International Speaker: My Journey to Agile Testing Days 2025

The day I received the confirmation email from Uwe (ATD Conference Organizer) that not just one but both of my talks were accepted, I was shocked and excited. This was a huge accomplishment for me. I've always wanted to speak at Agile Testing Days.

I first heard about ATD through Lisa Crispin and the testing network. Since the start of my testing career, I saw and understood the value of Agile Testing over the traditional waterfall model firsthand as I worked on projects making that transition. Eventually, everything that included "Agile" or "Agile Testing" became a goalpost I strived for. I called myself an Agile Tester and launched my Agile Testing blog because of this. Books from Lisa and Janet, along with many others in the community, inspired my ways of working and thinking about Software Testing. Needless to say - I became a passionate advocate for quality, agile, and lean approaches.

Standing in Potsdam just over one week ago, I realized this trip would bring so many firsts: my first time in Europe, first time seeing snow, first time traveling this far alone, and most importantly, my first time speaking at an international conference.

Walking Through Snow in Potsdam

I got the opportunity to walk the streets of Potsdam and visit the Sanssouci Palace and gardens on the first day. It was amazing. With other friends from the conference, we walked through the snow, mist coming off our breath as we chatted and laughed and explored the gardens. The snow covered the ground beneath us, and I heard the crunching with each step forward.

Best of all for this Game of Thrones fan - I heard and saw crows flying overhead. It was a perfect GOT moment, one I'll never forget. Minus the white walkers, thankfully.

Jonas, Kylas, and his wife joined me for some exploring beyond Potsdam. We went into Berlin, got to see the Berlin Wall, and I took the subway train for the first time. Traveling between Berlin and Potsdam was such a fun experience for me. We even got to eat Filipino food, which was delicious and felt very close to home. Thanks for sharing that experience with me.

Connections That Last

I'm usually a homebody. Doing this trip took me way out of my comfort zone, but I interacted with so many people from different countries and cultures. It was amazing to learn so much about people in such a short time.

I made what I consider real friends over those five days in Germany. Shout out to these people who guided me and shared so much with me: Ina, Lisa, Jonas, Kylas, Iraj, Pepe, Tariq, Jonathan, Bryan, Ivan, Suzanne, Rene, Inja, Dennie, Quiana, Gil, Michael, Jantein, Jenna, Callum, and so many others!

Shout out to the people who approached me in the halls, during breakfast or dinner, to share compliments about how the talks helped them: Chris, Naomi, Tobias, Linda, Sander, and Rachel. Connections formed in days that will last a lifetime.

The only bummer - since it was my first conference, time management wasn't great on my end. I missed most of the live keynotes, including the one I anticipated most, Angie's Airfryer talk. Thankful to the team for recording and publishing them online for watching later. There were so many great tutorials and workshops to attend, but given that I was speaking twice, I prioritized practicing and refining my delivery to make sure I'd deliver the promised value and be welcomed back to speak in the future.

Finding My Voice on the International Stage

I gave two talks this year: Shift Left/Right testing and AI in Testing.

Shift Left and Right is something I had shared earlier in the year, so I was familiar with the delivery. I got great feedback from the Innovate QA team and the audience on this one. However, the AI in Testing talk was brand new - I was sharing things I'd been working on for months for the first time. With 54 people onsite and 93 joining online, I felt what my good friend Julia Pottinger calls "nerv-cited" (nervous and excited).

What surprised me about myself during the presentations was that I felt comfortable being on stage. I felt like I'd been there before. Between the first and second talk, I learned how to use the stage space better. It was nice to connect with certain people in the audience while I was speaking - finding those curious faces in the crowd to talk to directly.

The most surprising feedback I got about the AI in Testing content was that so many people could relate to being skeptical about it. They really weren't sure how to start. My approach helped them simplify just how to get started, which was exactly what I was hoping to achieve.

If you're preparing for your first international conference talk, here's my advice: practice sharing your story. Just share the story and remember that people are there to learn from you, not necessarily to critique you. That mindset shift made all the difference for me.

As a speaker, I know that realistically you can't answer all questions, but being open and honest about that on stage and then suggesting further discussions later is the way to go. Questions that didn't get direct answers during those sessions - I've noted them and plan to answer in upcoming LinkedIn posts or blogs. That's okay. No one knows everything.

One thing I learned: slides are a complement to the talk. They are not the talk. There's so much that goes into getting the right delivery and sequence of sentences and points - it's like putting a jigsaw puzzle together for the audience. I love jigsaws, by the way.

Seeing the Future of AI Testing

One mind-blowing experience was seeing the future of AI agents during Jonathan's workshop session. I was lucky enough to be included on Dragan's team, and what I witnessed changed how I think about AI in testing.

I've been using tools like Testers.ai QualityWatcher, and Test Companion, but I saw firsthand agentic AI agents with skills and specific purposes - orchestrated to do everything from generating solid requirements, to building the application itself, and then testing the application. In our case, the AI agents found over 60 bugs on one app in less than 5 minutes.

That was my aha moment. It confirmed that there's a way to use AI agents seamlessly end-to-end and actually deliver. Now I've come back to work thinking there's no way I can continue using tools the way I used to before. I learned so much from Dragan and that team in the workshop. Good thing is we also won the challenge, so that was a wonderful experience. Thank you to Jonathan for bringing me and my friends in last minute.

The sponsors outdid themselves with functional swag - power banks, extenders, cases, socks, shirts. Having been in marketing positions before, I know and appreciate the time and effort placed on getting these items ready and distributed to the audience.

One thing that struck me about the European testing community - we were all saying the same things. We were all talking about testing and quality in the same way, which makes me know that we must be doing something right. It doesn't matter where you're from - good testing practices are universal.

Representing More Than Just Myself

I missed my family tremendously. I called often in the morning and at least once before bed at night. The timezone difference made this interesting - not sure I'd ever really adjust to that.

After seeing Tariq's keynote and the fact that he both shared about his family in his talk and then had them at the conference with him, it made me so happy. This means I could do the same with my family next time around. That would be the icing on the cake - to have them there as well.

Don't get me wrong, I did appreciate the time and space to focus solely on my deliverables. But family is very important to me and drives my motivation to do my best and better. In this breath - I send the biggest love and hugs to my husband for supporting me and my son for being so understanding as I did this trip alone this time. My family were all cheering me on from Jamaica, and knowing I had that support back home gave me the confidence to step onto that international stage. Next time, they'll be with me.

As a Black woman in tech, opening doors like this for others is a blessing. I'm sharing this because representation matters, and I want other Caribbean testers to know these spaces are for them too.

Looking Back, Moving Forward

Remember that confirmation email from Uwe? The one that made me realize I'd reached a goal I'd been working toward since my early testing days? Standing on that stage in Potsdam, I felt something unexpected - I felt like I belonged there.

I'm proud to add International Speaker to my list of accomplishments this year. Proud to have taken a stab at the keynote pitch, though it was planned and done in a short amount of time. Being on stage for these two talks and even the keynote lightning talk made me realize that I do feel comfortable up there. I know I can do it, and I'll be working towards keynoting in the future.

One of the highlights that I'll carry with me is inspiring Jonas to start sharing his story, and hopefully Ina as well. That's the real impact - not just delivering talks, but opening doors for others to step through.

I was inspired by so many people there too. Quiana, seeing the big things she's doing. Ina, traveling the world and speaking on important topics. Jenna with her real case scenarios for testing and quality. Melissa with her keynote. Angie with her keynote as well. Tariq's inspiration all around. I'm actually trying my best to mention everyone, but there were so many inspiring people that I may need to follow up with additional posts to highlight the specific impact each person had on me.

Lisa Crispin's support was tremendous. It's amazing to see how she is there for everyone and the community. Her impact is widespread, and I hope to continue her legacy as well.

It was really nice to meet Pepe in person. I had done his interview at Pepe's Bar online, and we ended up moving our conversation to an actual bar in the hotel and having more deep conversations. I appreciated his advice around me keynoting in the future. Special thanks to Pepe for everything - from that first request to join Pepe's Bar for conversation to those deep conversations at the actual bar and in the lobby. I've only met a few people with such spirit for bringing good people together.

Special thanks to my QualityWorks team for supporting me with this as well. Knowing you have your people behind you is one of the ultimate boosters of confidence.

The stage is somewhere I can see myself being comfortable. My goal going forward: make my messages clear, relatable, and memorable to at least a few people. I'm being realistic with my expectations.

I thank everyone involved in this from beginning to end - even the Condor Airlines, VIP crews, Dorint Hotel staff, and most importantly, the ATD Organizing committee members and volunteers for their service. As Tariq said, and I believe too, the core is human experience. And this human (Brittany) had one of the best experiences of her life at ATD this year.

So if you're considering it but have been hesitant - I highly recommend it.

Wishing you luck on your next adventure. And as always, Happy Testing! ❤️