Being Vulnerable on Medium
Connecting with readers through shared struggles
To my 3.7K followers,
For the entire first year on Medium, I had a total of 9 followers.
I initially came here with the intention of sharing tips on parenting and home organizing, two areas I’m passionate about. I wanted to help others with my knowledge, but after months of discouragingly low reach, I stopped writing.
Over the next year, I found success sharing tips on Instagram and through workshops. However, there was always a nagging feeling that I wasn’t being authentic.
I portrayed someone who had it together, yet I recognized that I wasn’t completely myself to those I was reaching out to. I saw the challenges my audience was facing, but I wasn’t connecting with them in a way that explained how important it was for me to help others break the cycle of punitive or coercive approach to parenting, especially as its’ related to dealing with clutter in the homes.
I had a strong desire to connect all facets of my life that shaped me into who I am — acknowledging the source of my pain that turned into my passion to support struggling families.
At first, I was afraid to seem like a complainer or make it look like I was playing the victim, saying, “Poor me, look at my sad childhood.” But it felt…
