I remember a time when I would have been concerned that how my hair looked would make people think that I’m unprofessional or would make them not take me seriously. This time, I loved myself so much that I wanted to make sure that whatever virtual background I would be using on zoom for this talk would complement my look and not shape my hair weirdly 😊.  So, I spent time looking for the perfect zoom background, I found a colorful picture with a beautiful butterfly which is my “everything is going to be ok” sign from nature😊. 

Once I had the zoom background, I was good to go.

Now, we had to get the PowerPoint template just right, everything had to complement, so I created a PowerPoint template with colors that popped and blended well with my zoom background.

After that, I was all set to work on the actual content.

 I know, I know, I went in reverse order this time, as typically, I would work on the content of the talk first, then figure out the layout and design for the slides, and lastly followed by the zoom background for this new virtual pandemic world we are still living in but….yep, it happened in reverse order.  

But,

sometimes you have to change things up, and go with the flow of inspiration which is what I did and let me tell you, it worked out.

By the time I sat down to work on the talk, my brain was ready, my mind was open and my heart was prepared to share. I mentioned my heart because for this talk, I decided to share the personal (nonprofessional development related) side of my story. I actually planned to share my experience with suffering a pregnancy loss during my graduate program. But before this dreaded swing to the “not so great side of life happenings,” I shared the joy of getting married, and the joy of expecting my first child.

However, the first part of the talk was about the professional development side of my story. I talked about my scholarship, character and excellence that I portrayed on my professional journey. The successes that resulted in my being a black woman in America with a degree in a STEM field. This  included graduating as my high school class valedictorian, being nominated for a prestigious undergraduate summer research program, and interning with a major biotechnology company. I was also inducted into a graduate honor society named for the first African American to earn a doctoral degree in America. Among my service to the community, I shared my volunteer and science outreach experiences that later qualified me for another life changing professional experience.

Of course, all the successes came with challenges during the professional development portion of life as well. I shared the struggle of having to start over during my second year in the program, during my preliminary exams, a time that is already typically seen as a challenging time for graduate students.

All in all, I painted a picture of a whole person, that wore many different hats during the career journey.

Why did I share so much? I shared a lot and was very transparent because I think that it is important to showcase people in different roles. However, the most important part we will ever play is ourselves being our whole selves, actual human beings that are complex and multi-layered.

 The biggest take-home point that I wanted people to walk away or “log off” from my talk thinking was this:  At any given time, a human is more than the part of them that you see or the role you know them to play in your life.  Also, that every “success story” has another side to it, challenges that were overcome.

Also, I forgot to mention that during my talk, my youngest toddler shared with me that “she had to pee pee” and the events that came after that, lol, “she had wiped herself.” 

and Yes, she shared this with me while my microphone was live😊.

No, I didn’t panic.

 Why?

….Because I’m a MUM working from home with little ones. 

I simply asked the audience for a moment, attended to my child and then returned to continue my talk both times, without missing a beat. 

The reception and feedback following the talk….

WERE ALL GOOD!

MY STORY AND THE INFORMATION I SHARED WERE APPRECIATED, VALUED AND INSPIRING.

Not only did they give me this great feedback, but I also felt the energy in the virtual room and accepted all the words as real and true.

So in the end, all the negative thoughts, the imposter syndrome that reared its head….NOT REALITY!

MY STORY MATTERED AND NEEDED TO BE TOLD.

I PRESSED ON THROUGH ALL THE CHALLENGES I’VE FACED THUS FAR IN MY CAREER, BOTH PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL, AND EVEN WHILE I WAS PREPARING TO TELL MY STORY.

So, as U come to the end of this blog post, I hope that U are encouraged to press on through your challenges. And as you are pressing on, share your story with others along the way, because no matter where U are in your journey, your story matters and could be just the thing that someone else needs to hear to help them keep pressing on.

Also, don’t be afraid to live your life in color because NOTHING in life is ever just black or white, it’ colorful, just look at nature 😊.

“Color is Life.” Feel free to use it as a tag line and don’t forget to @ me (@Dr. U) when you do.

Embrace the full range of the color spectrum and embrace the full range of who you are.

Above all else, U be proud of yourself for sticking to it and still living this thing we all call life.

And,

TELL YOUR STORY EVERY CHANCE U GET.

I know it matters.

Until next time, stay true to who you are and share your thoughts on this blog post below.