Last week brought two very personal speeches: John Aranilla opened up about a year-long bodybuilding competition and what it taught him about aligning body, mind, and spirit, and Kenzii Graves explored the idea of “third spaces” — and why we all need one. Full recap below, plus what’s on deck for August 18.
SPEECH RECAP — #1 John Aranila
John opened with the classic “imagine the audience naked” trick — then flipped it, revealing that a year ago he actually did get on a stage in almost nothing, competing in a bodybuilding show. He walked through the year-long prep across three fronts: physical (a planned 30-pound cut, precise weekly training and eating), mental (discipline on the days he didn’t want to show up, including 5 a.m. gym sessions), and spiritual (managing the negative self-talk that came with daily mirror-checking). He didn’t place in the competition, but hit his real goal — proving to himself he could fully commit — and plans to compete again next year.
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✓ STRENGTH A strong, disarming hook — the underwear framing pulled the room in immediately and paid off once the reveal landed. |
→ GROWTH AREA Handled a topic that could’ve felt awkward with real tact — several evaluators noted he made it “tantalizing but not weird.” |
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✓ STRENGTH Delivered with visible composure even on a small video frame, with intentional, well-placed hand gestures. |
→ GROWTH AREA The close could be tightened — multiple evaluators suggested a stronger, more concise final line to “stick the landing.” |
Speech Cap # 2 – Kenzii Graves
Kenzii built her speech around “third spaces” — places that are neither home nor work — and why they matter. She traced her own path to Silicon Speech, which she found online in 2020 while searching for connection after losing her older brother, and described how the club became her third space: a place to laugh, be vulnerable, and be herself. She also pointed to a since-closed wellness space in LA as an example of how hard third spaces are to sustain, and closed by inviting the club to help make Silicon Speech feel even more like the community third space it can be — with a “part two” speech to come.
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✓ STRENGTH Structured like an emotional arc — energetic opening, a genuinely reflective middle, and a return to warmth and momentum by the close. |
→ GROWTH AREA Strong use of the five-point storytelling structure, grounding the room in a concrete situation before widening out to the bigger idea. |
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✓ STRENGTH Full-circle close that tied the concept directly back to the room and the people in it. |
→ GROWTH AREA A missed comparison: a couple of evaluators noted the Starbucks “third place” origin story (Howard Schultz) would have been a natural, familiar reference to work in. |
MEETING REPORTS
Timing Report
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Table Topics |
Everyone stayed within the appropriate time — no red cards. |
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Speeches |
Both speakers stayed within their assigned windows this week. |
Filler Word Report
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Alison “Ali” Mader |
One “um.” |
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Shar McBee |
Two “um”s. |
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Kenzii Graves |
One “um.” |
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John Aranilla |
One “um,” four “so”s. |
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James Breen |
Two “so”s. |
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Garth (guest) |
A high count for the night — roughly nine or ten filler words. |
Movement Master Report
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John |
Limited to a shoulders-up frame, but his gestures still read as intentional — pointing to himself and referencing his own physique as he spoke. |
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Kenzii |
Moved across the frame at natural turning points in the speech — especially at each question — and synced hand gestures to key lines, including a back-and-forth motion on her “home to work, home to work” opener. |
Garth, a first-time guest, ran Movement Master for the night — solid, specific feedback for a first attempt at the role.
TABLE TOPICS — IMPROMPTU HIGHLIGHTS
James Breen ran this week’s round, drawing questions from both speeches. Six people stepped up:
● Garth “Can you talk about a time you made someone feel included?”
Shared that he’s planning his dad’s 80th birthday party — what started as a small gathering grew once his sister got involved, and he ended up feeling included in the planning himself. Also used the moment to warm up for a toast he’s giving at the party this weekend.
● Shar McBee “When’s the last time you did something truly vulnerable?”
Recalled leaving a great job to become a dishwasher at an ashram in a small Indian village — flying into Bombay (now Mumbai) and taking a five-hour taxi ride to a place where she knew no one. Found real belonging there, and left having learned yoga and meditation.
● Alison “Ali” Mader “Can you talk about a time you used your mind to achieve a tough goal?”
Described hitting “the wall” at mile 20 of this year’s record-hot LA Marathon (85°F by 10 a.m.) and having to consciously shift from physical to mental focus — thinking about her training and the people she’d trained with — to finish without walking. She’s now training for the Honolulu Marathon this December.
● Karan Bavandi “How do you achieve balance in your life?”
Pointed to daily beach walks and Saturday volleyball as his outlets — community, decompression, and a lifelong love of sports (soccer, tennis, skiing) all rolled into one.
● Tatiana (guest) “What’s your personal rat race?”
Noted that her work and life are already flexible and unstructured by nature — so, unlike the usual “rat race” of routine, her real challenge is the opposite: building more structure and framework into a fairly chaotic schedule.
● Steve Evans “What’s your third space?”
Took the question in a personal direction, reflecting on his father’s example of chasing adventurous, “cool” experiences — extreme skiing, catamaran racing, scuba diving — and how that upbringing shaped his own appetite for interesting experiences, now on his mind as he and his fiancée talk about starting a family.
LINEUP — AUGUST 18, 2026
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Hybrid meeting — online + in person at Hulu Center Community Room, 2500 Broadway, Santa Monica. First gavel hits at 5:15.
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ROLE |
MEMBER |
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Toastmaster of the Evening |
John Aranilla |
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Table Topics Master |
Kenzii Graves |
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Speaker #1 |
Garth |
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Speaker #2 |
Open |
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Movement Master |
TBD |
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Timer |
TBD |
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Ah Counter / Grammarian |
TBD |
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Thought for the Day |
TBD |
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Joke Master |
James Breen |