what is it that makes your eyes sparkle
what is it that puts a smile on your
face and what would you do if you could
do anything anything you wanted I was
always a little bit different always
wanting to do things the other way
around
with my thoughts I was anywhere else
where I was supposed to be you know
living in my own world my own reality
where trees were made of water and
flowers made of bubblegum I was usually
the one asking weird questions at school
like do you believe in a lottery game or
why does one plus one equal to and not
574 or in the middle of math class I
would ask a teacher what's your favorite
vegetable and because of that a lot of
times I felt like I wasn't really taken
seriously not I didn't feel understood
because to me it made sense but I always
embraced who I was and I never wanted to
let anything come into the way of that I
knew that as long as I keep trusting
myself and stay true to myself I'll be
able to do exactly what I love with all
my heart and soul so hello everybody
my name is Nadia and I've been
passionate about life and smiling and
everything that has to do with food and
the kitchen since 1995 yep
so let's throwback to twelve years ago
when it was about ten years old I found
my love and passion for cooking through
a simple prepackaged box of brownies you
know the ones where you only have to add
butter eggs milk whisk it up bacon and
done so I tried to make them according
to the recipe on the back but I didn't
like them so I tried again but nope
still did not like them with all the
pocket money I left I got myself a third
package and I came home and I simply
added whatever I felt like you know like
roasted nuts
round almond cinnamon vanilla drizzle
some honey on top and they turn out
and that taught me that there's
always a way just find your own and make
it unique and ever since that day I
never use a recipe again the kitchen
became my place of freedom a place where
I was able to let my imagination run
wild a place with no limitations and
rules a place where I was able to
express my creativity and my emotions
out of the box out of the brownie box I
would lock myself into the kitchen for
hours and hours and cook for kurz menus
for my family but to me was never just
about creating an experience for the
tastebuds it was always about creating
this experience for all senses about
letting my family have a seat in my
world so write down the menu on a big
piece of paper hang it up on the wall I
would light up candles and play music in
the background and I would serve the
food as if it was my painting and what
brought me even more joy was to see the
happy smiles on my family's faces the
joy the love the connection I loved
every minute of it and I never forgot to
say I cook you clean thanks mom
let's just say we had a lot of
explosions in our kitchen but good thing
a lot of them were taste explosions so
up until this point in my life I learned
two very important messages lessons
messages whatever you want to call them
so first do things that are hard for as
long until they become easy and turn
your fears and your weaknesses into your
biggest strengths so the feeling that I
felt when I was younger that I wasn't
taken seriously enough could have make
me feel very unwell and insecure which
it did to certain points but I decided
to use it for my own good and turn it
into positive energy because positive
energy is the only thing that can uplift
negative energy in every aspect of life
and then use it as motivation to prove
to people that you can be different and
that you can do your own thing
number two was
you can do anything anything you want
and be good at it and no degree can
change anything about it as long as
you're passionate about it as long as
you have to trust the motivation the
dedication and the focus to really do it
that's all you need that's all you need
but you got to give it a hundred percent
and not just ninety-nine point nine
because that's a huge difference
so dedication trust motivation work hard
boom you got it all but a hundred
percent by the age of 16 I moved to
Canada for six months I was still
cooking a lot you know always wanting to
create this human connection around food
but um I also came back home with about
ten kilos more in my hips and I wasn't
moving my body as much I used to as I
grew up very active as a as a child and
I was probably focusing my diet a lot of
it too much on eating muffins and cheese
cakes and toast with peanut butter a lot
of peanut butter you know when he could
can put a little bit of butter or a lot
of butter on your toast I was opting for
that one and I didn't even realize at
first that I had gained weight but you
know coming back home to Switzerland
settling back into the normal life at
one point I simply didn't feel
comfortable in my skin anymore and I
didn't like that I didn't like how that
limited my way of living my freedom so I
decided to change something about it not
for anybody else to sake but for my own
and my focus was always on I want to
feel good and comfortable in my own skin
again it was never on I want to weigh
this much or that much I want to be this
size or that size and I never really
wanted to gonna died because they
usually have to do with restrictions and
rules and they only work sure to him and
they're not fun like come on did every
anyone ever tell you hey I'm on a diet
and it's so much fun no right so I
wanted to find out for myself what works
for me and make my own experience
and change something that on the
long-term that is fun that I can enjoy
so with a lot of dedication and effort
and motivation I decided to start
working out again and I changed my
eating habits and holy smokes I was
getting so excited because very quickly
I did not only feel better physically
but also mentally and emotionally and
the more conscious I became of the
choices I made the more I started to
appreciate myself but not just myself
everyone and everything everyone and
everything around me so much more and I
realized that it's a huge huge privilege
to even have the choice of what you want
to eat and what not so why not make the
best best choice for yourself and what
had started from replacing white sugar
with honey had then turned into a
lifestyle a lifestyle that is filled
with joy and love and deliciousness a
lifestyle that is is is about a balance
between your body mind and soul whether
in your guard oh of your daily life your
your diet your fitness your mindset
because it's not about how you look it's
about how you feel and if you feel good
in here
boom you're gonna radiate that to the
outside like a shining star and of
course I have the urge to share that
with people to share with people that in
order to feel good in your own skin it
has nothing to do with restrictions and
rules and cheat days it's about living
feeling and eating better and not less
the healthy food can be so delicious and
fun and easy it's not complicated it can
ease be easy and simple so in order to
share that with people I decided to
bring in another one of my big passions
which is photography and I remember very
well the first photo I took of one of my
breakfast creations I was just so amazed
by how you can really capture the
emotions of food just as much as you can
capture them of people
so I started sharing my photos and
recipes every single day on social media
and I got a lot of engagement quickly
and of course all the comments in like
that like stay got me motivated to keep
going but after a few months I was like
hah something seems to be missing
something very fundamental I just didn't
fulfill me you know something that I can
share with people one-to-one and not
just over screen something that I can
show my kids one day and something that
is unique and irreplaceable and that
brings me to my next topic do or create
something that is unique or
irreplaceable and I think the only way
to do that is to authentically and
unapologetically be yourself because
nothing nothing nothing and no one in
the world can replace that there's only
one you
we're all superhumans with our own
superpowers I see a spider-man there a
Wonder Woman down here yeah you we're
all super humans but it's up to us
whether we use our superpowers or not
but the more you are in your power the
more you start to trust and believe in
yourself
and the more you trust them leaving
yourself the less you compare yourself
to others because comparing yourself to
others is like massaging your soul with
toxic and it's not comfortable so built
up a strong relationship with yourself
take that time invest that time and no
time is never an excuse it's always a
choice
my choice to create something that is
100% me was to create my own book my own
cookbook I was 19 back then and I did
not really have any intentions behind it
other than wanting to put it as much
love and passion and emotions into it
hoping that that would be the first
thing to burst out of the burst out of
the book as soon one opens a book and of
course and hope to inspire people to
become their very own artist in the
kitchen and to give them the chance to
feel better in their own skin so besides
acting school which is what I did after
high school you know putting myself into
different characters there I was working
on my book non-stop day and night
putting myself putting myself into my
own character so from you know coming up
with over 100 new recipes from writing
to the text to to pretty much everything
or teaching myself everything like lay
adding editing taking photos whatever
everything on the way that I needed to
do the book exactly the way I want it
I created the book within four months
and right after it was released pretty
much like a week later it became a
number one bestseller to my own surprise
I have to say but yeah things been kind
of crazy ever since then so I quit Phil
acting school I founded my own company
and I turned my passion into my everyday
life so to do what you love might take a
lot of courage and you might have to
sacrifice one thing for another
but if you do what you love if your
passion is your everything it won't feel
like a job or work it will just feel
like you're living and I don't think you
need a day off of living I hope you
don't
so please please do everything you
possibly can everything you possibly can
to do what you love and why because you
don't deserve anything less you don't
deserve any
as no one does you know people might
think I was lucky that I was at the
right place and the right time and maybe
I was but never judge something where
you don't see behind the scenes it can
take a long time to become an overnight
success and it took me 10 years to get
there you know so going pretty much
non-stop over the past three years going
from one thing to another
sometimes feeling like I was everywhere
but no we're really having moments where
I was doubting myself and questioning
what I was doing I just need it to take
a step back and reflect which I find so
important to always remind yourself to
reflect and I implemented two very
important things into my life that I now
consider with every decision that I make
to help me to stay true to myself and I
hope they can be helpful for you too so
number one always always always put
quality above quantity we're bombarded
with information and opinions and
opportunities from all directions it
seems like we want to do everything but
not miss out on anything and we tend to
give up quickly because it just didn't
work out or because the next best thing
is already around the corner but if you
want to stay true to your self-worth
only ever do things that allow you to be
and express you for who you are and then
do whatever it is that you do with as
much love and passion and do it in your
best and most honest and real and
authentic way possible because then
you'll be able to touch people and make
an impact and it doesn't matter whether
it's on a big scale or whether you're
simply touched a single person because
if it's real honest and raw and
authentic that's all that matters
so the more quality the more value you
give to yourself the more value you can
get
to the others for me putting quality
above quantity has always paid off
especially if you think long term if you
want to built up I don't know a business
a brand a relationship over the long
term putting quality above quantity will
always be worth it
and number two always ask yourself why
do I do what I do the simple question
why do I do what I do or what and who
does it serve can give you so much
clarity about yourself the thing I love
so much about food and cooking is that
you can't just hear it see it smell it
or touch it those are just the tools to
express it with what I really love about
it is what I can transmit through it the
purpose behind it which is to make
people feel people might forget who you
are what you did how much money you had
all this status stuff you know they
might forget that but people are never
gonna forget how you made them feel
and you can only make people feel if it
comes from your heart and what comes
from your heart is most likely linked to
your why to your purpose so in order to
find your why the purpose behind what it
is that you do it's so so important to
be fully fully fully and 100% honest
with yourself ask yourself over and over
again why do I do what I do why do I do
I do what I do and maybe there's a
second why hidden beneath the first why
and a third why hidden beneath the
second why just ask yourself for so long
until you can say yep that's why I do it
that is my honest truth the last thing
you need is validation from outside or
from anyone else
the only validation you need is the one
from yourself and if you ever have times
when you feel like huh everything's just
going completely the wrong way and you
feel stuck and lost this might help you
because it helps me we are nature and
nature is always perfectly aligned with
the universe but a flower doesn't bloom
all year so don't expect yourself to do
so either but in order to keep it alive
you have to nurture the soil with love
and care and respect no matter what
season that's going through so that it
can start grow and bloom again so if you
ever have a hard time just think of
yourself as a flower let me ask you
again what would you do if you could do
anything anything you wanted in the
world and why what is it that puts a big
big smile on your face and what is it
that really makes your eyes sparkle we
all have it within us that sparkle each
and every one some might have to dig a
little bit deeper than the others to
find it but we all have it is right
there don't base your reality on what
you were taught to believe is right or
wrong good or bad plaque or white and
don't let anyone tell you what you
should do and what you shouldn't do make
up your own mind
and don't see the structures of our
society as limits but see them as
chances to break through because it's in
the unknown where the potential of our
growth lies don't hold back and think
out of the box out of the brownie box
because the biggest risk you can take is
not taking a risk at all so fight for it
for it be you and do you I always had
this trust inside of me and it guided me
through my whole life by not following
the norm by not letting my imagination
and creativity be limited by anyone or
anything by having the most amazing
parents are yes ever that always
supported me I was able to follow my
passions and only through following my
passions I was able to find my purpose
behind it which is to spread as much joy
and love and happiness as possible and I
just want to make people happy I'm sorry
I'm getting emotional but to make me ha
ha
let's make people happy with what makes
me happy honestly you can see it like
that's what fills my heart so my purpose
has turned into a vision and I'll do
everything everything I possibly can
I'll give a hundred percent and not just
99.9% to turn that vision bring it into
action and I can only do that through
expressing whatever it is as
passionately as I can and that to me is
the key to unlock the door to live up to
my full potential
so trust yourself find that sparkle
light it up make sure to keep it alive
and inspire everybody else to do just
the same thank you
[Applause]