As a podcaster, we are natural storytellers, it’s what we do and I am very passionate and love that I get to help tell stories through my platform. As most of you know, I have been the host of a podcast called Empowerography for 4 years now. In April 2022, I moved into the author space and then graduated into the book publishing world. I will share something with you though, I NEVER EVER thought of myself as a storyteller growing up. I hated having to write stories in school as a kid, absolutely hated it because I didn’t think I was any good at it. Now I have also heard people talk about and say similar things and then relate it back to the fact that well in school they were writing about stuff that they had no interest in and that makes all the difference in the world because when you’re writing about things you love, care about and are passionate about, it makes all the difference in the world.

So you see, even as a kid, that whole I’m not good enough or imposter syndrome thing (which of course back then I had no idea what the hell that was) I was dealing with that internal conflict. This is the piece of the story though, that doesn’t get talked about openly enough by people and I think we need to start having more discussions around it and about it and that is the whole imposter syndrome around sharing your story, telling your story and putting it out into the world, let’s be honest that is scary as all hell. I truly and whole-heartedly do believe though that EVERYONE on this planet has a story to tell, a story to share that will resonate with at least one person and who are we to deprive the world of that story?

I will tell you that when I first had the idea for my podcast, it was over a year before I actually decided to take action and move forward with it and of course that was the movie or the loop in my head saying “well who the hell are you to start a podcast? “What do you have of value or interest that anyone is going want to listen to or hear? That loop played over and over in my head for more than a year before I was able to turn that loop off that was playing in my mind.

I experienced that same loop 2 years later when the opportunity came up for ME to share my story in a collaborative book. ME an author? What the hell do I have to share that anyone is going to want to read? What do I have of value to put into words and onto the pages of a book that will go out into the world? I will tell you that this time, I was able to quiet/shut the loop off much quicker and easier than the last time but I still had it on repeat for a while. The thing is….. I didn’t let it paralyze me, I didn’t let it stop me from taking advantage of this opportunity. I felt the fear, I sat with it, I let it run through me and did it anyway and let me tell you, I am so fucking happy that I did because it opened up so many other doors for me and brought so many new opportunities and people and relationships into my life just by saying that little BIG 3 letter word YES. It completely and I am not exaggerating here, it completely changed my life in ways I never even knew were possible.

I experienced the loop yet again when I very recently stepped into the role of co publisher. Once again, it began playing in my head on repeat (albeit I had already said yes to the opportunity) Who the hell am I to bring together 30 women who will want to share their stories in a book that I am co-publishing? Can I lead a project of this size? What if I fail? All of the things began cropping up again BUT like with the whole author internal struggle, it got easier for me yet again to quiet or shut the loop off. I am learning that the more you agree to take on things that scare you or that you don’t think you’re capable of, the easier it gets to quiet and shut that constant negative loop off in your head.

Now with this new role I was taking on, I had to now be the voice of reason or the IMPOSTER SYNDROME TAMER (I just made that up lololol) for the women who were coming into the book to share their stories. Now for me, that is an EASY job. If there is one thing I can openly say I’m good at… it’s cheerleading, supporting and advocating for others. That brings me such joy. That sets my soul on fire. I love to help people, guide and support people to do things they didn’t think they could do. Since I had already been through it personally myself it made it that much easier to help others navigate it because I had been through it already. Let’s be honest here as well, it’s always so much easier for us to advocate, support and cheer others on before we do that for ourselves.

So remember that loop will never fully go away, it will come back from time to time because first of all we are human beings and just because you have been able to quiet it once doesn’t mean it goes away forever, this is an ongoing battle, it takes constant work. We as humans are always evolving which in turn means we are always having to work on ourselves and that is how we grow and expand. The trick is, to not let the loop takeover and defeat you or stop you from doing what YOU were meant to do here on this planet. It’s ok to trip up and fall from time to time, it’s going to happen, just as long as you get back up each and every time that happens, that’s what matters.

So please I am asking you….DON’T let the loop win because YOU do have a story to tell, you do have great things to do and the world needs YOU because NOBODY else on this planet is YOU. YOU are unique, you are beautiful and you have a gift that the world needs.