It's Not You, It's Me

I hope that as I interact with people in person or through this blog that "who I am" is evident. If you think I am open and honest and share a lot of myself in the first five minutes we meet don't worry - it's not you, it's me.

The reason behind this blog is sharing my story and my knowledge to perhaps make a difference in the lives of others. I have never been a formal type of speaker and I am grateful that I have found a way to share my experience in a way that positively impacts others. That said, it is personal and therefore, it must always come from me, as me. I wouldn't feel natural if I had to be very formal and lecturing when I spoke in public, nor would it feel honest in my writing. I would describe my personality - social media and otherwise - as social, passionate and personal. I am driven by personal experience and even if I tried I could not keep the emotional component out of what I do.

An organization that has adopted a similar personality to mine would be Rethink. Here is the link to their blog. They seem to have a few people writing for them and I think that the majority of their posts fit with a comparable personality to what I hope to achieve.

A large part of my role in my work is to speak to groups of people and share breast health information with them. Some of the greatest feedback I have received is that my presentation style was "not lecturing or embarrassing, it was motivating and empowering". I try my best to be my authentic self. Plain and simply, it is important to me that people have the information (knowledge is power after all) and use that information to make the best life choices they can for themselves. When it comes to helping people feel comfortable and empowered, how I show up/who I am/my style when I'm presenting is just as important as what I am saying.

I am not a doctor or a researcher, I will probably never win a Nobel Peace Prize or save the world. I am me. I have experienced losing someone I love and now have a little bit of knowledge and the ability to share that with others. I have witnessed what that can do for people and it lifts me up. I don't plan to stop anytime soon.