Are you sharing “too much” of your story?
In my most recent podcast episode, my guest (Jason Leenaarts) said something that has really stuck with me.
In our discussion, he shared a brief anecdote where a respected peer warned him against sharing too much about his own personal experiences and struggles, because not everybody is going to want to hear about it.
When telling this anecdote, Jason paused, and then said:
“He’s not wrong. But my story is all I am. It’s all I have.”
From there, Jason elaborates on how he has used his struggles, including his experiences with drug addiction, to relate to his audiences and help others. (If you want to listen to the clip, the timestamp is roughly 7:40.)
But the bit I’m still thinking about is this notion that our stories — the experiences we’ve had, including both our best and most difficult moments — are a fundamental part of who we are. To strip them away and try to present only a polished, professional, perfect image of who we think others want or need us to be is to strip away a core piece of our humanity.
(And, in my view, one of the best parts of being human.)
Practically speaking, then, how do we walk the line between the personal and professional? How much is appropriate to share, and where, and when? How do we balance the need for empathy, for meeting others where they’re at, without forgetting about ourselves?
I’d be lying if I said I have all the answers to this. Even as I write this email, there’s a question mark in my head about how much I should or could share about myself and my own experiences, past and present.
But here’s what I do know: every point of communication is an opportunity to engage with the tension of how we share ourselves and connect with others.
Every time we communicate with another person — whether that’s through a frank discussion at a board meeting, a keynote speech, a conversation with a friend, or a boring old email, or a work of art — we have an opportunity.
An opportunity to meet this tension head on. An opportunity to at least consider how we might take a little of our own armor off and show people a bit more of who we are. An opportunity to try to meet others truly, genuinely, on some kind of human level.
If you’re out there, doing this, wrestling with the tension, looking for ways to genuinely connect, let me just say: thank you. I promise you, it makes a difference.
And, if you want to explore this topic further, and maybe get some practical tips on how to actually do this — especially in the context of a small business — allow me to introduce my next podcast episode, featuring Jason Leenaarts.
Jason Leenaarts is the owner of Revolution Fitness & Therapy, a semi-private personal training studio in Northeast Ohio. He's an MNU certified nutritionist, author of two books available on Amazon and former host of the Revolutionary You podcast.
Something you should know about Jason: in addition to being an avid learner (he’s taken many of the Certifications I’ve worked on) he’s also an impressively consistent communicator, having maintained his blog for years, releasing weekly podcast episodes for six years before retiring his podcast, posting social content daily, and publishing two books. Through it all, he is honest and open about his own struggles including his past experiences with drug addiction, as well as the messiness and challenges of everyday life.
If you want to bring more authenticity and personal storytelling into your brand and business communications, be more consistent with your writing, and navigate mistakes and pushback from others, check out this episode.
We cover:
🗣️ Why Jason chooses to speak openly about his experiences with drug addiction and his “colorful” past, and how that has impacted his business and his ability to help people.
💓 How to balance the personal vs the professional when it comes to storytelling. (And why your “what the hell, I’m just gonna write about the thing I care about” moments can be the most fruitful.)
✍️ How to write about stuff that interests you while also serving the needs and interests of your audience.
🎙️ How Jason put out a podcast every week for 6 years — what he learned from it, and why he decided it was time to quit.
🙊 What happens when your content bombs and people misinterpret or just plain hate what you’ve said — and how to recover.
🗯️ Jason’s method for responding to criticism and how to use it to make your work better.
⚖️ How to balance the need to ship your work with the value of putting out rigorous and intentional work.
🗓️ What a regular writing practice can look like, and how to make time for it.
🌎 Why NOW is the time to put your ideas, your wisdom, your story out into the world — and exactly why it matters so much.
Check it out: my website, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.
Meanwhile, remember that your story can be used to help others. It probably already is.