doing almost one year after his presentation.

Thank you for answering our call. People want to know how your life was influenced after you went off the TEDx stage.

It’s was really great to experience being on stage and seeing people reacting to your story. And afterwards when people watched my talk online and reacting on the video as well. Me being on stage at TEDxBreda and the journey towards it, was a unique opportunity to tell people how I live my life and what could be the benefit of doing so.

When did you first heard of TED talks? Do you have a favorite

I heard of TED and TEDx a couple of years ago. When I watch a TED talk it doesn’t matter who is speaking, as long as the talk touches and inspires me.

How do you see the relationship between TEDx and the city of Breda?

The collection of the speakers on stage was a cool mix of stories that are happening in and around Breda.

How and why did you attend TEDxBreda?

I was asked to tell my story on TEDxBreda because (so I learned later on) the way I live my life, as business owner and as a person, I was inspiring people.

What can you tell us about preparing for the talk?

At first it was pretty nerve wrecking.. I had to put a story on paper to get selected by the committee. Once I got selected, it was time to get that story in a flow so I could tell it on stage. I got a lot of help from Saskia Mulder, who helped me making my story an actual story. And after that was done, the day with Debatrix helped a lot too.

How did it feel standing on the TEDx stage?

It felt really great being on that particular stage. I love sharing my thoughts and dreams so this was a perfect opportunity.

Atmosphere wise, how would you describe the vibe in the room?

Loads of energy coming from the audience, but also from the volunteers of TEDxBreda.

What was the first thought you had after going off that stage?

Let’s do this!

How did your presence at the event influence your cause?

I didn’t really have a cause. Just me telling a story about surfing.

Locally and internationally – how do you think your talk inspired people?

I hope I got people to start surfing. Still the best way to get your head straight, in my opinion. My video was received well by surfers, so to that was a big plus to me.

1Would you do it again? What would you change?

Without a doubt! I wouldn’t change much. Maybe more flow in my story or some other images.

What’s next for you, what are your current and future ambitions?

I just doing what I was doing; surfing, enjoying my life and undertaking business ventures which come down my path.

Do you have any suggestions regarding our future speakers?

Have fun! Enjoy being in that inspiring environment which TEDx is.

How can we improve TedXBreda?

Just learn from what went wrong in your eyes and try to improve it with the next edition.

What do you think of this year’s theme – Gamification a.k.a. ‘Pause. Reload. Game on’?

Sounds appealing. Gamification is what makes things more understandable or just more fun to do things.

What is your view on play as part of life?

It’s all I do, play. Whether it’s on a surfboard or in my office, game’s on all the time.

Thank you for your insight and let us know how people can get in touch with you for future projects? 

You can reach me by e-mail at ron@souldivisions.nl.