Being vulnerable is a superpower
If you asked me 5 years ago what it means to be vulnerable, I would not have been able to give you an answer. Back in 2019/2020 vulnerability felt like the new buzzword. This coincided with the time that Brene Brown’s Call to Courage had been added to Netflix. We have often heard over the years that everyone has a work personality and a friends/family/everyone else personality. Fast forward to 2026, and everyone is talking about bringing your authentic self to work. Well, they’ve been saying it for a while. So, what does that truly mean?
If you’ve been following my blogs for a while, from the time I wrote travel blogs, I like to think that I’m a storyteller. One characteristic of a storyteller is to be quite emotive. How else do you create a connection with the reader? How do you make them resonate with your story? I’ll tell you where I’m going with this. I will share my authentic self and embrace vulnerability.
I am someone who has lived and grown up in 4 countries. Each of these countries has shaped me as a person. The causes that I believe in, I will champion with all of my might. One of these is Pink Shirt Day. A campaign by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand to take a stand against bullying. Every year without fail, I ask my colleagues to participate in that. Like me, I know there are a lot of people who have experienced bullying either their entire lives, or at school, or at work, or elsewhere. I know first-hand the impact bullying at a young age can have on an adult. It is also the experiences that make me spread kindness. There is so much negativity and hatred out there that we need more people to be kind. Whilst there will be people who will say that this is not ‘work talk’, I would like to believe that if I had someone working for me who had experienced this, I can create a safe environment for them and provide them with a platform to thrive in.
I have said it before, and I’ll say it again; events are one of the most stressful jobs. There are a lot of late nights, working 16 hours a day, being on-site, working through the weekends, and more. No, this is not a badge of honour but rather a reality of working in this industry. Those who work in it know that this is part of the package and do it wholeheartedly day in and day out. But there comes a time when the energy is low. You’re trying to put your run sheet together, which in itself is a mammoth task, but other things keep getting pushed in, which means the run sheet keeps getting pushed back. Your back is against the wall, and your fight is with time. You need a lot more of it, but you just don’t have enough until you’re at pack-in. This is when event professionals are truly tested. You’re trying to be professional, but at the same time, you’re not wanting to speak out because of the fear of letting someone else down. What do you do then?
I truly believe that if you can share a part of who you truly are, that is a superpower. If you can get the courage to share how you’re feeling and be vulnerable, there is immense strength in that.
If there were no barriers or parameters or any worries, what would your true, authentic self be?
Until next time,
Mili
Grab an AAA pass to my journey of chasing my goal and get a BTS look into becoming a promoter:
Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | LinkedIn
Share this blog with someone who might like reading it
