Hi y’all

Last night I was listening to the re-broadcast of yesterday’s edition of Out From the Inside (click the link and scroll down to the archived show) Nathan Manske and I were discussing the power of sharing our stories as LGBTQandA people and how those stories are impacting our collective consciousness. I love stories. I love to tell them and  love to hear yours. That is one of my favorite things about this awesome community. It’s also part of the reason why I was given the opportunity to host the show on Hay House Radio.

As some of you are aware, last June I attended the Hay House Movers & Shakers workshop (now called Speak, Write, Promote -check it out). The workshop was an informative jam packed blast, and it changed my life. I haven’t shared an important part of that experience on this Facebook page, so no time like NOW. Right?

The workshop was held aboard a cruise ship where we sailed around the Caribbean attending daily sessions AND getting a tan AND swimming with colorfully weird looking fishies and stingrays AND visiting remote islands AND eating waaaay too much great food.  I might have had a bit of wine too. I don’t remember. Conveniently. I’m not a big drinker, but it was a FESTIVE week.  (You’ll see how the yummy and waaaay too tempting buffets impacted me in the video at the end of the post- Thankfully, things have gotten a bit lighter lately!)

(Scoping out the stingrays -and the women!)

(Comrades in lobster)

The very best part of the week was all the new friends I made. Some of them have appeared on the show and many of them are contributors to this community. For me, the best thing in life is connecting with new people. That’s why I value and adore each of you so much.

The other workshop participants were people who are engaged in personal campaigns to change the world. I met spiritual teachers and healers, aspiring authors from multiple genres, self-empowerment gurus and all sorts of positively energized light workers. That energy made the ship’s theater seem on the verge of levitating during the sessions. Or maybe that was rough seas, but still….

After hearing loads of informative tips about how to take a message to the world, all of the workshop participants were asked to submit their book proposals and a short video. The assignment for the video was to give a short personal introduction followed by a moving story and to end with a challenge to the viewer.  Simple enough. From the submitted videos, winners would be chosen for an opportunity to host an online workshop or a radio show on Hay House Radio.

Here’s the thing…. I never expected to be chosen. I never believed for one minute that among all of the wonderful people on that ship doing such amazing work that my video would stand out. Honestly,  I thought that the subject matter of my work in the LGBTQ community would be way outside what they were looking for. Hay House is as friendly to LGBTQ people as a company can be, but I just didn’t believe they would agree to devote an hour each week to this topic or that they would think that I was the person to do it.  Even more, I wasn’t sure there was a big enough audience to support this kind of show. In short, I didn’t believe.

I think you may see where I’m going with this-

Basically, I was thinking exactly the kind of thoughts that I teach people to overcome! DING!!!! I am now happy to say that I was joyfully, gratefully, ridiculously wrong, wrong WRONG! Hay House did want to create the show, and they did want me to host it. And the number of you who listen each week is an incredible thing to behold!

Somehow, through pursuing an opportunity to teach about authenticity and the gift of being LGBTQ, I forgot to remember how to make that my focus. Big lesson. Great lesson.

So don’t ever imagine that being gay might somehow limit your opportunities. Don’t ever assume that being as out and as authentically you as possible is not wise. BELIEVE!  Believe in yourself, and by that I mean believe in ALL of you. Put it out there- loud and proud! That’s when the magic things happen.

Here’s the video I submitted for the contest-

On the show next week we’ll be celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month. We’re having a virtual Pride Parade. Join me! And thanks again for listening and sharing your stories.