Over the last 3 years, I have had the privilege of putting more than 50 speakers onto more than 20 TEDx stages. Being able to, directly and indirectly, support these speakers on their way into that red circle has been pure magic. And it's also been a continual reminder of why you need vet TEDx organizers on your own speaker journey.

This week on The Big Talk, we're talking all about this vetting process through the lens of what online dating and applying to a TEDx have in common.

I have been happily married to my husband, Joe Ricci, for almost 12 years, so my experience with online dating happened well over 13 or 14 years ago when that world was just beginning to emerge and choices of sites were significantly limited.

I began dating through Match.com at that time and today, I'm sharing with you three specific dates I had and how these experiences relate to lessons in vetting and applying for TEDx stages.