Transparency is my brand.
"I will keep your secrets, but I have none." ~ Cate Waters
“A transparent person is someone who is open, honest, and straightforward, sharing their true thoughts, feelings, and intentions without hidden agendas, allowing others to see their genuine self and build trust through clear, sincere communication, though it doesn't mean revealing everything, just being truthful when disclosing. They are authentic, admit mistakes, and align their actions with their values, creating strong connections.”
~ Claude AI
It is very important to me that topics that are scary or have a societal stigma become part of an every day conversation. It is imperative that people feel comfortable and safe to express what they need or want and to know that another human can empathize or even understand. It is a paramount “non-negotiable” in my interactions and a lesson I focus a lot with my children. How do you create a safe space if you don’t also lead with transparency into your own life and experiences?
As a part of being transparent in this blog, I promised myself I would also talk about hard topics like… mental health, parenting neurodivergent kiddos, and career or vicarious trauma. It requires vulnerability and being aware that anyone could read this — my boss, my parents, my ex-colleagues or someone interviewing me in 10 years. It makes me uncomfortable, but I am here to SHOW YOU that being uncomfortable is ok and how to push through that.
This holiday season has been VERY hard for a variety of reasons and I think being transparent and open about those can help readers start to see that even those that “look like they have it all together” can absolutely struggle quietly behind the scenes. It helped me a to see that struggle and understand the “keep pushing even when its hard” lesson when I was a young seller and I want to do the same for the generation behind me.
Would you consider yourself transparent?