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It’s 3:30 a.m. and I just read this after lying awake for an hour in a tiny trailer in a campground on Cape Cod, Steve. I can’t tell you how much it resonates! Our childhood dreams were almost the same, except that I’d substitute Broadway for Saturday Night Live. We’re on a two-month journey across the country (mostly to New England, from Colorado) in part for me to answer the question you pose: What’s the next way, and place, and form, for me to practice my creativity? Thanks for sharing your journey!

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I'm so happy this resonated with you, Elaine! Having heard that amazing episode you produced about Todd Henry's creative reinvention, the Broadway dream is not a surprise to me :-) I hope your trip is going well and that the insights about "the next way" are flowing for you!

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Hiiii!!!!!! I'm the opposite- I've always identified as a creative (more specifically a songwriter)... but it took me years to embrace the idea that I am also an entrepreneur, and to not feel icky about my music also being my business. I'm looking forward to reading your book Steve!

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I love this, Jill! You are brilliant at both. It's so fascinating to think about where the "ick" or impostor stuff comes from and why we believe it for so long, huh?

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Professional Raconteur.

It's an elegant way to say I make a living telling stories. Because I AM elegant (which you know) and I do make money telling stories, and teaching others to do the same.

To me, it evokes images of Capote, or the Algonquin Round Table - which is also why I never use it on social media because nobody knows who the eff those people are anymore.

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Baboom! I love the confidence to say "professional"!

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Totally relatable. I’ve found that simply “doing things” helps reinforce my identity. In my most workaholic years, I only worked at one job. In the years I wanted to turn my health around, I spent the vast majority of my time collecting data on myself and building routines that only supported that health. But like you did when you left the job that no longer played to your strengths— toying with TikTok, promoting a fake doc, and playing around with bringing your book to life—in my latest era, I started exploring a lot of hobbies. Some pointed me towards my identity while other affirmed what I wasn’t about. So your post is a reminder that only doing one thing sometimes confirms a narrative that my identity lived in a box with one professional function. And I hope to continue feeding my identity (of being a story collecting and advocating for wellness), by continuing existing and exposing myself to new a variety of new things.

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Thanks for such a great comment, Christine! The concept of story collecting is really great and your LinkedIn posts about wellness are always extremely thoughtful - both of those resonate strongly with what I personally associate with you, too :-). And speaking of being a Creative... congratulations again on the new book!

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