Been thinking for a while that a fun way to use this space might be to interview INCREDIBLE public speakers — AKA humans showing up out loud and making us all lean in and feel alive — on how they got there and what goes through their head.
Like a permission pop-up. A chance to spend time with someone inspiring and peek behind the scenes on the rituals they do and kind words they tell themselves.
So we might too.
So the permission spreads.
You know.
And! I got the perfect opportunity this week because my friend Michael Tubbs (married to my brilliant author pal Anna Malaika Tubbs) is running for Lt. Governor of CA and he’s one of those speakers who…
When you hear him on a stage you know you’re in the presence of sacred work.
He became the youngest mayor of any major American city when he won his campaign to lead the city of Stockton, CA — on that fateful night, Nov 8, 2016.
And then an advisor to our current CA governor, Gavin Newsom.
And now, today, for us, he took a quick break from talking about his platform to let us in on his story of figuring out how to hold a room and speak in front of others — from accidentally crying in front of everyone at church as a kid to feeling seen his first year at Stanford to telling a story about Barack Obama… to Barack Obama.
Watch for these gems:
Vulnerability as actual power
How to decide which stories to tell (possibly not the ones where we’re the main character!)
How to let go of old stories (like the cultural message not to share your business)
What to do in the moments before a big, scary something (and how to secretly use the crowd to help you prep)
What to do when you’re sick of what you always talk about (real!)
And how to get better at all of it
Michael confirmed so much of what I believe about this work — and also surprised me. See if you feel the same.
DM me or drop a comment if there’s someone you’d like me to interview!! Maybe I’ll do 1 or 2 of these a month and we can use it as a lab to see what themes emerge.
And what it says about the best of leadership in THIS moment.
And how we can all hold power out loud.
With empathy, as Michael says.
Needed.
Big love,
Samara
PS. If you’re based in California: THE PRIMARY IS JUNE 2ND! And voting has already begun! It’s haaaaaappening!
PPS. To learn more about Michael, here’s his campaign website.
