Speaking at APP Conference
I was invited to speak at the Association of Professional Piercers Conference this past June as part of a TalkAPP session. A TalkAPP is kind of like a TED Talk — short-form presentations centered around a specific theme. There’s a host and three speakers, and each person gets 10–18 minutes to talk.
The topic for our session?
Growth and Development.
I shared the stage with some really great folks:
John Johnson as our host
Tais Fernandes
Will Spenser
Left to right: Will Spenser, John Johnson, Tais Fernandes, Me (Chavez)
Choosing My Topic
At first, I had no idea what to talk about.
I didn’t want to just rant about myself, my journey, or what inspired me to start piercing. Don’t get me wrong — I love this industry, I love what I do — but I also understand this is a professional conference. I wanted to give something useful, not just personal.
Coincidentally, on the same day I got invited to speak, I was listening to an audiobook: The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett. I had picked it as part of our studio’s book club. (Yes, we have a book club. If my team reads the selected book and completes a questionnaire, they get a bonus.)
While listening, Law 1 really hit me. It was clear, simple, and applicable to any career — not just piercing. It laid out what Steven called the Five Buckets. And that was it — I knew I had my topic.
Preparing for the Talk
Let me be real — public speaking terrifies me.
After getting the invite, I immediately looked up public speaking classes. Community college was already in session, and all I could find on Google were acting classes. I almost went for it, but my schedule didn’t line up. At the time, I didn’t know about things like improv or Toastmasters, which probably would’ve helped a lot.
So I practiced the only way I could: alone and with a few friends.
Most people say don’t memorize your speech — but I kind of did anyway. My plan was to memorize the intro (about 2–3 minutes) and have flexible middle sections. That way, I could adapt depending on how I felt on stage. If I felt confident, I’d go off-script. If not, I had an exit line ready and could move to the next point without freezing up.
For Those Who Missed It…
I’ll be turning this into a series of reels soon, breaking down each of the Five Buckets one by one.
But for now, here’s the full speech, just as I wrote it:
Speech (unedited):
Opening:
“Today, I want to talk about the importance of not skipping steps in your career.”
“In general, there are five main stages most of us go through. These stages are what I’ll refer to as buckets, and each one needs to be filled to build a strong, sustainable career.”
“We’re going to go over each bucket individually. I’ll share personal experiences from my journey—and my hope is that at least one of you hears something today that sticks, something that helps you move forward with a little more clarity.”
“Before I begin, I want to give credit where it's due. This talk was inspired by a conversation I had with my partner, and by a book we were reading at the time: The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett.”
“In this book, Steven introduces the idea of these five career buckets—five stages that almost every professional has to go through. The buckets are:”
What You Know – Knowledge
What You Can Do – Skill
Who You Know (or who knows you) – Network
What You Have – Resources
What the World Thinks of You – Reputation
“Generally, these buckets fill from left to right. And the beautiful thing is—when one overflows, it makes it easier to fill the next. But if you try to skip ahead and fill them out of order? You’re setting yourself up for a much harder path—or worse, a total collapse.”
“Think about the last time someone built a reputation without putting in the work. It usually isn’t a reputation that lasts—or one that helps their career. Or think about resources: someone gets a sudden windfall or big opportunity they’re not ready for. If they haven’t built the skill to back it up, it falls apart quickly. We’ve all seen people go viral online with no substance—and just as quickly, disappear.”
“Let’s say you get offered a high-paying job with a company that seems too good to be true—but you don’t yet have the skills to match that paycheck. Chances are, the company won’t keep you around. Or worse, maybe that company doesn’t actually know how to manage money or structure itself, and they’ll be out of business soon.”
“That’s why this matters. So let’s take a look at each of these five buckets—one by one—starting with the foundation of it all: Knowledge.”
Main Body
1. What You Know – Knowledge
“This first bucket—Knowledge—is your foundation. It’s the one you’re all filling right now just by showing up to this conference.”
“For me, that started with an apprenticeship. Then, I expanded through the Fakir Intensives. I’ve also attended the APP Conference year after year—learning not just about technique, but about ethics, community, and professionalism.”
“Knowledge is the most valuable currency we have. It gives context to everything else. The more you know, the more strategic and impactful your actions become.”
Key takeaway: Knowledge makes every other bucket easier to fill.
2. What You Can Do – Skill
“Next is Skill. This bucket is filled when we apply what we’ve learned—when knowledge becomes action.”
“I’ve worked in a number of studios over the years. Each one taught me something different: how to manage a rush, how to navigate a difficult client interaction, how to be precise under pressure. These weren’t things I could learn from a book. I had to be in the room, on the floor, doing the work.”
“You can’t network your way into skill. You can’t shortcut your way into it either. You earn it with time, repetition, and discipline.”
Key takeaway: You can’t fake skill—you have to build it.
3. Who You Know – Network (Or Better Yet: Who Knows You)
“Your network is powerful—but it’s not just about who you know. It’s about who knows you—and what they know you for.”
“One of the most unexpected turning points in my career came from a scarification class in 2013. I didn’t intend to offer scarification at the time, but that class introduced me to one of my best friends, who later introduced me to my mentor.”
“Another person I met in that class introduced me to my current partner and teammate who is now one of the top performers at our company. SLO Piercing wouldn’t be the same without them.”
“You never know who will change your life—or whose life you might impact. So talk to people while you’re here. Not just the speakers or the names you recognize. Talk to the person sitting next to you.”
Key takeaway: The right connections come when you’ve built something real—when you have something to offer, not when you chase clout.
4. What You Have – Resources
“Resources don’t just mean money. They can be anything—time, tools, space, connections, influence.”
“Now that I’ve built up the first three buckets, I’m able to offer real value to others. I can hire people. I can refer them. I can share insights and support because I’ve lived it.”
“But these resources only came after I’d invested in knowledge, skill, and relationships.”
Key takeaway: Resources amplify what you already have—but they can’t replace the foundation.
5. What the World Thinks of You – Reputation
“Reputation is always happening. Whether you control it or not, people are forming impressions of you.”
“And yes, reputation can be powerful. It can open doors. But it can also vanish in an instant.”
“If your reputation, resources, and network suddenly disappear—what are you left with? If you’ve built skill and knowledge, you can rebuild. If you skipped those steps, it’s much harder to recover.”
“We’ve all seen people whose reputations took a hit. Some disappeared. Others came back stronger—because their foundation was solid.”
Key takeaway: Reputation is fragile. Skill and knowledge are not.
Closing
“I’ll leave you with this: If tomorrow, your reputation collapsed, your resources dried up, and your network vanished—what would you have left?”
“If you’ve invested in your knowledge and built your skills, you’d still have everything you need to start again. That’s a powerful place to be.”
“So don’t rush to get the things that look good on the outside. Focus on building what’s inside. Fill your buckets in the right order, and you’ll be able to weather anything.”
“Thank you.”
Post-Speech Thoughts
Public speaking is still terrifying.
But I didn’t black out this time, so… improvement?
(Back in college, I once fully blacked out during a presentation. At the end, my professor asked how I thought I did. I said, “Honestly, I blacked out.” She laughed and said, “Really? You seemed fine.” It was kinda funny.)
So the fact I stayed present — even a little nervous — is progress.
The feedback I got was super helpful:
Great content
Slow down
Speak louder
Stay closer to the mic
Got it 🫡
I’m taking all of that to heart and already working on it.
What’s Next
I’m really glad I did it.
I love leaning into the uncomfortable — it’s where the growth is.
I’d absolutely do it again.
In fact, I’ve already submitted three topics for next year’s APP Conference. Hopefully at least one gets picked. If not, I might just turn them into future blog posts or reels.
To keep building on this momentum, here’s what I’m doing now:
Improv class every Wednesday
Toastmasters every other Thursday morning
Planning to enroll in acting classes down the line
Eventually, I’ll write a separate blog post about what improv and Toastmasters has taught me so far.
Bonus: Social Media
My staff encouraged me to turn the speech into Instagram reels, so that’s coming soon.
It’ll help me keep practicing public speaking — even if it’s just through a phone camera for now.
When I post it, I might add or remove things depending on how it feels in the moment. But for now, I wanted to share the original here, for anyone who missed the conference or just prefers reading over video.
Gratitude
Honestly, I’m honored I even got asked.
To be a small part of the biggest professional piercing conference in the world is wild. I never would’ve imagined myself up there. But now that I’ve done it — I’m excited to get better, do more, and hopefully continue contributing in a meaningful way.
Looking forward to the next time. 🙏🏽
—Chavez
