EP005 And So It Begins
You may wonder why I advocate. This is a huge question. And I have answers. But first, let me say this: The mission of my podcast is to illustrate how and why I became an advocate. Through my personal stories, I will show how advocacy has changed me as a person.
For today, let’s start with this – a definition of advocacy:
Advocacy, as defined by Cambridge Dictionary:
“To speak in support of an idea or course of action.”
You may wonder why I advocate.
This is a huge question. And I have answers.
But first, let me say this:
- The mission of my podcast is to illustrate how and why I became an advocate.
- Through my personal stories, I will show how advocacy has changed me as a person.
- Another goal is to shine a spotlight on people who have inspired me along the way.
Simply put – Here are two questions I asked myself during the last few years:
- What lights up my heart so passionately that I feel compelled to offer a hand?
- What group or cause brightened my world to such a degree I want to give back a little in return?
And here is my personal conclusion:
I advocate because I must.
I advocate because I trust my heart.
I advocate because I see a need.
Once I learned the “truths” about three (3) causes I hold dear to my heart, there was no other course of action. Advocating became front and center in my life.
**But here was the rub, the problem, the conundrum.
Where in the world do I begin?
Where do I start?
And how the heck do I get comfortable networking and reaching out to other advocates?
I mean, after all, I’m a bit introverted and this was not my cup of tea. Spending a lot of time with groups of people wears me out. I am careful not to say “yes” just out of a sense of old habits.
That said, my desire to stand up and speak up was greater than my fear of being vulnerable.
As Dr. Brene Brown reports, to be a wholehearted person we need to “show up and be seen.”
It’s so important. I feel this in my soul. And that’s my guiding force.
So gathering my courage and my fortitude, I embarked on an adventure that led me to this wild & crazy podcast. Not that my podcast is “wild and crazy,” but never would I have predicted that I would podcast on the topic of advocacy. Yet when I set my intentions last year to be the “best advocate I could possibly be,” this podcast idea landed squarely in front of me. Yes, I asked the Universe to give me a sign or a cue or maybe a social media post by a respected mentor and leader.
Hey, the Universe heard my intention, and it answered with this podcast.
This is me, leveling up to be the Best Advocate I Can Be!
**Here’s something else: When I opened my heart to the opportunity to advocate and take this adventure, the world literally opened up.
Yes, my world expanded in such unexpected and marvelous ways. I’ll share these stories as we move into the next episodes.
(Grin) I hope you tune in again and permit me to spin a tale or two about how one person with a mission can find the courage to do something a little bit bold.
Most of my episodes will be about 10 minutes long. If I interview a guest, those shows may be longer. Also, I will add a short and sweet episode called “90 Seconds.” These will be just under two minutes long and will get straight to the point of the message.
Oh, one last thing, I will transcribe each episode and then post Show Notes on my website.
This would be captioning for podcasts, so to speak. (Captions are vital to those of us with hearing loss.)
If you prefer to read (instead of listening), please jump over to The Introverted Advocate dot com — click on the “My Podcasts” tab. Both audio and show notes are provided on that page.
This is a fun experience for me. So glad you could tune in today.
This is Dee, The Introverted Advocate.
