In this episode, you will learn the origin story of the episode. For a close to accurate transcript, continue reading.
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Hi everyone. My name is Kara. I'm a recovering workaholic who launched my own consulting firm in February of 2022 - just about 10 months ago if you are listening to this as it is being released. The last 10 months have allowed me to live my life motto in a way I've never been able to before...but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you how my life motto found me.
This is the origin story.
I was in Chicago, IL for a conference somewhere around 2005. It was definitely March or April because I was there for a conference and this specific conference is always in March or April - so it was certainly not warm in Chicago. However, it was nice enough on this particular Saturday morning that I decided to go for a walk outside before the conference started.
I left the Hyatt Regency Chicago and walked down N Stetson Avenue towards Millennium Park. Cloud Gate - the mirror ball - esque art sculpture wasn't there yet but was under construction and I had heard some of the attempts to block access to the usually open and accessible public park in Chicago and I wanted to see what the fuss was about.
If you've ever walked here, you know that there are a multitude of non-descript skyscrapers in the area. It's like walking through a valley of a concrete and brick canyon.
Walking through the street with these skyscrapers towering above can easily make me feel lost and removed from the experience. To stay grounded I like to look in the windows of the buildings.
On this specific morning, I glanced in one of those looming anonymous skyscrapers and saw this graffiti style art hanging on the wall. The graffiti style drew me in first. But then I read the words and my soul knew it found its guiding mantra. The words were "I Wanna Be Me When I Grow Up".
And, these words immediately became my life mantra. I use the phrase, "I Wanna Be Me When I Grow Up" as my identity in many places online including my newsletter, my personal website, and now this podcast.
This podcast is where I will share some of the articles I publish on those sites - usually with expanded content that's more exciting to me to speak than to write. I hope you join me in this next phase of my journey learning to be me when I grow up.
Please subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen and if you'd like to get my newsletter, join us at https://iwannabemewhenigrowup.substack.com/. Every episode will also be linked there.
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1 - The Origin Story