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 Yesterday was National Latina Day, honoring the culture, achievements, and strength of Latina women around the world 
Speaking of which… 41% of professional women say they don’t self-advocate enough or at all. The numbers go up for women of color.
Honestly, this was a challenge for me as well. How do I advocate for myself, without feeling like I’m selfish and demanding attention?
There’s a key tool I’ve found to be very helpful… Storytelling.
Storytelling is powerful and can help share more about you, without feeling like you are broadcasting or boasting.
Below is a simple framework, that I learned from Glo Atanmo, to help you tell your story, naturally.
Her successful entrepreneurial career started as a solo black woman travel blogger.
(Talk about breaking biases!)Â Glo’s career was built on storytelling.
“Tell the story of the mountain you climbed. Your words could become a page in someone else’s survival guide.”
She says, your story should be an ACRE long….
A – Authentic
Choose a scene – not your entire life story – that is important to you. That you’re proud of. If it’s important to you, it’s truly authentic.
A scene is a specific segment – maybe a single project or chapter of your career.
The more specific you are, the greater the authenticity shines through.
When, where, with whom, how you felt. Details bring realness.
C – Confrontation
Talk about the pain point, the tension, the hard stuff. It’s ok to show that you struggled with something…all true leaders do.
Only the greatest achievements truly worth facing encounter challenges.
“The lotus comes from the murkiest water but grows into the purest thing.” – Nita Ambani
Don’t worry, the struggle doesn’t last. Your story goes on…
R – Revelation
What is the surprising takeaway or discovery you found? What did you learn from this experience that changed everything?
This highlights your ability to learn and adapt as a leader. This is also a gift to your listener.
You share your insights so the other person can more easily tackle similar challenges.
You just happen to be advocating for yourself while you are also giving value.
E – Evolution
What was the result, the value you created? Share the transformation that occurred. Contrast the before and after.
The focus ends on the impact that you made – not you as a person. The inspirational outcome.
However… it’s also clear that the only reason the impact happened at all, was because of you & your leadership!
That’s it!
Now go tell your ACRE long story…
A – Authenticity
C – Confrontation
R – Revelation
E – Evolution
And let you shine through!
“Tell the story of the mountain you climbed. Your words could become a page in someone else’s survival guide.”
Morgan Harper Nichols
Artist, Author, and Creator
