22 Feb A quick ‘thanks’ to my friends, family, and clients…

Last July I put the word out to my friends, family, and clients that I was looking to do some public speaking about the ups and down of  living my life with my disability. As a result of the leads I received, I was able to speak to 19 groups between August and December.  There was a High School, several Junior Colleges, a Church, a Baseball Academy, a Business Networking group, and a backyard meeting that can best be described as a Mastermind Group of business owners. The meetings spanned Southern California, including Chula Vista, La Jolla, Del Mar, San Marcos, Oceanside, Fullerton, Chino, Los Angeles, and Rancho Cucamonga. I am hugely grateful to the folks who believed in me and thought that my story should be shared.

I’ve learned a lot from doing these talks. What stories ‘work’, which stories need tweaking, which stories fall flat. Most importantly, the importance of having a ‘message’ (turns out, telling stories isn’t enough…the whole thing has more punch if there’s actually a point), and how to properly build the foundation using my life stories to deliver specific messages. In short, I know I’m a better speaker now than I was last Summer.

My time and energy the last couple months has been hijacked by my ‘day job’…I’ve been going through a breakup with my partner of the last year in my insurance brokerage business, which has been the business equivalent of an ugly divorce. As with many divorces, I’ll be better off without my ‘ex’, but getting through the details of the split (via our attorneys) has been a tedious and draining process. Thankfully, this looks like it’s very close to being done.

As a result of this, I really haven’t put any time or energy into my public speaking since before the holidays. Right now I have one date firmed up, at a High School in downtown L.A. in April, and I’m sure my favorite college professor will have me talk to a handful of her classes this semester…but that’s it. Soooo, if you know of a group that could benefit from hearing about what it is to live with a disability, how important your attitude is to the quality of your life, or how you can do anything you want (within reason, and with the necessary modifications), let me know.

Thanks!