Unleashing my inner storyteller

In October, I told this story at Tales and Ales. I debated whether I should share the video online and whether to allow Tales and Ales to promote it. I worried about hurt feelings but came to the conclusion that this was my story to tell. And maybe, just maybe, someone will watch the video and it will help them. Maybe they need to hear how leaving is hard. Maybe they need to hear that with that hard decision comes freedom. Maybe they need to hear that they'll know when it is time.

The experience with Tales and Ales went beyond just telling a story; it helped me prioritize my time and energy. I had started working on my Ph.D. this summer and frankly, I did not enjoy the work. I completed my MBA in March and thought I'd keep the momentum going right into the Ph.D. program. While the MBA was challenging, I didn't dread the work like I did the academic style of reading and writing that was the foundation of the Ph.D. program.

As I was struggling to get through the reading in my second term, I was working on my Tales and Ales story. The latter came together (somewhat) effortlessly and I felt joy as I practiced and refined it. I wanted to move the audience and connect with them emotionally, something that would never happen with academic writing. So after just two terms, I dropped my classes and felt...freedom.