Welcome to Flourishing Authentically!

This blog looks to uncover, bring together, and simplify the many stories, examples, findings, and advice on going from “surviving to thriving.”

I was introduced to self-help at a young age, yet the path that led to me formally researching and writing on authenticity was not a straight path. Somehow, no matter the subject matter, authenticity and identity kept circling and weaving their way back in. Along the way, I ended up in an exciting, fast-paced, motivating, and fulfilling place…until I wasn’t.

To this day, I cannot point to any singular point in time that brought me into the slump or “out” of it. Instead, the “slump” became a part of my research. I journaled; read works across academic, popular, literary, and everything-in-between; formally and informally interviewed people, did field work and observations, tried out life coaching and met with a counselor; kept up my yoga practice, running, and other hobbies—you name it, it felt like I did it all. And, I treated it all as a form of “self-help” and research.

This has resulted in potentially my greatest body of research up until this point. I look to share highlights, snippets, musings, and generally just a lot of what helped me reach a “conclusion” on what it takes to flourish authentically.

One point I will say is that while it has led me to a framework—a living, breathing, ongoing practice/process that helps to guide my thinking and approach to life (waking up, work, relationships, family, health, fun, etc.), there absolutely is no one-size fits all. The process involves trial and error—thinking that you figured it out, and you kinda did, but you kinda didn’t—and a lot of excitement and forgiveness.

What I was surprised to find along the way, quite frankly, were applications beyond just for the individual. I realized this process, perhaps because it is not boxed-in, can help to bring people together, authentically construct “branding,” and be applied to people with a range of interests and forms of employment.

Ironically, perhaps I should not be surprised because the stories that I’m drawing from and sharing will be historical and contemporary, individual and group-based, archival or based on my own chats with inspirational folkx. The idea is to explore the context that centers authenticity, offer some inspiration to others, help us to navigate the current social context, and hopefully spark a broader movement that makes greater change to normalize flourishing (thriving vs surviving).

I decided on “Flourishing Authentically” because it can apply across contexts. I want to continue to better understand and make more accessible what it means to flourish—all of those terms of thriving, personal definitions of success and prosperity, creativity, and generally feeling “ALIVE”—while also embracing that this is an ongoing process. That is the authentic part—there are not any get-rich schemes, no generalized “secrets of success,” and also no taking one side (self-help is good/bad). It is a genuine exploration that will both be shared and must be altered to fit your life stuff (as you so choose).

I am happy to share this story with you as I hope to grow our stories together. More to come!