Regular Meeting 130, Oct. 21, 2025 (Hybrid)

“Returning to the Stage — Lessons from Two Months Away”

It had been two months since I last joined our Toastmasters meeting. As the club president, I felt a little guilty for being absent — but work had become extremely demanding, and there were days when I simply couldn’t make it.

During my absence, our Vice President Education, Mariko, kept the meetings running smoothly while also inviting new guests and supporting every speaker with care.

Our Vice President Membership, Hideo, worked tirelessly to bring in even more guests, filling each meeting with energy and excitement. And I truly appreciate all the members who stayed — those who joined the meetings whenever they could and actively contributed to keeping our club alive.

Being a working professional, there will always be busy seasons. At times, we may feel tempted to step away, thinking, “Maybe I should quit for now.” But if there’s even a small part of you that still wants to grow, to keep learning, and to stay connected — I truly believe Toastmasters is something worth continuing, even slowly, even quietly.

Keep showing up, even when you can’t be perfect. That’s where real growth begins.

Today, we were blessed with many guests joining our meeting — some even volunteered to take on meeting roles! We learned a lot from each of them, and their presence reminded us how much we can grow through new perspectives and shared experiences.

I truly hope we can continue learning together with the wonderful new guests who joined us today.

Maho Hummel

President 2025-2026