Vulnerability and dancing through it

Vulnerability. It has often been looked at as a weakness in business, but (with the help of my business partner and best friend) I was reminded again that its actually a strength. It’s a sign of strength to let your emotions out so that you can restart with a clear head to keep going. It’s a strength to show authenticity and to be a human, even as a CEO or a leader. It’s a strength to own who you are versus pretend to be someone you aren’t. It’s a strength to show up even when people try to kick you down. It’s a strength to show the world that your intelligence, capabilities, and power is not because of a nice suit and a fake smile. You are still a leader and can own a room (as our EVP likes to remind me) in sneakers and a hat versus always in heels. You are powerful no matter what because its who you are and no one can take that away from you.

For those who know me well and for my team, it’s a long standing joke whenever our marketing team asks us to do a TikTok page, that I say “Tracy doesn’t dance in front of cameras!”  But you know what, as embarrassing as it is, I wanted to show up today with real authenticity and vulnerability in one take as it was truly happening. When I hit a road block, even as a startup CEO, I sometimes cry and I dance it out. I move my energy so it gets out of clouding my head and I can go back to smiling and loving what I do. So thats exactly what I did and it worked and I want to share with you all that we should be so proud of who we are and what we have accomplished.

Here is your reminder that you cannot control people, but you can control the impacts they have on you. You have control over your happiness and the joy you share with others. If you need to cry, then cry, and then keep on showing up happy. Life is way too short to have anything or anyone steal your joy. And its our job to spread that joy.

So team, as embarrassing as it is to show me dancing (we still aren’t doing a tiktok!), with mascara on my face from tears because you know what, it was a hard day, here it is. I am showing up to remind everyone- on our team and those who aren’t- that hard days don’t change who you are and that you are still powerful. Enjoying the work you do with the people you do it with is worth more than anything. That the new generation of leadership is leading the way for authenticity and vulnerability versus leading with fear and fake smiles so keep carrying that message through day in and day out.

So challenge is on…. Who will be next to film themselves? Jenn? Patt? Lizzy? Keep carrying on the TRAX dance party.

You are powerful and never forget it.

T