Personal Writing
Photo: Neil Speers
BACKGROUND
In 2019, I wrote an article on a complex topic that is personally important to me and published it on LinkedIn.
I invite you to read it for three reasons. First, because it might help you or someone you know. Second, I am sharing the link on my portfolio because it shows I write well and wholeheartedly. Lastly, because I think people of substance benefit from connecting with each other more deeply, and to do that, we must demonstrate the courage to listen and to talk about what makes us vulnerable and human. This is how we connect and grow.
Connection precedes growth and opens the door to boundless joy.
TARGET AUDIENCE
My professional connections.
I aimed for my article to reach at least one person who might feel encouraged, validated, or empowered. Maybe that’s you.
RESULTS
Although I connect on LinkedIn only with people with whom I have worked or engaged in a meaningful way, I am extroverted, well-connected, and lucky, so my extensive professional network reflects that. When I wrote this article, it reached many of my 500+ first-degree LinkedIn connections.
Thanks to their private and public engagement, I received hundreds of personal messages of support from 2nd and 3rd-degree connections in Canada and internationally. With gratitude, I added them to my LinkedIn network of kind, brilliant professionals.
I also received a few dozen private messages from people in different parts of the world —some of whom I had already met, some of whom I had not yet met— whose lives had been affected by abuse. I am grateful to everyone who reached out for their courage and kindness in sharing their story.
If you feel that reading my LinkedIn article might offer encouragement, validation, or empowerment to support someone you know, please share it with them.
