Yes, I was extremely nervous. My heart raced, my stomach churned with anxiety, and the emergency exit door beside me seemed like a beacon of escape. “It’s not too late to leave now,” I thought. Although I had accumulated public speaking experiences over the years, standing before two hundred people who had been drinking and expected to be entertained with stories was different. My mind raced with thoughts of failure—blank stares, silent rejection, boos, and even the possibility of having drinks thrown at me. The pressure was immense.