I recently concluded a career conversation and called my partner to explain the emotion it brought to me. It was a feeling I had not expected to takeaway yet here I was with tears forming in my eyes. These were not tears of pain rather they were a release of pent up feeling of peace to be my authentic self in the conversation. I brought forth the energy I bring but even more, I shared openly about my life outside of work or what you see on the resume. My 2019 pursuit of Yoga certification to help bring balance to my mind, peace through meditation and challenge myself to a deeper understanding of myself. The high self vulnerability over the 10 weekends to accumulate the 200 hours with strangers being a big personal challenge to overcome as part of that self growth. 

The story we tell ourselves versus the story we tell others. The undeniable reality that is below our perception that constantly forms how we interact with others as we cross paths every day. Similar to how I felt in the yoga class, the question of letting go of what doesn’t serve me and the feeling of calm it brought. In this career conversation, I shared my journey beyond the paper, beyond the script, and allowed space for the person to get to know me. My amazing love of Beagles with Dr Bailey in the family, my long term relationship with my partner and my immense pride in his self growth all came through.

How this brought about the emotion to me, it was the feeling of psychological safety in a career driven discussion that afforded me this glimpse to share about who I am. I’ve struggled to feel seen, the loss of my mother to mental illness as she struggled to be heard, all which shaped my life course. For the first time in my career, I mentioned my partner by name in an early career conversation versus “they/them” . The person on the other end afforded the safe space and showed the genuine desire to know me, all of me. Openly acknowledging the rock in my life hit me hard, obscured for so long due to family and society, prioritizing the comfort of others over my authentic self. 

I reflect back with admiration to people that shaped my life, who saw me and for those who felt the impact of the Human Element in their lives. I look forward to sharing more of the threads of humans and milestones that impacted the tapestry of my life. 

Be humble, be grateful, be true to you.