🐟🍸Vodka-Soaked Fish, Chat GPT's Origin Story & Why Luxury Stores Need Broadway Soundtracks

"The only way to induce someone to spend beyond their paycheck is to make them feel like they're living in a musical"🎵

🐠💀 They Drowned

Picture this: You're 15 years old, hungover, staring at your family's expensive aquarium. All the fish are floating belly-up. Your brother looks at you and explains:

"They drowned."

You smell the water. It reeks of vodka. Your parents are coming home tonight.

This is how Katie's Table Topics tale began—and it only got wilder from there. A frantic PetSmart run, seatbelt-defying fish bags, and a secret kept for two decades… until Thanksgiving dinner, when someone's pride betrayed them all.

As Benjamin Franklin said: "Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead."

Welcome to this week's Golden Gate Toastmasters, where our Tall Tales Workshop turned exaggeration into an art form. Katie took home Table Topics winner with this masterpiece, spun entirely on the spot. 🎭

"Fake It Till You Make It." We Said It Anyway. We Did It Over. And We Showed Up.

🎤 Toastmaster for the evening: Blair Vorsatz

Our Toastmaster and VP of Membership, Blair Vorsatz, embodied the theme in real time. Filling in at the last minute, he admitted that just two years ago he was intimidated by big projects at work. This week, he didn’t just join a bigger one — he led it.

Every time we step up to this lectern, we're rehearsing confidence we don't quite feel yet. You fake it in here so you can make it out there.

🎤 Prepared Speeches

"Say It Anyway" by Irene Suwarno (2-Minute Special)

What happens when you speak a dream you don't fully believe? Irene shared how saying "America" out loud—despite having no plan, no money, and no belief it would happen. But she said it anyway. Today, she's standing here in San Francisco.
If someone asked where you’ll be in five years… say it anyway. ✨

"The Perfectionist's Dilemma" by Anna Spallino

At twelve, Anna fell in love with Tokyo — the glowing skyline, tiny cars, even the singing ambulance sirens. It felt nothing like her Southern California suburb, yet somehow like home.

By college, she was in Osaka, memorizing a thousand Japanese characters to honor her host family. But the dream that once felt like home became a mirror of never being quite good enough.

Seven years later, she returned, focusing on joy and connection instead of perfection.

Finally, Japan felt like home. Passion should inspire, not punish.

"A Do Over" by Sheila Vida 🏆

What happens when you give a world-class overthinker a do-over? You get a winning speech.

Sheila revisited a question she couldn’t let go: What should the soundtrack be in a luxury store? Thirteen days after giving a “safe” answer, she returned with the real one — Broadway.

With vivid storytelling — and not one but two surprise musical moments (Can You Feel the Love Tonight and a show-stopping belt of Defying Gravity) — Sheila showed how music can override logic, blur price tags, and turn hesitation into confidence. From anniversary necklaces to dream handbags, her examples were funny, relatable, and unforgettable.

Life is full of second chances. You can always have a do-over.

"Leading With Purpose" by Jack Hunter

Jack Hunter brought battlefield wisdom to civilian leadership, inspiring through vision, communication, and empathy.

His boldest move was firing his best engineer who only cared about bonuses, not the mission. "I want people to believe in what we're building," Jack explained. Without that, you can’t disrupt an industry.

From building a three-story house in Tunisia to teaching a cocky lieutenant how to salute, Jack reminded us: ask questions before judging. Listen more than you speak. Leaders eat last.

🎭 Tall Tales Workshop: The Art of Exaggeration

With our club contest coming up on Wednesday, February 4th, VPs of Education Albert Yan and Michelle Wen led a workshop on crafting wildly exaggerated stories told as if they were 100% true.

Albert demonstrated with a story about Chad, an Iowa elementary school know-it-all who answered every question before teachers could speak. Chad made national news. The President allegedly visited. Then Chad disappeared—only to mail thousands of pages of answers to Pearson Education years later.

They published it as textbooks. Everyone used them. Eventually, people noticed inaccuracies—but kept using them anyway because they were "generally useful."

The online version became Chad's Generally Believable Text, better known as Chat GPT.

The formula for crafting your own tall tale:

1. Begin in an ordinary, believable world

2. Pick 1-2 traits to exaggerate wildly

3. Build 3 increasingly absurd events

4. End strong with an unexpected twist

💬 Table Topics: Tall Tales Edition

Our Table Topics continued the Tall Tales Workshop theme, with Albert Yan and Michelle Wen calling members and guests to the stage to spin outrageous tales with a straight face.

Remember that vodka-soaked fish story that opened this newsletter? Katie made that up on the spot with zero preparation. Believable setup, escalating absurdity, and a perfect twist—all executed flawlessly in real time.

🎯 Evaluations

General Evaluator Clement Wallace reminded us why evaluations matter—they're how we grow. Our speech evaluators delivered thoughtful, specific feedback to help speakers improve.

Alberto Jarrin praised Anna's storytelling and structure. Gene Zhou encouraged Sheila to amplify her already-strong delivery even more. All evaluators balanced celebrating strengths with offering actionable growth opportunities.

Best Evaluator: Adam Cesana 🏆

Adam Cesana evaluated Jack Hunter with genuine respect and sharp coaching. He praised Jack's commanding presence, eye contact, and life-tested wisdom—then offered a bold challenge: "You have a tendency to ramble a little bit. I know I'm challenging you because you're such an advanced speaker, but if you took a couple extra hours to prepare, you'd speak better than some politicians."

🏆 Award Winners

Congratulations to tonight's award winners!

🎤 Best Speaker: Sheila Vida - "A Do Over"
🗣️ Best Table Topics: Katie McCann
📝 Best Evaluator: Adam Cesana

Way to go! 🎉

✨ Leader Spotlight: Alex Wu - From Google Search to Area Director

What made you join Toastmasters in the first place? What were you hoping to achieve?

In 2023, I felt that I wanted to do something productive in my free time outside of work, and I literally Googled "productive things to do in your free time," and Toastmasters was one of the top results!

Can you share a specific "before and after" moment that shows how Toastmasters changed you?

Toastmasters is a supportive, low-stakes environment to make mistakes and grow, and I'm not exaggerating when I say I've grown into a completely new person. Obviously I feel much more comfortable in public speaking, but for a less obvious example, I've now learned the skills to effectively run meetings: deciding on the goal of the meeting, communicating clearly ahead of time, keeping people on track, and summarizing our conclusions at the end.

What was the scariest speech or role you took on, and what did you learn from it?

My most difficult speech came almost two years after joining Toastmasters, because it was the first time I shared a very personal story and became vulnerable. I never knew the human heart could beat so heavily. But I got through it, and everyone loved it. Sometimes you just have to power through the nerves. We are such a supportive and caring club at GGTM—I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Can you walk us through your leadership journey—how did you go from member to Club President to Area Director? What motivated you at each step?

I think it's important to give back when you benefit from something: all the leaders running the club and district are thankless volunteers who just want to help out. I saw a couple of things I wanted to do (e.g., we had no Discord before!), so I signed up as Sergeant at Arms four months after joining. At the end of 2024, I learned none of the other officers wanted to run for president, and I thought, you know what, there are a lot of things I'd like to do if I were in the role. So I thought hard about my goals, prepared my election speech, and rehearsed it. The day of the election, I came down with a terrible fever. I had to stay home and have someone read my election pitch in my stead. There I was, with my splitting headache, when I got a text from Katka, our president at the time: "Congratulations, Mr. President."

Now that you've seen the 'big picture' as Area Director, what lessons would you bring back if you served as Club President again?

When I first joined GGTM, I was blown away by how professional it was, with so many of our own rituals and spins on things. But now I've gotten used to most of them, so it feels like the right way to do things. But as AD, I've seen many other clubs and realized there are so many things we could do differently, taking a leaf out of their books. For example: different functionary roles, evaluating table topics, giving a standing ovation when someone completes a Pathways level, asking members what they'd like to commit to in the next few months, and the VPE personally checking in with every member.

If you could be Club President again with everything you know now, what's one thing you'd do differently?

People are always so enthusiastic at the beginning of the term, stoked to do so many new initiatives as officers. But we are a volunteer organization; life gets in the way, and the real implementation runs into practical challenges. It's great to dream big, but I would focus on the most important goals in a term. It's much better to do one thing well than try many things but give up halfway. There were so many challenges I wasn't able to solve. But a few initiatives that not only endured but thrived—like the new fee schedule, member voting, and Discord channel—are already huge accomplishments, and the 2025 officer corps has left a permanent mark on the club. The process of making real change is tedious, mundane, and unglamorous, but those are the things that matter months and years down the line.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone hesitating to take on a leadership role, what would it be?

Just do it! Of course, make sure you can actually commit. But Toastmasters is a safe space to experiment and grow. I've learned so much being a leader in Toastmasters—I couldn't imagine being where I am today without it. You will never be ready, but by showing up every day you will gain the leadership skills that allow you to succeed. Passion and commitment are more important than already having all the solutions today. You will fail, maybe a lot, but we are all here with you on this journey, and failure is the catalyst for true growth.

What's the most memorable (or embarrassing) moment from your time in our club?

There was this one Table Topics section where people kept ignoring the question given to them and instead answering the previously asked question. Everyone was envying others' questions!

What's your signature move when you get nervous before a speech?

Honestly, in my experience, there's no avoiding the nerves. I just let my heart pound and wait for it to be over. But afterwards, people always say I didn't seem nervous!

📣 Club Announcements

🎤 Speech Contest Season Kicks Off!
Contest season is here! This year features two contests:

• International Speech Contest (5-7 min): Share your inspirational story and compete for a spot at the World Championship in Vancouver this May. Open to members who’ve completed Pathways Level 2.

• Tall Tales Contest (3-5 min): Spin wildly exaggerated stories that tickle the audience. Open to ALL GGTM members.

Club contests: Wednesday, February 4. Winners advance through Area (March) and Division (April). Not competing? We need judges, timers, and ballot counters!
📋Full contest rules & details

🏈 Dr. Barb Speak-Off: Evaluate NFL Athletes - Feb 5
Serve as a speech evaluator during Super Bowl week! You'll get a complimentary ticket + guest, plus exclusive post-event networking with athletes.
📅 Feb 5, 2-5pm |📍140 Sutter Street, SF. Learn more.
Space is limited—fill out the interest form by Monday, January 27th.

💘 Valentine's Themed Meeting - February
Love stories, awkward crushes, first-date fiascos—we want them all! Our Table Topics will feature romance, hilarious mishaps, and lessons from the heart. Thinking of giving a Valentine’s speech? Start preparing now! Date TBA. ❤️

📢 Mentorship Opportunity: Shadow an Area Director
Interested in district-level leadership? Area Director Alex Wu seeks a mentee to shadow him at district meetings starting July. Email [email protected].

🎬 Closing Circle

President Shubham Saloni ended the evening with a beautiful gesture: inviting everyone—guests and members alike—who hadn’t spoken to share their own “fake it till you make it” moments. The room sparkled with stories of courage, improvisation, and bold leaps of faith.

A huge thank you to our speakers, evaluators, Table Topics participants, and all the functionaries who kept the meeting running smoothly. Your energy and dedication make our club thrive.

🍹 The Conversation Continues 

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