92: The Stories I Held Back
Finding Your Signature Story — The One You Keep Almost Telling
In this solo episode, I’m sharing my own signature story — the one I almost didn't tell. The deeper story with all the details lives in my book Unfussy Life. This is the first time I’ve talked it out like I did here.
Every writer has a story they keep almost telling. A moment they mention in passing, then move past like it's not a big deal. It's always a big deal — but not in the sense of it needing to be a Netflix feature. Though maybe it is.
This story — it’s your signature story. Which is not your whole life explained in 50,000 words, but the moment (or handful of moments) that explains why you do what you do. And it’s the foundation for your work, blogs, and even your book.
This week, you’ll hear mine: the ten-year-old with sketchbooks full of fashion designs, the one question that made me close the sketchbook for nearly two decades, the safe road into the corporate world, three layoffs in five years, and the aha moments that I only recognized when looking back.
You’ll hear about the dream that finally shook me awake and pushed me to finish Unfussy Life.
If you've got a version of yourself tucked in a drafts folder, a journal, or a document you haven't opened in years — this episode is for you.
In this episode:
The childhood sketchbook and the question that closed it for good
When the "safe" corporate road stopped feeling good
Getting laid off three times in five years — and what it revealed
The dream that finally pushed me to finish the book
Why your signature story is the foundation everything else is built on
How Authentic Visibility helps you find and build around your own signature story
Links mentioned in this episode:
Unfussy Life by Jacqueline Fisch
Authentic Visibility — live 4-week intensive, starting July 13. Join Authentic Visibility now —>
Timestamps:
00:00 The Story You Almost Tell
00:53 What Is a Signature Story?
02:37 Creative Kid to Closed Sketchbook
05:01 Taking the Safe Road
05:38 Meeting Love and Moving Countries
07:55 Layoffs and Finding Writing Work
10:30 Quitting Corporate for Freedom
11:25 Blogging and Becoming a Writer
12:57 Drafting the First Big Book
14:20 Memoir Realization and Finishing
17:37 Why Your Story Matters
20:42 Invitation to Authentic Visibility
22:49 How to Join and Closing
