This is Us featuring Author and Ted Talk speaker Michelle Petties, about Leaving Large Part 2

We continue discussing with Michelle Petties., her book, and the mentoring program about Leaving Large.

“Life will work for me when I accept … The labels placed on me don’t always fit.

With its structures, expectations, and divisions, society has fostered certain ideas about women that are not always flattering. Many people believe that strong women are not feminine and that assertive women cannot be trusted. My all-time favorite is that women who exhibit any degree of clarity about who they are and what they want are dangerous. Do not forget that a bossy woman is domineering, making her the B word. We won’t bother to mention the myths that women are not as smart as men or that they cannot handle money as well. The point is some people believe these things about women, and some of these are women!

Labels define. Often, labels set up expectations. Labels prescribe how much, how little, and sometimes how long a thing can be used. Labels are descriptive. Labels are protective, and labels can be removed. It just may be that the time has come to take the labels off women. It is probably more accurate to say it is time for women to take the labels off themselves.

For a woman to realize that she is more than a mother, more than a wife, more than what she earns or what she does to earn a living, she must know her worth. This means she must test herself and her limits. A woman must learn to describe herself and establish her expectations for herself. She must encourage herself, support and nurture herself, be willing to be disliked, and violate the descriptions and confines imposed on her. 

My guest is doing the work today, paying the dues, and gracefully managing the rewards.

The first inscription in her new book is a quote from Maya Angelou: “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

My guest personifies a butterfly and has come this week to share her journey. Her story will amaze, encourage, and excite anyone who has ever felt left out, left behind, or left over.

Listen, be inspired, and share.

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    Until next time, remember,

• You are not alone.

• You are not your circumstances.

• You have everything within you to live a purpose-filled life.