We All Bring Our Shit Along

When I packed my bags and left for Antarctica in 2018, for an entire month, to go away to the absolute farthest place I could go, I was terrified. But I buried that, that fear, waaaay deep down…so far down I was SURE no one else would be able to see it.

Down in that dark place, it turns out there were many layers…I had fears about irrational things that I had no control over: like the boat sinking, like my equipment breaking down, like running out of batteries in the middle of something important… or whether or not I would get sea sick. 

And then I had some entirely rationale fears too. I had never left my kids for longer than a couple of days at a time…and they’re not exactly independent humans. And now, I was going to be gone for more than a month…to a place where I couldn’t even talk to them. And, according to  my irrational fears, I could die doing this.   

But when I’m honest with myself, the fear I was really dealing with, was the  feeling of being an imposter. 

I worried everyone would see my fear, smell my fear, and that my fear would get in the way of doing my job - which was, you know, to listen and record everyone and everything.

Now don’t get me wrong. I was prepared. I do have the skills. And I was there because I was the right person for that job, at that time. And I brought everything I would need, and more. But that message wasn’t getting through, to me in this very dark, very scared place.

I kept repeating this to myself: You are brave. You are strong enough for this. You are ready. But that message didn’t get through, at least at first. Because I felt dread, and confusion, and exhaustion.

And this self-doubt continued, until I realized something: We all show up with our shit. We carry it whatever we go. And no matter how far away we go, it comes with us. 

And so the better approach is to just realize this. To call it out. To name it. And get on with your day.  

This story originally appeared in my newsletter, Audio Love. That’s my email newsletter that I’ve been sending every other week, for over a year, to a small, but committed audience. 

Did you know that email marketing is the number one channel for creators to connect with their audience? And it’s huge. ConvertKit, which the email platform that I use, which is only one of the ones available, report that last year over 16 billion emails sent. 

And according to the Data and Marketing Association, who did a survey in 2021, 92% of consumers, and 72% of marketers, said that Email is their favourite way to connect with customers.

So here’s why I’m telling you all of this. When I sat down to map out an email strategy last year, I realized, that despite the fact that I’ve been using email since it started, I actually didn’t know how to do it for this post-modern era. So, I went a found a course to take…and this month, I’ve decided to join forces with this woman, whose name is Tarzan, unforgettable, and help her to sell her flagship program, Email Stars, as an affiliate.

If you’re curious to learn more about how to up your game on email, Tarzan is starting 3 free workshops this month. And if you want to grab a spot for the first one that’s happening this Thursday, the 26th of May, just go to the shownotes for this episode, and I’ll post the link at the top of the notes where you can grab your spot.

Ok, lots of chatting. Time to listen to this short episode now: We all Bring Our Shit Along…

Thanks for listening.