The World Needs What Only You Can Say

First, I wanna help you turn toward the fire burning in your belly because you know, maybe you've always known, that you're here to say something, to use your voice and get it into the world because you have the longing to use your voice for a reason.

And that doesn't mean your voice is going to come out fully formed.

You're gonna need to experiment to find what is uniquely yours to express.

The second thing I wanna do with this podcast is to help me get my own voice into the world.

I'm right here with you on this journey.

I've felt this longing in my soul to express myself with my voice since the very beginning.

And as I find the courage to sing my song, I hope it sparks bravery in you, too.

I've struggled to get my voice into the world.

I've always had one foot on the gas and one foot on the brakes.

I don't always handle fear or anxiety well.

I'm terrible with conflict.

I can still remember a class in seventh grade when the kids around me were making fun of how fat I was, and I kept my gaze down, staring at the desk, singing Mary Had a Little Lamb in my head to drown the voices out.

I was so afraid for so long of any sign of someone disagreeing with me or of being too visible because what if the bullies attack me? What if I say something wrong and look stupid? What if I'm just not good enough? And just like so many of my clients, I've had early experiences that have kept me from using my full voice.

I'll never forget a professor I had who told me in front of my entire class that my writing was sophomoric.

You may have heard me say that before if you've been listening for a while.

He told me that I was too on the nose with my writing, and that means that, yes, I write what I mean.

I don't try to hide my meaning in flowery, fancy language or a lot of metaphors.

But for years, because he said that, I struggled to feel like I was a good enough writer, even though Harper Collins published my first book and I'd been a professional writer for much of my life.

What I finally figured out was there is room for all of our unique voices.

There is a stage out there for you.

There is an audience for your work, if that's important to you.

There is a reason you are here.

There's a reason you have the very particular life you have with the lens you see through, and there are people who will resonate with your voice, with your song, and in fact, they need it.

In the early days of getting your voice into the world, you might find yourself willing to speak or write or be on camera with any group anywhere, and you'll find that there are people who get you instantly.

You'll also find there are other groups that when you speak to them or get in front of them, it feels like you're paddling a dragon boat through absolute concrete.

First, I wanna help you turn toward the fire burning in your belly because you know, maybe you've always known, that you're here to say something, to use your voice and get it into the world because you have the longing to use your voice for a reason.

And that doesn't mean your voice is going to come out fully formed.

You're gonna need to experiment to find what is uniquely yours to express.

The second thing I wanna do with this podcast is to help me get my own voice into the world.

I'm right here with you on this journey.

I've felt this longing in my soul to express myself with my voice since the very beginning.

And as I find the courage to sing my song, I hope it sparks bravery in you, too.

I've struggled to get my voice into the world.

I've always had one foot on the gas and one foot on the brakes.

I don't always handle fear or anxiety well.

I'm terrible with conflict.

I can still remember a class in seventh grade when the kids around me were making fun of how fat I was, and I kept my gaze down, staring at the desk, singing Mary Had a Little Lamb in my head to drown the voices out.

I was so afraid for so long of any sign of someone disagreeing with me or of being too visible because what if the bullies attack me? What if I say something wrong and look stupid? What if I'm just not good enough? And just like so many of my clients, I've had early experiences that have kept me from using my full voice.

I'll never forget a professor I had who told me in front of my entire class that my writing was sophomoric.

You may have heard me say that before if you've been listening for a while.

He told me that I was too on the nose with my writing, and that means that, yes, I write what I mean.

I don't try to hide my meaning in flowery, fancy language or a lot of metaphors.

But for years, because he said that, I struggled to feel like I was a good enough writer, even though Harper Collins published my first book and I'd been a professional writer for much of my life.

What I finally figured out was there is room for all of our unique voices.

There is a stage out there for you.

There is an audience for your work, if that's important to you.

There is a reason you are here.

There's a reason you have the very particular life you have with the lens you see through, and there are people who will resonate with your voice, with your song, and in fact, they need it.

In the early days of getting your voice into the world, you might find yourself willing to speak or write or be on camera with any group anywhere, and you'll find that there are people who get you instantly.

You'll also find there are other groups that when you speak to them or get in front of them, it feels like you're paddling a dragon boat through absolute concrete.