I ugly-cried on a live 2 days ago.
I’ve posted a drawing of my own vulva on Instagram for the world to see.
I’ve written about my insecurities, failures and embarrassments in my marketing copy.
I have been called the Queen of Authenticity… but here’s what you might not have assumed: I am actually a fiercely private person.
What I show you are very carefully-selected pieces.
I have never shared about the biggest traumas of my life, and probably never will.
These are the kinds of things that will probably be tender inside me until the day I die… and are NOT for public consumption.
I do not share deeply about my marriage.
I talk about how wonderful my husband is, but the intimate reality of my relationship is way too precious for me to blab about to the world.
I don’t talk much about my Christian faith.
It’s something that is at the very heart of who I am, and I do not want to invite the projections, misunderstandings, questions and debates of the world onto the thing that is the most sacred to me.
I have very few “real life” close friends. With them, I share a history, intimacies, and a sense of humor that you will never see me air online.
Yes, what I show you is curated. But this isn’t me engineering a certain ‘image’ to manipulate your perception of me.
This is about respect.
I show MYSELF respect when I protect what is most tender, intimate, and precious inside me from the public.
And I show YOU respect when I do not put a responsibility on you that you have never consented to take on: that of safeguarding, honoring, and loving on my tenderest places in the very specific way that I require.
And yet, I am truthful with you.
I constantly challenge myself to be even more truthful with you in ways that are congruent with my values… and appropriate to the relationship we have.
Truthfulness does not equal dumping all of my shit on you to deal with.
Authenticity does not equal showing you all of my bleeding wounds so that you can feel like you now have to take care of me.
My friend, I love you. I would love to grow closer with you.
And we can only have a healthy relationship when we have boundaries that allow us to enjoy each other in ways that are safe for both of us…
… and incrementally move into greater degrees of intimacy with fully-informed, mutual consent at every step.
Want to build relationships like this in your business through your copywriting?
I will teach you how.
It’s all happening inside my new course, Writing with the Sword, which kicks off tomorrow.
See you there.