Summary: If you believe you don’t belong, it can feel pretty painful. A sense of not belonging runs deep. It might even be something you’ve carried with you since childhood. In this episode, I dive deep into the whole issue of not belonging, and I share some vulnerable stories of my own. We often don’t talk about our feeling of not belonging because that admission is loaded with so much shame, and a deep sense that there’s something wrong with us. In fact, most of us feel this way from time to time, and when we understand that it can help diminish our shame. Often, we try to fix the issue by fixing the “wrong” parts of us, with the hope that we can make ourselves belong by conforming to others’ expectations. This episode explores a different way you can create your own sense of belonging. Instead of seeking your belonging in others, you can decide to find that belonging in yourself. You can learn to carry the spirit of belonging everywhere you go. This episode will help you do that. In this episode, I refer to the book by Canadian criminal defense lawyer, Marie Henein, Nothing But the Truth: A Memoir, (McClelland & Stewart, 2021). Her book is not overtly about belonging, yet her thoughtful recounting of how and why she’s made the choices she has is a brilliant example of how we can boldly create our own belonging.
