Your Backstory is Your Freedom

This first appeared in The Havok Journal in August 2019.

Sharing our backstory through written or spoken word not only entrusts you to tell others more, but it gives those reading or listening permission to share the hard parts of their lives too.

One of our greatest fears is that if we show our true selves, the world will say, “Oh, it’s just you.” But being just you is actually the best and most perfect thing you could ever be. It’s exhausting to live an inauthentic life.

If you look at those that you admire, why do you like them? Because their life is perfect? No, I’ll bet you it’s not the first thought that crossed your mind. I bet it’s because those people have shared their pain with you in person or on their platform and are still getting after their life.

We recently were made aware of Josh Boyer’s podcast, My Backstory, where he invites guests on to the podcast to speak on mindset, philosophy, recovery, and what it takes to persevere through this crazy ride we call life. Josh Boyer is a rising star in the podcast scene! The first episode that introduced us to My Backstory is Ben ‘Mookie’ Thomas, former Navy SEAL, Private Military Contractor turned Marketing executive. Please listen to Mookie and Josh here and if you want to tune into one of our favorite parts, fast forward to 1:40:25:

We then dove into another podcast about the Backstory of Clark Impastato. Clark is a former Navy SEAL, Private Military Contractor, Law Enforcement Officer who transitioned into entrepreneurship. You should catch that one here:

We know you are busy, so if you can’t listen to it all in one hit, we highly suggest you start at 43:45 in Clark’s Backstory.

Both men dive deep into their backstory and share it with vulnerability and authenticity, both attributes are regarded as important to many, but it seems to be rare to find in many other humans in this day and age.

We see the power in Josh Boyer’s podcast, My Backstory. Why, you ask? Because vulnerability often operates like a butterfly effect. One person’s authenticity inspires another person’s courage and empowers them to speak out about the hidden parts of their story. When you see another person operating in this type of freedom, it’s hard not to crave that same liberation in your own life. When we withhold telling our stories, we could be withholding someone else’s freedom. We also withhold ours. Who will you help liberate with speaking or writing your truth?