Danielle Ralston shares how showing up in a hoodie and ponytail made her more relatable to a neurodivergent client. She argues that masking pushes away the people who'd actually connect with you, and that being yourself is how you find your real community.
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But we have lived so long masking that we're trying to fit into this mold, what everybody else thinks we should. I had one client that came to me, which is what turned the light bulb on. And she said, if you would have showed up like all the other coaches, makeup on, hair done, you know, having your jewelry on, all of that, and looked so professional, I wouldn't have talked to you. And I said, well, what made the difference? She said, you showed up in a hoodie with your hair in a ponytail, Hardly any makeup on, and I don't even think you had any jewelry on except maybe a necklace or something. I said, what made the difference? She said, you were relatable. That's because she was neurodivergent too. So therefore it opened the door of saying, be yourself because those are the people that you need to reach and those are the people that are your community. If we stand behind this RSD all the time, this masking all the time, life is gonna suck.