Even the pros need practice

Okay, I was giddy a few weeks ago at People Have the Power: A Celebration of Patti Smith. A tribute concert at Carnegie Hall—total flashback to my youth. I saw Flea with the Chili Peppers when I was 15. The National? Hands down, my favorite band. And Patti Smith? Come on. She’s iconic. She’s influenced so many artists I love—and frankly, she can do no wrong.

So yeah, sitting there at Carnegie Hall next to my husband, watching this all-star tribute to Patti with legends from my personal music history? Pure magic.

But what stuck with me most wasn’t who was on stage—it was how they showed up. You could instantly tell who had practiced and who hadn’t.

Some folks walked out holding their words on sheets of paper, hands visibly shaking as they started to engage with them. A few stumbled mid-word. Not the end of the world, but you could feel it. The connection just wasn’t there. It felt like they were reading, not living it.

Then Scarlett Johansson came out and—wow. She stepped into the center of that stage and delivered Patti’s words with so much elegance and presence. She had a teleprompter, sure, but you could tell she’d worked it. Rehearsed out loud. She knew what every word meant, and she delivered it like it mattered. And it did. Flea? Unreal. Almost three hours on stage. Bass, trumpet, no sheet music. All heart. All energy. Total commitment. Patti herself? Just magnetic. Every word landed. She owned that room.

I could go on and on about everyone else—because there were so many incredible performances—but since this isn’t a review, I’ll get to the point.

These are people who perform for a living. They’re on tour. They’re pros. And still—you could tell who hadn’t put in the reps. Nerves showed up. Shaky hands. Lost rhythm. Even the most experienced people feel it when they haven’t prepared.

If you're someone who has to get up and speak—on stage, in a meeting, or wherever——let this be your reminder:

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being prepared.

It’s about showing your audience you actually care. That you did the work. Because they’ll feel it if you didn’t.

And they’ll feel it when you do.

And hey—at the end of the day, we’re all human. Even the ones making millions doing what they love. That shaky-hand moment? We’ve all had it.

You’re not behind. You’re not alone. You’re just human. Keep going.