Respect The Work Behind Clinical Presentations with Maria D & Liliana B

If you’ve ever watched a room light up with phone screens the moment a slide gets good, you already know the problem we’re naming today. We’re Maria and Liliana, and we’re done pretending that screenshotting trainings, recording workshops, and passing around paid handouts is harmless. In a field that talks nonstop about ethics, consent, and respect, it’s wild how normalized “just grabbing the slide” has become.

We break down what listeners don’t always see: the unpaid labor behind a high-quality, evidence-based presentation, the hours of research and updates, and the extra layers required to teach responsibly through a multicultural lens. We also talk about why many conference speakers and continuing education presenters are underpaid or not paid at all, how the “pay your dues” mindset devalues expertise, and why boundaries aren’t rudeness, they’re professionalism. Along the way, we name the real-world risks when outdated training content gets copied and repeated, especially by people who never check new research or cite original sources.

We also get practical. We share better alternatives to taking photos of slides, including thoughtful handouts, note-taking that helps integration, and the simplest move of all: ask permission. We talk disability accommodations, the gender double standard around saying no, and how attendees can support speakers in ways that matter more than any screenshot.

If you care about ethical therapist training, intellectual property, evidence-based practice, and creating a healthier professional culture, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a colleague who leads trainings, and leave a review so more clinicians find the conversation.

A Hero's Welcome Podcast  © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon

Transcript

Welcome And Why This Matters

Liliana 0:02

Welcome back, listeners, to another episode of a Heroes Welcome podcast. I'm your co-host, Marila Car Diego, and I am joined by my lovely co-host. That's me. That's right. I'm lovely.

Maria 0:14

Believe it or not. Lillian and Baylor.

Liliana 0:18

I will, I mean, if you don't believe it, I'd like to hear from you. What do you know? What do I mean?

Maria 0:24

Why are you getting that version of me?

Liliana 0:28

Oh, I love that. So we we have a semi, I mean, I think a lot of our discussions can be semi-serious, but we we have a semi-serious topic to discuss that's come up for me kind of back to back in the last couple of weeks. Right? Is that where we're headed for today? So Liliana and I are both presenters. I also, and you've hosted other people, but I through the academy, I host quite a few trainings and presenters. And they're and in fact, I just finished a two and a half days summit.

Maria 1:04

That's right, baby.

Liliana 1:06

And something that came up in in almost every single session that we held was the presenter asking, like stating, I gave I've provided handouts, I've provided version of my presentation, but I'm asking you to not screenshot, record, or take pictures

No Photos No Recording Please

Liliana 1:25

of the things that I'm presenting that you don't have, or at least ask me for permission.

Maria 1:30

Yeah.

Liliana 1:30

Um, but Lily, Liliana, why are we why are we having to say this?

Maria 1:37

I wanted to say something, but I'm gonna stop right there because it's not nice. No, but let's come back to let's set up this by saying we are attending trainings where people are constantly taking pictures and it's disrupted. Yes. We are now going to trainings where people are recording the trainings, and we experienced that through COVID where people were recording trainings. That's not acceptable. That's stealing work. Yes. So we're we're what we're trying to say is like stop it.

Liliana 2:08

So if you're if you're not a presenter, if you're if you're not someone who teaches on any scale, you may not be aware of the amount of work and time that it goes into creating a presentation. There is re I will speak for myself and Liliana, because this is not true for all presenters, as we have experienced ourselves. We take a lot of time to research, to be up to date on the most current information, to even look at this through a multicultural lens. We also consider the people in the communities that we are talking to, if it is a local event. This takes a lot of time and effort to put together information that we want to share, that we feel is important for other clinicians to hear. I will also just be very, very frank. We are not adequately paid for these presentations and the time that it takes to put one together in the way that we do it. Because I've seen Liliana's process behind the scenes and I have seen her present, it's a lot of time and effort. And yes, it's a passion of ours, and yes, we are excited to share this information, but that is that is unseen and often very unpaid labor. So that when we do get the platform to share this information, to have people take that information and reproduce it as their own information, it's not okay. If you want to cite us, please do, please do. We would love that, but don't literally take our information and present it as your own. That is plagiarism, that is theft, and that is just gross human behavior. Name it, baby.

Maria 4:12

And it's happening across, right? So I'm talking to international speakers and they're telling me how their work is being stolen and then replicated in someone else's presentation without citing, without giving proper work. So they're benefiting because they're lazy. Yes, that's right. By stealing someone else's work. And it's not okay. So thank you, Renee. Like I do take pride in the work that I do. So when I present internationally, I'm studying it internationally so that I know what I'm talking about. When I present nationally, I go and like, where am I presenting and what is it that I need to know about that state? I'm licensed in a different state. So then I have to be learning about a different state. And what I we're noticing is that a lot of people are not following ethics. We talk about ethics, but they're not following ethics. And then they just want to be copyrighted. I don't understand why we need to be taking screenshots. What is the fear of? How many of you seriously? Go back to oh my god, this was so amazing. Let me reread it again to apply it with my clients. Liar side.

Liliana 5:35

Who has the time?

Maria 5:36

We barely have the time for the training in the first place. You completed the CEE, you won the certificate to submit it for either for credential or licensing board. But for you to go and review, like, come on, stop it.

Liliana 5:50

Yeah. Well, and I think you know, we've done so we've I think you introduced me to the idea, and then we have been doing like our version of handouts instead. You do not get my presentation, but you get curated handouts where I pull all of the important information that I think you need, including the citations and references, because it is not all my own original idea that you are also needing and wanting. And like it, I I've started, you know, if you see something on my on the screen that is not in your handouts and you would like it and more information, email me. Like I'm happy to share with you. But also, like that that needs to be an intentional ask, not just a grab of information. Because yeah, we're seeing it happen. It's not just singular events. This is this is becoming a bit of an epidemic in our professional field. And yes, it's it's lazy, it's also just kind of gross. Yeah. If you are if you are speaking

The Hidden Labor Behind Slides

Liliana 6:55

on a topic, I think the assumption is you've done some research about what you are speaking about, in addition to having like life experience or clinical experience or whatever that case might be, but we are in an evidence-based field. That's not that shouldn't just be copy-pasted from somebody else who has done the work.

Maria 7:19

Yeah. So yeah, I think we were just talking about how I take pride that none of my presentations are repetitive. I am a masochist for work. So none of my presentations are repetitive. So I go and like, what is it that I learned since I last presented this? Let me go and update it. So yes, I uh I'm in a group. I'm in a circle, in a circle of group of therapists who are all of us are presenters, and I suggested the idea of what if instead of giving handouts. Which means that if you're looking at the handout, you're not present with me. Right. And it's my idea instead of what was important for you. So then I created this uh this code statement and and then I share it with all of you, and then I take uh important questions or something from the presentation, then then I ask you to follow so that the information that I share gets integrated in your way, and then you take the notes that are meaningful to you. There's still a push for present, like give me your slides, which is like why like tell me why. What is the fear of not having this information? What is the fear of you truly not being present when you're there? This weekend I went to the movies, and then the statement of please do not do screenshots, do not video, do not text, do not it, it's like in movies now.

Liliana 8:41

Yeah, well, it's been there for a while, and we still have to have it because there's still pirating happening, right? Like so even when we say it, we know it's still happening. Yes. And I think it's it goes, it's bigger than that. There should be respect in our field for the work and that's being done and the time that is being given for these presentations. And it feels really disrespectful because if you were to ask either of us for information, if it's something we can give you, we're going to give it to you. We're not like, you know, trolls hoarding all of this and not just one of our favorite things to do is just share what we know and have learned with other people. And because of our fields specifically, a lot of what we do share can't be shared in that way because it's client information, it's protected information. And I love that you are constantly updating your information. I mean, I can't see you, but if you're listening, raise your hand if you happen to hear the same presentation from someone multiple times in a row, with sometimes years in between. Years in between. By the time we give our presentations, the information that we have is already outdated. Yes. Faster than your iPhone needs to be updated these days, right? Like the research is coming out. And if you're not integrating new information and you're presenting old information and just regurgitating that, please stop. You're not you're not doing a service to our communities and to the people listening to you. And and for many of the times, I I want to say, like, it's could it be considered harmless? Yes. And and there is real danger that if you're presenting misinformation or old information, that that could be a problem for the people learning from you.

Maria 10:40

Yeah. So it's all of this, right? Which is first, like respect each other's work. What you learn, what you share is valuable. You're first of all, as a participant, you are paying for it. Two, it is the the time that you're given to be there, even if you just go because you have this CEE urgency for requirements. That's taking time away from your family, from your clients, from all these things that you're attending to. Two, yes, if if you uh if you have access to me, which very few people have access to me, but if you email me and if you ask me, hey, what is the latest? Because my thing is always about culture. If you're telling me what is the latest, I can share that with you right away. I have no problem. Information that I have, I want to share. But it should be respected and it could be given credit recording too. All the trainings that I go, and if I gravitate to something, I'm gonna use that, even though I do not ask permission, but actually make me aware of. Um, I attend a lot of trainings with Anna Gomez. I love EMD art, I love her assistance work, I love the genus of plate therapy, like it's all these things that come into play. There was a training that I attend years ago, and I reached out to her and I said, Hey, would you mind if I take this information? Can I share this? And uh she was like, Yeah, that's totally fine. And no one asked permission. And I was like, Yeah, but I want to give you credit at what credit is due. Like you're teaching the way that you thought, what you shared, like it's meaningful to me. I want to give a spin-off. It said, okay, if I do this, I have reached out to Lisa Dion. And I was like, I love this piece. Somewhere that I have reached out to Marshall, by the way, and and anyone that I take, like, can I add this? I'm gonna be given a training soon. By the time you listen to this, it's gonna pass. But it's in the EFC world and they have a famous five-step tangle. And I was like, but what if I change this to apply to this? So I was like, I cannot just do this. I reach out to the authors of that and I was like, hey, doing this, this is the cultural therapy piece. Is it okay if I make adaptations to fit in this? They they say yes,

Handouts Notes And Asking Permission

Maria 12:55

and then automatically, one of them, because I reached out to three, actually said, credit of accordance too. I will share this and I will give your name to give you credit for it, which I appreciated. So that's not what I asked, but I appreciated what they did. So it is all this work that we're naming. Uh one, if you have a fantasy that speakers get a lot of money, not in our field.

Liliana 13:19

I don't know how to do in any field, but definitely not our field.

Maria 13:23

We're not the unseagull. And because I'm not male and because I'm not the unseagull, I'm not getting easy. First of all. Second of all, our field has the belief of we don't have enough money. So in case if you don't know, when we go to conferences, we don't get pay unless you're the keynote, and you have to negotiate quite a bit of things because usually it's into tell you that's not in our budget. We want all your original work, we want to share your work after you're done, but we don't want to pay you for it. It should be given. Why are you hoarding this? It is that mentality. So no, conferences, we don't get paid if we go and share our knowledge, because the idea comes from an old way of saying pay your dues. We're doing you a favor by picking your presentation and giving you space. So just let it linger just so that you know you're paying for something, but I'm not getting paid for it.

Liliana 14:24

Absolutely. Well, and I think that that's one, it's not talked about, right? Because I definitely early in my days had that fantasy of like, ooh, I'm gonna be a presenter, I'm gonna get paid, people are gonna pay to like have access to my brain and my knowledge. You know, absolutely, you are not generally paid. Yeah. And we've talked about this before on other episodes, but this idea that you have to pay your dues, yeah, or that the conference attendance is is enough. Exposure. Yeah, that you're gonna be exposed and that you'll get more gigs from this gig. And and if that happens, like wonderful, fantastic. But does that happen often? There's no guarantees.

Maria 15:09

Yeah.

Liliana 15:11

And I'm not gonna just regurgitate the presentation I just did to another group. Like it's it there's still work that's involved in that. Yeah, and I think it's just it's really gross, and I think it's a mis I don't have the word with me. It's not okay. It's not okay that it's expected that we take the time off from our work, take the time away from our family, cover our own travel expenses, to present for free where we get a good job, thank you so much, pat on the head, and then we're out the door again. When once especially since I started hosting conferences and trainings myself, like I know the costs that go into them. I'm not oblivious to that. They're they're not cheap to host. And yeah, if you want speakers there, you should be paying them and not in you know, free hotel cookies. Legitimately have been paid in free hotel cookies before. Like, I think that's also a detriment to our our field because many of us can't afford to be a presenter if we're not going to get paid or compensated in a way that seems fair and fair exchange, right? So we're missing out because the cost is too high for the presenters. And then you want to steal our stuff and present it as your own.

Maria 16:44

Yes, which is really funny when we see sometimes they're lazy that they did a screenshot and that's what they put, and then we see it, or someone will see it and then send it to us. Like, isn't this yours? And I'm like, oh my god, they didn't even change anything.

Liliana 16:58

No, yeah, it's uh is that still have my logo on it? I think that still has my logo on it.

Maria 17:04

By the way, our field is so big and so small. So I will find out when someone is presenting my stuff. Oh my gosh, yeah, because someone will do a screenshot and then send it to me. And I think it's hilarious. But yeah, so if you don't know, conferences you don't get paid, keynote they they get paid, but constantly we'll have to negotiate. In a prior episode, we talked about radical love self-care. I have to say no to an international opportunity because I share, again, when you see me, you don't think automatically, Leana has disabilities, but I do. So when I travel, I need extra space because of my oxygen machine because I actually don't have to explain it. Right. But I do all my medication and stuff. And I said, hey, I need the extra like space. This is what I need. And they're like, no, that's out of our budget. And I was like, no, I get it. But tell me what's within your budget. So literally telling me how there was no fee for the speakers, but they will pay for airfare, but they will not pay for the extra space. And I was like, Yeah, this is a no. I love myself to prioritize myself. I will not you will not cost me to present when you're asking me. There's an expertise that you see, and I appreciate that you see it. And you're asking me to devalue my value for your sake. So I had to decline. And I'm finding myself declining opportunities, which you can say, you well, that's a privilege. It could be, but it's also a practice of radical self-love. I know worth um in regards to those things.

Liliana 18:40

Yeah, absolutely. Well, and and we've been, we, the two of us, have been doing this long enough that we do know the cost, and not just the monetary costs and the time costs, but like the physical recovery cost that comes from presenting in bodies that have dynamic disabilities, as as individuals who have families that have demands of us even when we're not fully present.

Maria 19:03

Yes.

Liliana 19:04

Right? Like we were very aware of the cost. So saying yes

Outdated Training Becomes Real Harm

Liliana 19:11

is not easy. And when you're starting out, it's you know, I was told repeatedly, just say yes to everything, even if it doesn't pay, they're not gonna pay you. Say yes to everything. You need to be out there, you need to be hitting the ground, you need to be doing all of these things. And I did it for a while and ended up really sick and not okay. And yeah, I'm in the same boat. I was like, I I now have to go through this checks and balances of is this going to be worth it? And not just the financial compensation, but all the other pieces that go with it. And when you finally say yes to something, and then someone is screenshotting that information, recording your information and stealing your information to present it as their own. No, no, absolutely not. Can we not do that? And can we show a level of respect among ourselves and our peers that if we like something, we tell it's it's a simple email of hey, and I got one after my keynote in Florida. I did the whole spiel and I made handouts for them and you know, and even told them of like if you see something on the screen that you don't have in a handout and you want it, like please ask for permission. Don't just take your camera out and take a picture of it. And I got several emails of like, I really liked this idea, but I didn't take a picture of the fly like you asked, but I don't see some handouts. Can I have that information? I'm like, yes, here's that information, and here's where I got that information. Here's the original source of that information. And thank you so much. Thank you so much. It's like a five-minute email exchange. It doesn't take a lot, but it's really it meant a whole lot that I was heard and respected in that way. And I hope, I mean, I'm I'm sad that we have to have this conversation. I held a summit. We had eight sessions and eight speakers, and each speaker had to say a version of this disclaimer. I hate that we're having to do this. And I think if we can just take some steps towards some professional and personal respect among our colleagues and peers in the field, it's not a big ask. It's not a big ask.

Maria 21:29

And and it feels like entitlement, right? When they're there and they take in these pictures, um, like I'm entitled to, which do not get me in a bad mood because one of our favorite things to talk about. My gangster will come out of and they will shame you unless I have someone giving me a face. In this case, the Julius Maria, which is not the look, and I was like, Oh shit. Yes, right, like how important ethics. We We have ethics. Each one of us with different licension boards still have ethics. We have tattoos, policies, and each state. And we talk about stealing how it's wrong. And somehow we normalize taking pictures of our each other's work and passing it around or sharing handouts. Like you pay, let's say that you pay to attain this. What is it okay for you to go and take that to your agency or to share that with someone else?

Liliana 22:32

Like that, what is wrong with you? Yes. I mean, I love that my work is so meaningful that you want to share it, but share me. And that way I can make sure that what's being shared is still accurate. That's the other thing. Is like I've had people come back with, like, hey, I saw this. I'm pretty sure I learned it from you first. This other person is teaching it. And I'm like, yeah, and that is no longer accurate. So that sucks for everybody involved because yeah, that's not that's not nuts. That's no longer accurate information that's being passed around because again, they're not doing the their own work.

Maria 23:10

Yeah. I think let's just example when you text me and you ask me, like, what is the cultural um thing? And then I share with you like this is because everyone is stuck in cultural humility. But that's actually the term that recent research is showing. We bypass cultural opportunity. Now we have a new one, but people are stuck in cultural humility in our field. I know your competency, and I'm like, oh which they tend to go between the two competence and humility. Humility that it tends to go primary. Uh but it's those two, and I'm just like, yeah, you're you're so behind. And that's part of what you're discussing, which is you and I, because we decided to go into different routes, like we have to be reading, and we have a common friend that's like stopped sharing research that you're reading. But we're like reading so much, like, oh, let me go and update, oh, let me go and update. And and so that takes work. We're we're proud of what we're teaching, and we want to share this with you. It's it's important, especially our feel is changing, even though we're in denial that it's changing, how we are viewing our clients thanks to neurobiology, and we know that it's changing. So therefore, everything has to change. So I'm sure that comes across everything when I'm listening to speakers. I know when they're up in their reading or their trainings that they're going to because they're keeping up with terminology. Words matter, vocabulary matters. And I also know when I go and it's the same because they got stuck. And there is a difference in the material. I can be really good about reframing, and Maria knows this. I can go to place I was like, oh my God, okay, this is what I'm taking from this. I'm really good, but you're very good at that. Not not everyone can reframe, or not everyone will see the wisdom of reframe, or or it can be a turn-off from that. So we're we're bringing you this topic not because it impacts us, of course it does, and impacts everyone that we know of. There's too many speakers, too many. And it's impacting everyone, even though they're not talking about it.

Liliana 25:23

100%. Well, and I shared with you, I think I shared with our small group. I had attended, this has been a couple of years now, but I attended a you know, pretty, pretty sizable conference with a speaker who was presenting super duper outdated and harmful information. And when I finally had had enough of being fed all of this really dangerous, because in the room there were brand new

Pay Your Dues And Speaker Pay

Liliana 25:50

baby clinicians who didn't know any better.

Maria 25:53

Yes.

Liliana 25:53

That's this is where the danger comes in. People who this this is their first time hearing this kind of information didn't know any better and were just like trying to take all of this in as fact. Yeah. And it was absolutely not fact, hasn't been fact since like the 60s. So when I finally had had enough, and I mean, I I do I own the privilege that I don't have much to lose. I don't have much to lose. I am my own boss. Who's gonna fire me? Right. So I, you know, used my privilege and raised my hand to ask a question, it was ignored. So I in the back of the room stood up with my hand because he continued to go and go and go and become very dangerous and was actively traumatizing people at my table. I know who you're talking about. I know uh it's uh shared trauma for some of us. And so when I finally get acknowledged, and I'm like, I would love to hear the research that backs up what you are saying, because what you are saying is in contraindication from the research is what I know. So I want to know where these are coming from because if I'm behind on research, like listen, I can't keep up with it all. I want to know where I'm behind and where my blind spots are. And the response was my own work 40 years ago, and his like own published book is his only citation. And when I pushed back a little bit more of like, so not evidence-based, then this is like you can absolutely present your own professional experience, but you cannot then claim it to be generalized evidence-based. And the response being told if I didn't like what I was hearing, but to not come back. Yeah, he is famous for that. Yep. To not come back.

Maria 27:47

Yeah, very entitled.

Liliana 27:50

So on one hand, I wanted, you know, earlier in our conversation right now, I wanted to say, like, let's humanize presenters because we are people too. Yes. We have a social battery, we have a physical battery, we also do all this work, and we are happy to share it, but we want to be acknowledged for what we're doing. And then and then we have people like that who are out here acting reckless and dangerously misinforming people, actively traumatizing people in a training setting, and not being held accountable, not being forced to take accountability, and allowed to continue to spew this misinformation. He's still actively giving the same presentation from years ago.

Maria 28:36

Yeah. There's a there's a couple little male therapists who keeps doing that.

Liliana 28:41

Well, I know some females that are just uh guilty.

Maria 28:44

That's true, too. And then also, like as a speaker, please allow me to go to the restroom. When you have a break, it is also my break. And I was drinking the same coffee or tea, same as you. Do not line up to ask questions to speakers. I am so I have so much awareness now. I can actually literally say, I'm about to be uh if you don't allow me to walk, which then is follows by I can walk with you. No, I don't need help going to the restaurant. Thank you very much. Let me go by myself. Or the conversation that we have with a couple of male colleagues, where we said, how come from male speakers it's okay for them to put boundaries and say no to dinners after presenting, or no to I'm not gonna do that? And it's totally okay. But when females say things like that, we get labeled right away as rude, as not compliant, or lack of I'm sure there's a group of people who think that I'm a rating bitch. Rating bitch when I I mean, I own that and I have it in my chair because I was like, fuck it, you're gonna use it, I will fucking claim it.

SPEAKER_00 29:53

There is this disparity. Yeah, that it's not equal.

Maria 29:56

But even the conversation with them, right? Which is like, yes, we're aware. And I was like, great, so what are you doing to help us? So, and and the question is like, yes, what are we gonna do to change that? So we're sharing this, and it sounds like we're inventing, which we are, and it sounds like we're like all these things and we're, but we want to create awareness because the hope is that for all of you who are out there, you have something to share. There's knowledge that you're acquiring, not only with the trainings that you're taking, but with the lived experience of your professional role or your personal life story that we need to hear. So if you decide to become a speaker, a presenter, whatever title you want to claim, you need to like I we hope that you get someone to help you know your worth because that should not be negotiable, as Brennan Brown has stated over and over again. And there are things when someone tells you from a conference, from a branch, from a state branch where like we don't have money, they pay for that location, they pay for audio, hopefully, they pay for all these things. Why do you not want to pay for the person who's gonna hold all that together so the people can keep coming? Why do you want to negotiate this speaker?

Liliana 31:16

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's for me, it goes back to like the respect and the value. Let's respect the people in our field doing the

Boundaries Gender Bias Disability Needs

Liliana 31:25

work that we so desperately want and need to have done. Let's respect the person behind the title and the credentials and the person who's doing the the research and the work so that you have an in hopefully enjoyable and engaging learning experience. Let's respect when someone has a boundary of like, don't steal my shit. Let's respect that. And if you really, really are pressed to have some of the information presented, ask them. Yeah, simply ask them because I will tell you, if they say no, it's probably for a good reason. Generally, the answer can be yes.

Maria 32:03

Yes, yeah, because we're happy, I'm happy to share. Like, I write so much from uh for associations, for like all these things, and I am all that I make it accessible. I will share this line too, which Maria laughs. But when someone says, like, you have to pay your dues, I was like, I'm sorry, I did not attend that meeting. I was not part of that committee, I did not consent it. So who gets to decide for how long I have to pay my dues? Who decided my worth in that meeting? And most people tend to go quiet after that. Yeah, it's not that I want to be complicated, which maybe, but it's more of can we raise awareness? Yeah, because my male colleagues who are presenters, they don't have to do this. So why as females do we have to put up with this?

Liliana 32:56

Yes, yeah, absolutely, absolutely, and that is such old school thinking that is rooted in systems to keep people oppressed and to keep certain voices louder than others. And if you know anything about the two of us, we are system disruptors, we do not prescribe to that way of thinking, and we will question. So if you need to hear that, you now have permission to push back, to say no, to to ask for money, to ask for your needs, to voice what you need.

Maria 33:31

Yep.

Liliana 33:31

And if they can't meet those needs, a response of thank you, but no thank you is totally fine.

Maria 33:39

And that's why I will also name this as presenters, they will not see Maria and myself in certain association conferences or conferences in certain associations because we're not invited for that reason.

Liliana 33:51

Very true. So, what do we do? We make our own opportunities.

Maria 33:55

Like, fuck it. The first time that I heard you have to play nice and you have to do this so this association can invite you. And I was like, let me show you how I'm gonna create a reputation without and right, and that's what we have done. So, no, you don't have again, don't prescribe to you have to pay your dues. You were not part of that discussion. And if we truly believe in consent, please own it.

Liliana 34:20

Yeah, yes, and don't let that be a deterrent for you getting your information out there. No, we need new voices, we need the new research, we need the new experiences. Desperately, desperately, we need them. So, you know, say yes where you can and know where you have to, and know that you've got two cheerleaders and you're going and going, hell yeah, hell yeah.

Maria 34:48

Yes. And if you email us and said, hey, how do you structure this? We'll be happy to help you because one, we're not gatekeepers, we believe in sharing what we have learned. Two, we will share anything that we can to empower you because that's true leadership. And we're here to create space, we're bridges to create space for other voices because we truly believe that the more voices that we have, not noise, the more voices that we have, the more that we get to learn.

Liliana 35:22

Yeah, and we're better, we're all better for it. Yes, all better for it. So please know your worth. And if you don't know, and if that's a struggle for you, you can hear Liliana and Zyes' voice going, own your worth, bitch. Own it because you deserve it. And if you start to question that, find us on social media and we will happily, happily have your back.

Maria 35:45

Yes. Which we struggle with it. Sometimes Maria and I go, like, is it okay for me? And as soon as I like, is it okay, excuse me? Fuck yes. But we will we will help you as much as we can. And please do not be disrespectful by taking your phone and doing screenshots. When someone is presenting to you, they spend so much time, hopefully, uh gathering all this information. So be present with them. Take it in, integrate it to make it yours, not their voice, your voice. And don't steal.

Liliana 36:25

That's so unethical. We will find out. I mean, yeah, people are all too happy in this small, small communities that we are in. Yeah, be kind to each other, baby. Just have a level of respect. And if you can't, don't come.

Maria 36:43

Yeah. Yeah. That's totally okay too.

unknown 36:48

Love this.

Maria 36:49

Love this conversation. And and and help as associations or state branches, are we taking care of our speakers? We care for them. How are we taking care of them so they can continue sharing their knowledge? Because there's a lot of speakers who I keep hearing how they're not taken care of. Even when I share with you that now I'm requesting a couple of things because of my disability, it's still a struggle. Like, why do you why do you have to pay that I have for a disability, especially when it's not a visible disability that you may question, which we get questioned quite a bit. I I apparently I have to be carrying doctor's letters so that you can believe me that I have these things.

Liliana 37:30

You're gonna add it on your forehead, Liliana.

Maria 37:33

Which is not enough. Which is not enough. You can laugh, but I share with Maria that uh someone asked me in an airplane, how do I know when I need oxygen? And I actually have to educate people, how do I know when I'm having lack of oxygen and what could happen if I don't have enough oxygen, which is unbelievable that I could question those things. Yeah.

Liliana 37:57

Yes, and when I love your note about, you know, if if you enjoy and appreciate someone's presentation, a presenter that you happen to have the opportunity to learn from, and you might get the feeling or sense that they are not being well taken care of. Can I just tell you, I've had some of the most lovely interactions and relationship buildings with people when I, as a as an attendee, it was not my case, it was not my place, but as an attendee would simply like, hey, I noticed that you're sitting alone. Is that by choice? Do you need your space? You know, recently we had a speaker here in our state, and the the hosting agency was falling short.

How To Support Speakers Well

Liliana 38:40

And so my team and I, we got to spend two lovely days with this individual, having lunch and sharing jokes, and we went shopping together. So if you if you like and respect a presenter and they have the capacity to have a relationship with you in that time together, I get more out of that than the information on those slides that you were taking pictures of. So yeah, be open to more of that.

Maria 39:08

Yes. So yeah, we as speakers, we like to share. It may not be after the session because I'm exhausted after talking. But it may be in an email or a Zoom meeting in my case, or it may be someone who's social. I will not name names, but I'm looking at her. And she has the bandwidth to hang with you after. We we do like to share. I know as speakers who do not like to be hugged, but they feel like they have to. So they allow hugs and people ask for hugs. I know uh speakers who don't like their stuff in social media and stuff is in their social media because someone is doing screenshots. Like, please honor, get to know the human who is presenting. The same way that you're getting to know the human who you're attending in therapy. Be curious and be gentle. We all carry stories and struggles that you have no idea of. And let's honor your time as a participant so that we continue providing accurate information and we are kind to you, not like that presenter who keeps saying, if you don't like it, go away, which I have no idea how he keeps getting uh gigs. And if you're a speaker, please honor your words. Do not devalue what we do, do not minimize or consume the idea that you should be doing this for free. As the last time I checked, I still have to pay my mortgage. If I tell my bank, you know what, I do not have the budget to pay this month, they can care less. Same thing with my electricity, water, wi-fi, car payment, whatever it is. So, what makes it okay to devalue a speaker's worth?

Liliana 40:56

Yeah, yeah. Well, and I know we could have another hour-long conversation on this, and maybe this is something we come back to. But yeah, for for now, please be respectful. Respect the profession, respect the work that's being done and the information that's being shared, respect the the human standing in front of you, giving their time and energy and passion. And you know, if if you see something not okay, call it out. Don't allow it to continue to happen. And if you want to step into this role and you need some support, we got you.

Maria 41:34

We got you. We need you. We're not planning on staying here for a long time. I'm looking for how am I gonna make money and do less so that I can be out.

Liliana 41:42

Yes, yes. Well, you know, I keep joking. My my goal is to retire one day, but I can't do that if I'm uh the only one doing the things I'm doing. So we there's plenty of room for all of us at the table.

Maria 41:54

Yes.

Liliana 41:54

And if you approach a table that doesn't have a seat, bring your own or find our table because there will always be a seat for you there.

Maria 42:01

Yes, nicely set. So hopefully there was quite a bit of take back from this episode. And if there's something that you want us to chat about, uh reach out to us. We will be happy to include it in our things. And thanks for being patient. We have been naming how we have medical issues, dynamic disabilities. So not all the time we're able to record. So we're so happy that we have the capacity to show up today for you and record this for you. Yes, and thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen. Until next time.

Liliana 42:36

Until next time.