Not everyone wants to read it. But some people need to.
What if the story you’re scared to tell is the one someone else needs to hear?
The first time I ever wrote publicly about my mental health, my mum messaged me.
She wasn’t angry. Just concerned.
"Why would you share something so personal?" she asked.
"Doesn’t that make people uncomfortable? Does anyone even want to read that?"
I paused before replying. Because I understood exactly where she was coming from.
She, like many women of her generation (and mine tbh!), was taught to keep the hard stuff private. To get on with it. To keep things ‘professional.’ Especially at work. Especially as a woman.
Pain wasn’t something you talked about. It was something you powered through.
But that post, the one she read, was about a panic attack I had while trying to run a business, hit deadlines and look like I had it all together.
It wasn’t written for sympathy and it certainly wasn’t a personal brand play. Instead, it was written for someone I didn’t know, but knew existed. Someone who felt like I did.
Spinning out of control, dizzy with fast moving dark thoughts. Trying to look competent while quietly breaking down behind the scenes.
So I told my mum the truth.
Not everyone wants to read it. But some people need to.
Why I share the harder bits (and always will)
There’s a fine line in storytelling, especially in business, between being open and being exposed.
I think about that line often. I’m not someone who spills everything online. There are plenty of things I don’t share, and never will. But when I do choose to share a vulnerable story, like struggling with anxiety, or the pressure to perform while falling apart, it’s because I know how lonely those moments can be.
And I know the power of someone saying“Oh. It’s not just me.”
It’s not a marketing strategy or a sales technique. And it’s not manipulation either. It’s human connection. And that’s the very reason stories exist in the first place and why they matter so damn much.
This is not performance
We’ve created a culture, especially online, where vulnerability can start to feel like performance. And sometimes, it’s hard to tell whether a story is being told to connect or to convert.
So let me say this clearly:
When I talk about my mental health, it’s not for attention or to appear relatable or on trend (FFS…)
It’s because I know what it feels like to look strong on the outside while completely falling apart inside. And I also know that as a storyteller, someone with language, perspective, and choice, I have the privilege and the power to speak up in a way that makes someone else feel less alone.
That’s it.
The real reason I tell my story
I tell my story, carefully, honestly, with boundaries, because I want to live in a world where more women feel safe to tell theirs.
It’s why I wrote The Roar of Her Story and it’s why I do what I do, working with women in business to help them get comfortable telling the truth of their story. Not a glossy, over polished version but one that is honest about what they’ve learned and what they’re still figuring out.
Because that’s the story we’re all in, really. The messy, beautiful middle.
A quiet invitation
If you have ever felt like your story doesn’t ‘belong; in your business, have been told to be authentic, but only if it’s upbeat or felt compelled to share something real, but were scared it was ‘too much’...
This is your reminder
You get to decide what you share.
You get to have boundaries (and get to change those boundaries as you need to)
Your truth, told on your terms, can change everything.
Not everyone will want to hear it. But someone, somewhere, might really need to.
And that’s more than reason enough.
If you’d like to find out more about telling your story and figuring out what’s right and what’s not for YOU to share, join me this Friday on Zoom at 11am for…
What’s Your Story? How to Figure Out What to Share (Without Oversharing)
🗓 Friday 6 June (yep, next Friday)
🕐 11am BST
📍 Live on Zoom
🎟 Free (ticket needed)
I’ll cover:
Why feeling stuck is totally normal, and how to move through it
The stories already living in your day-to-day experience
A super simple framework to get you started
What’s worth sharing and what’s better left unsaid (no TMI required)
And if you're ready to explore your story with more confidence and less pressure to perform, come join my community and accountability group, the She Roars Club.
We’re building something honest, brave, and quietly powerful. Just like you.