It took me a while to openly share my story. I still remember how nervous I was that summer day when I wrote about battling postpartum depression, and the toll it took on my marriage and business. And then that morning when that email was on its way to my community, I felt sick to my stomach.
At the time, I had no idea what the direction would be. I was nowhere near doing anything else about getting back to normal, either - like working on my mindset, changing my diet, or changing my lifestyle. Nor had I envisioned changing my business to the extend that I eventually have. All of that came later. At that time, I was just comfortable enough to talk about the struggle.
What happened then, and the impact it had on my business, I still can't begin to describe.
Now, we all have heard how important it is to share your story, to be authentic, etc. So today, I would like to share with you "the life after".
I worried how me sharing my fears, weaknesses, dark moments and more would impact my family. I know that my husband receives my newsletter, so do some other family members. So, how would that make
him feel?
him feel?
In the end, however, it was not about them. It was about me opening a dialogue with my community. Telling the truth about what was going on behind that wall of perfection and strength. I owed them that much.
So, once I did it, it was like a new world opened up!
Initially, the feedback was incredible. And not in a way of "oh poor you...".
But on a deep level of "thank you for giving me an ice breaker to address
the issue with my sister!"
the issue with my sister!"
And "thank you, can I share this with my daughter, she is going through it, too?"
And "oh wow, and there I thought I was alone, that nobody would understand me..."
Now, it felt like I had a more divine purpose that went beyond the usual why (you know, my family). And that propelled me forward.
So, how did that affect my business?
1. Almost immediately, I gained numerous new members of my loyal community. People, women, moms who were now able to identify with me and my message.
2. Women who reached out for support felt comfortable in sharing their struggles, pain, and so I was able to
better support them.
better support them.
3. Industry leaders began to take notice of me as I kept putting myself out there. Invitations for collaboration on
various projects began to come my way.
various projects began to come my way.
4. Podcast, radio, and TV hosts began reaching out to have me on their shows where I could share my story with their audience. Just this past week, I had 6 interviews, one of them live on-camera. It was so much fun!
5.Through the journey, I gained some much-needed clarity and experience that allowed me to finally decide on the direction I wanted to take my business, who I wanted to work with, and how I wanted to support them.
As the result, I have have been helping out more clients in the first 39 days of this year alone than I have in the whole year of 2015!
