I've always had the greatest respect for Bill as both a human being and a brilliant mind in the industry. When Brett Tabke was asking me if I would like to speak at Pubcon back in 2016, which would have been my first speaking role in the industry, he gave me a few open spaces he needed to fill. One was talking about infographics and the other being related to analyzing patents on a panel with Bill, which is definitely not typically a world I dive into. Needless to say, it was an easy decision as an SEO with a graphic design background to pick the session on infographics but I always thought it was so funny having to make that decision as a new speaker and to even be considered to share the stage with such a brilliant mind. Even the thought of that possibility, to this day, is an incredibly intimidating thing to think about.

Fast forward a year and I'm at Pubcon as a speaker for the second time. During the annual speaker's enclave, I'm sitting next to Bill chatting as we had gotten to know each other a bit more over the year in between events. I told him that story and eventually asked him, "You've been doing this so long. How do you keep from getting nervous?" to which he looked at me, gave a smile, and replied, "If you don't get a little nervous doing this, then you've gotten into your head too much and have lost sight of what you are doing. It's okay to be nervous before speaking to a crowd of any size." That little piece of advice has stayed with me and resurfaces at every opportunity that I have to present. Be it a webinar, live event, podcast, executive/client meeting, or even publishing an article on a blog, every time I get a little jitter of nervousness I think of Bill and his advice to me and crack a smile.

My family and I are wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery, Bill! Know that we are thinking of you and are always here if you need anything.