Business is not linear. It’s circular. Messy and raw. If you’re very new to helping people improve their lives — it’s easy to see that formulas and mindset alone don’t cut the cheese. 🧀 Humans have trauma. Shitty parents. Failed relationships. Shadows Demons And bitterness… You’ve tasted freedom and want to share vulnerably. But it can be terrifying. Traditional bro marketing doesn’t get to the heart (or solar plexus or G-center). It falls flat, like opening an oven on a perfect loaf of bread before it’s done. 🍞 So, like a good self-help marketer, you start sharing your story. Then it hits you like a wheel of cheese! 🧀 (Lactose-intolerant people: continue reading at your own risk. It gets more cheesy.) You hardly know your own story. 🤯 This happened to me. Honestly, it happened more than I care to admit. The key to good marketing is storytelling (relatability), but the fondue 🫕 of good marketing is… VULNERABILITY Messy, icky, sticky, wiki, cheesy stories. AND, if you are going to be an effective coach, spiritual practitioner, or trauma work specialist, and use your story for marketing — you need to be ready. Now comes the tough part to hear… Telling your story without healing is extremely triggering and will only put you back at square one. Note: this is trauma-specialist approved! @Jes Divine, as a public speaker and Yale informant for complex trauma, taught me and other survivors: Timeline your life. Do SHADOW work. (We call it tunnel work.) Learn who you are. Forcing yourself to tell your story will only put you back at square one. And that’s where the vulnerability hangover comes in. You don’t have to force yourself to do anything. How are you feeling? Lighter or like melted cheddar? Your healing matters. Your future community matters. YOU matter. Please let me know how this resonated with you. P.S. I’m craving a grilled cheese sandwich. 🥪