A speech about chocolate pudding has propelled a Pitt Meadows resident into first place at the regional quarterfinals of the Toastmasters International Speech Contest.
Stefano Cossalter has earned one of 28 spots in the semifinals, which are going to be held in a hybrid format – both in-person and virtual – on Thursday, Aug. 15, in Anaheim, California.
Cossalter, a member of Blue Heron Toastmasters in Pitt Meadows, surpassed fierce competition of about 50 entrants to win over the judges at five different contest levels with his speech called 'The Pudding Principle', which detailed a recent visit to Ridge Meadows Hospital where he learned that life doesn't have to get bad before you appreciate the things that make life really good.
"I guess my life had to get bad before I realized that," said Cossalter, who said he was unable to eat for days during his stay in 2022 in the lead-up to Christmas.
"Then all of a sudden it's Christmas Eve, everybody's getting their dinners, all this mash potatoes, and gravy, and turkey, and my dinner comes and it's a single cup of chocolate pudding. And it tasted so good," he reminisced.
"That taste had always been there, but in my life I never stopped to savour those little things. It wasn't about the pudding, it was about enjoying those little moments and actually tasting my food or holding my loved ones. All the stuff I'd been missing in my life that makes it really good had to be taken away before I realized it," noted the 48-year-old, who is hoping to inspire others can do the same.
Cossalter wrote his speech around a year ago and it has since gone through 100 different rewrites. If you were to ask Cossalter to write a 45 minute speech, he could do it easily. The challenge, he explained, is writing an inspirational speech that can be effectively given in a five to seven minute time frame.
In 2019, Cossalter won the regional contest with a speech called 'A Simple Toothpick', which touched on the themes of courage and choices while describing his own journey that led him to Toastmasters – a story that involved a toothpick, chicken parmigiana and his mother’s unconditional love.
His speech detailed the night of his mother's 65th birthday dinner, when he was expected to deliver a toast but discovered he had a piece of chicken parmigiana stuck in his teeth.
He didn't want to stand up to give the toast, but his mother told him that if he made the speech she would give him a toothpick.
At that moment he saw a look in his mother's eyes of unconditional love and the belief in himself, that he didn't have, and he decided this was his opportunity to finally embrace his fears.
In 2008 Cossalter had lost his life savings when a friend’s uninsured business that he was involved with burnt to the ground.
He soon discovered he couldn’t get a job because he didn't do well during interviews. And when he started his new online marketing business, he was unable to get customers because he couldn’t get out and talk to people.
In 2011 he joined Toastmasters, which changed the course of his life.
The first speech he had to give in front of the group at Blue Heron Toastmasters, he asked to answer a question off the top of his head and speak on the topic for two minutes.
Cossalter was given a softball question. He had an answer for it right away. But when he stepped forward and opened his mouth, no words came out.
But now, with the help of the Toastmasters mentorship program, he can stand up in front of hundreds of people and command an audience.
In 2020 he also won the won the District 21 finals with a speech about a grandfather’s piece of advice putting perspective on life called 'A Frame Makes the Picture'.
"It's revolutionized my life," exclaimed Cossalter about the Toastmasters' program.
"I think fighting the fear of public speaking was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. For some people it's easy, but for me it was very difficult. Going to Toastmasters reminds me that if I can do that, I can do anything," he said.
Blue Heron Toastmasters meets every Thursday evening from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the South Bonson Community Centre, 10932 Barnston View Rd. in Pitt Meadows.
Blue Heron Toastmasters adult membership is open to all skill and confidence levels, from nervous to professional and everything in between.
If Cossalter can win over the judges in the semifinals, which he will be attending in-person, he will be one of eight contestants who will advance to the world championships which will be taking place in Anaheim on Saturday, Aug. 17.
