To say something worth saying is not to be a genius, it’s to be brave.
26 Mar 2026
To say something worth saying is not to be a genius, it’s to be brave. It’s to be the one to say it and have courage. – Stephen West
I love this line from Stephen West (Check out his podcast if not on your radar: Philosophize This!).
It's a brilliant reminder of how we can show up in a tech community like the MoTaverse. Just go for it and write something down and publish it in public. Moments are a good way to do that. And there's plenty of other ways to say something worth saying — the Contribute page has had a refresh so check it out.
"But Simon, I don't have something worth saying."
You do and I will argue and advocate for you until I'm blue in the face.
I'm trying my best not to sound condescending or disrespectful to your context, yet just be brave and just go for it. #JGFI
You have something worth saying.
Simon Tomes
Community Lead at MoTaverse
he/him
Hello, I'm Simon. Since 2003 I've had various roles in testing, tech leadership and coaching. I believe in the power of collaboration, creativity and community. 🎓 MoT-STEC qualified. I get real joy working with and supporting our wonderful MoTaverse community.
“Thanks for making me feel so confident about myself.” | “I'm so grateful for all you do in the MoTaverse community, I learn so much as a result!” | “A simple chat with Simon in person absolutely changed everything.” | “Simon is one of the best people that I've ever met to have conversations with. He's so grounded in his way of thinking and articulates his thoughts so well and his feelings and his knowledge about community and everything.”
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Ady Stokes
I've delivered a couple of writing workshops to help folks get started with public speaking, and 'I've nothing to say' is the most common thing I've heard. A couple of questions, such as 'why are you here', 'what brought you to testing', or 'what do you find most interesting about testing', usually get you one or two lightning talks and occasionally a conference talk framework. No one has experienced what you have. You are the only you. Tell us about it.
Simon Tomes
That's a great set of questions to help folks get started! Nice one, Ady.
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