Directionally Challenged

Ten-plus years later, you can only imagine how many times I’ve told my story. When I decided to “go public” and write my book, that not only meant that the words I put to paper were suddenly available to every stranger on the street, but that people would want MY insight on what I wrote in those pages. This insight is shared in podcast interviews, public speaking gigs, and blog posts like this one. 

At first, this was a foreign concept to me. I was a writer. I write because I express myself better in written words than in spoken ones. What about promoting your book, they ask? I resisted. As I stomached this concept of interviews, I realized, this is YOUR story they want to talk about. You lived through it. You know it better than anyone. You can do this. I’d give myself this pep-talk and suddenly felt more at ease in front of that mic or on stage with a crowd’s attention.

The difference with my most recent interview on Directionally Challenged was that my long-time (incredibly talented) friend was the one interviewing me. I don’t use the term “long-time” friend lightly. Our friendship is going on 25 years. Rare and beautiful, something I don’t take lightly. She was at my first wedding, she celebrated my second one, and she saw me through everything in between.  These were not generic questions she was asking. She watched it unfold in real-time. She had a perspective that you can’t create, but only one that comes from those who lived through it with me, which is why this conversation was immeasurably special. 

Around the time of our interview, a quote on friendship had been floating around social media. Each time stopped me in my tracks, unable to ignore how it connects to my life and this friendship.

“There is something so beautiful about having long-term friends that have witnessed multiple versions of you and loved you unconditionally through each version.”

This not only reflects my feelings about our recent interview but also humbles me that friendships in my life actually run as deep as the words that make up this quote. If you haven’t yet listened to our conversation on Directionally Challenged, it will not disappoint. You’ll find the twists and turns of my story, the practical advice that got me through, the happy ending I’m incredibly proud of, and a real friendship that beautifully weaves it all together.