A speaker explains why she hid her struggles to avoid seeming like a victim, only to realize that hiding hardship created distance from her audience. Sharing what you've overcome, not just your wins, is what actually connects with and inspires people.
I had trouble sharing stories that were negative because I thought that put me in a victim position and I never wanted to feel like a victim. It's such a rejection in my body because I want to be powerful and I want to be able to prove that I can do things on my own. But what ended up happening is there was a disconnect with my audience because they thought that I had a perfect life because I never shared the negative. It's a very different thing for someone who doesn't have a past or has never had any trauma or difficulties or challenges in their life to say, look at what I've accomplished. It doesn't actually serve people without telling them what you had to get through.
