For the Love of Storytelling

When I was in my late thirties, a good friend told me, “If you could see you the way I see you, then you would know.”

I spent years chasing those words.

I lived inside a crowded shroud of self-deprecating thoughts and painfully low self-esteem. I knew I had a bold personality (too loud). I knew I was hardworking and determined (bullheaded). I knew I could get a lot of shit done (addicted to distraction).

What I didn’t know was how the world actually saw me.

I felt oafish and awful, interrupting and awkward, and I truly believed that, unless we were sleeping together, I was unlikable.

Then, through a string of chosen and unchosen circumstances, I ended up in storytelling. I was terrified and full of stage fright, and I was awful at it in the beginning (oafish, interrupting, awkward, of course).

But over time, I reflected on who I was and began to share my vulnerabilities and insecurities out loud, along with my wins. Slowly, I started to see what my friend had seen.

I started seeing myself the way others saw me.

Now I mentor, coach, teach, and host storytelling shows. And I’ve fallen completely in love with watching other people learn to stand tall in their own lives too.