Time to watch the videos of the Ignite Asheville 2013 talks and bring back those memories. Each talk is embedded below, or you can check them out on our YouTube channel.

Appalachian Trail Wisdom	Leanna Joyner
Fundamental lessons from my thru-hike of the 2,715-mile Appalachian Trail in 2003 are cornerstones of my everyday life. Learn what a 6-month journey from Georgia to Maine has to offer.
The Principles of Priority and Habit Change	Matt Ragland
“I believe that what we truly desire is within our grasp, but we need the tools and determination to create habits in line with those priorities. In this short talk, I want to inspire the audience to believe they can take the steps to do the things they love, and suggest a few ways they can begin. Thanks for considering my talk!”
A Community Time Bank	Thomas Beckett
A time bank is a simple tool that allows people to provide their time and skills in service to neighbors. It is a sharing economy: for each hour you contribute, you can draw an hour of someone else’s time for your own projects. Everyone has value to offer; no cash necessary. Time banks build communities and builds local economic independence.
5 Practices for Lasting Peace	Mike Drinkuth
At the age of 8 I underwent a first-of-it’s kind surgery. The doctors say I was clinically dead for 4 minutes. I remember the entire experience. It absolved me from any fear of dying. Nothing ever came closer to killing me than that lack of fear. Mine is a story of overcoming circumstance to finding lasting inner peace.
Building Local Business	Daniel Wallace
Lets motivate people out of the corporate world and into starting small businesses. Small business makes up 2/3 of our economy. Thank goodness for a little inspiration and continuous support from a small group of people that lead me to start my own business. You can do it too!
Rethinking Dolphin Language	Philip Lingle
People are fascinated by bottlenose dolphins because of their large brains, sophisticated behavior, and gentle demeanor. Researchers agree that dolphins have a very complex communication system, but after 60 years of research they still haven’t come close to “cracking the code.” I have a compelling theory as to why this barrier exists
Brainstorming in Large Groups to Find Jewels	Ty Hallock
“Over the last 5 years I’ve studied how to bring large groups of people together and to leave with a ton of good ideas, connections and inspired ppl. This talk is on: >facilitation techniques >tools >best practices >what is possible in the future. This talks is greatly inspired by my mentor Jonathon Flaum author/creator of the Paper Fish Process”
Adventures of a Geek Dad	Tom Heck
I’m a long-time MAKER (even before there was such as term) and when I had kids I became a “Geek Dad”. I enjoy sharing my passion for technology and Making with my kids and their friends. I hope my fun talk inspires dads to explore tech and make things with their kids. I’m published in MAKE Magazine and the GEEK DAD blog.
Light the Match	Leah Hyatt
Light a fire in our community and help it spread. Getting people motivated, informed, confident and trusting in our job market again. Still riding the coat tails of “there aren’t any jobs”—time to move on. Time for the US to recover and get our “hard-working” reputation back! No fear.
Receive a Present Everyday	Jo Anna Rothman
Everyday, for the last 8 years, I have received a present. In this talk, we will explore the power of receiving. People are excellent givers but often feel empty. The trick is to learn how to receive the gifts that life has to offer. It’s time to let go of all those reasons why you can’t have what you want and open the presents life has to offer.
Beam Me Up Ringo: The Fab Four’s Journey Through Rock Music, the Jim Crow South, and Outer Space	Jim MacKenzie
The Beatles are from the future. They changed the culture, they were civil rights advocates, and they were chosen to be Earth’s ambassadors to extraterrestrial life on NASA Spacecraft. I will speak about the Fab Four’s technique that enabled them to navigate tumultuous times. This is why their music and philosophies remain relevant today.
One Amazing Year	Kevin “Doc” Klein
I want to speak on a quest I undertook in 2008 to climb fifty mountains with fifty friends for my fiftieth year. It was inspired by the book A Year to Live by Steven Levine, which begged the question, “what if you only had a year left to live?”. At the end of the year to live endeavor I got a heart virus and almost died. This is my story!

The following is a guest post from Matt Ragland, who presented The Principles of Priority and Habit Change at Ignite Asheville 2013.

Last week, I was fortunate to be able to give a presentation at Ignite Asheville. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was blown away with the turnout and support by the local community. The standing room only event drew about 400 people to Highland Brewing, and cemented (in my mind) the commitment of Asheville to growing a thriving entrepreneurial community.

But for me, it was a new experience. I have spoken to groups before, in college presentations, in home camp pitches, and at Rockmont itself. Speaking to a group is not a big deal to me, even to hundreds of people. I don’t say that to brag, but to underscore that I was freaking terrified before walking on the stage.

Every other time I had spoken to a group before, there was an element of comfort to the setting. They were people I knew, I had worked with, understood, and I had ample time to get my message across. Not so with Ignite!

I had none of these comforts. I had nagging fears. I had voices in my head. I had time limits.

The voice raged inside “You have no business speaking to these people!”

Ironically, this is what I was talking about. The Resistance inside all of us that says we’re not good enough, smart enough, or prepared enough. But the Resistance had unmasked itself. By clamoring with all its might that I was unworthy of this honor, I knew how important my message was. By ramping up my terror, my resolve was strengthened.

Ah yes, and the time limits. I tend to ramble while speaking, and this was my primary source of anxiety. Ignite talks are strictly structured to provide the speaker with 20 slides, auto-advancing every 15 seconds. In every single rehearsal I performed (roughly 50), I missed my timing. I didn’t finish a single one feeling good. Brevity and clarity needed to be my closest allies, and they were not cooperating.

But with practice and failure comes comfort, albeit in small doses. I practiced the slides so much, even in failure, that when the lights went on, I nailed it. I had to bite my tongue to keep from over-talking, and keep the message concise.

The rest of the night was a blast, as the other presenters gave their impassioned talks on a variety of topics. I had several people come up and tell me they enjoyed my talk, which was fun. The most inspirational conversations were with people who said they felt like I was describing an experience they were having in their own lives, and how it helped them!

When we are courageous enough to tell the story we are experiencing in our own lives, it touches the lives of other people. Though we are individual people, each with a unique twist to our story, we live through many of the same patterns. As you reflect on the story of your own life, and the pleasure and pain you were made to share, don’t fall to the fear that you’ll be mocked, but step in to the courage of the life you have been placed here to live.

Here are few pieces of advice I was given before going on stage, I think you’ll like them also:

1. You have a story worth telling
2. Believe in your story
3. Don’t allow fear to over-rule your message

Go forth and be fearless. You were born to shine.