At the end of June, I travelled to Brighton to attend the Entrepreneurial Leaders Live conference.
The theme for the day was the power and importance of telling your story.
I love a good story. In fact my strength profile results showed that my top strength is that of a narrator. I absolutely love using stories to convey a message; sometimes much to my husband’s despair as he is a get to the point kinda guy.
When I heard about the conference I was eager to sign up and learn about how I could bring storytelling into my coaching business.
I am so glad that I attended. The stories of triumph, resilience, dedication and drive were so inspiring.
We heard from Ann Daniels, the first female polar explorer to travel to the north and south pole. She travelled in temperatures of -52 degrees! And at one point she and her two friends were stuck laying down in their tents during in a snow storm for 3 whole days.
And what was the catalyst for such courageous acts? Motherhood!
After having triplets and her marriage breaking down, Anne had to figure out what to do next and she came across an opportunity to go on a polar expedition. The rest was history as they say.
She now has production companies knocking on her door to make her incredible story into a film.
Then there was the story of how Katherine Hickman who experienced severe burnout as a mother of three and a busy GP, made some small but impactful changes to her habits so that she could be more in control of her life.
I must also mention Katie Phillips who was on the brink of committing suicide when the thought of leaving her 2 year old son behind bought her out of her moment of despair and encouraged her to live.
If you have read this far, you are no doubt drawn in by the above stories too. The conference highlighted the power of sharing and supporting one another through our unique journeys.
I connected with so many people in that room because I was able to resonate with elements of their story.
As working mums life can be tough, but don’t shy away from sharing the highs and the lows. There is someone out there that needs to hear your specific story.
You never know how you will help the mum who feels like she is on the brink of a breakdown, the mum who is dealing with post-natal depression or the woman who is struggling with infertility and feels like she is going insane.
So today, I encourage you to share your story. You are the only person with your unique experience and perspective. Someone needs to hear from you.
