Gerry Bobsien is a writer, surfer and reluctant ballet mother who has spent time working as an industrial blacksmith, curator, librarian, copywriter and author.

And she has managed to do all this by proudly proclaiming herself as a novice.

In her talk at TEDxNewy, Gerry discusses how she came to be a novice, the thrill of chasing the unknown and how she has come to accept and embrace humiliation in her everyday life as a result.

The University of was major sponsor of the inaugural TEDxNewy event on 12 November 2011, through an initiative of the Office of External Relations.

For more videos from TEDxNewy, featuring University of Newcastle researchers and alumni, you can visit their YouTube page or visit the TEDxNewy website.