Discomfort can take many forms, and that is exactly what we tackle today with our new episode of Lucky to Be Here with Marta Spirk.
Marta Spirk is a professional singer, TEDx speaker, best-selling author, and speaking coach who helps established business owners transform their message into a powerful signature talk. She now teaches how to turn experience into stories, including through her award-winning book “The Empowered Woman: The Ultimate Roadmap to Business Success”.
Throughout our conversation, Marta opens up about her life experience, discussing the cultural influences that shaped her desire to live abroad, the challenges she faced during her multiple transitions by herself and with her family, and how her experiences as an immigrant and a mother of triplets have informed her work in empowering others through storytelling and coaching. The conversation delves into the complexities of identity, family dynamics, and the entrepreneurial spirit that drives Marta to help others articulate their unique stories and find their own voice after succeeding at embracing her own.
Last week, we talked about what helps us feel less alone as we navigate through the discomfort. I shared my own example of the last year growing into my entrepreneur self, and how looking for those who have gone through the process, or are going through it alongside, made a huge difference. But there are other moments where the discomfort propels us in a different direction, our communities and relationships may not meet us in that process, and our determination drives us no matter what. That is a throughline in Marta’s story.
What stood out to me about our conversation with Marta was her clarity and determination about living in the United States from early on, and how much of her story was fundamentally shaped by her relationships: with her family, with her husband, with her kids, and now with her clients and community. For many of us, our becoming happens in parallel with a growing sense of discomfort in our communities of origin. For Marta, like for myself, growing up in a household with a specific style of parenting and surrounding culture became increasingly challenging, and it fueled what she defined as her “cry for independence”. She was faced with the discomfort of hard truths, as her growth led to unbearable discomfort with the system she used to be a part of. She faced a key challenge of our growth: accepting and letting go.
In her case, her next step was getting married and moving abroad to become an international student. But that cry of independence was only the first step in a series of stages that confronted her with her sense of self and who she was becoming, including her own experience as a mom. The cumulative impact of her growth, and the discomfort that came with it, also became fuel for her to take the next big move at each point, including her moving back to the United States as a family of seven and starting her own business in parallel to raising triplets.
Through each of these moments, and the discomfort they sparked, Marta shares the question that kept her going: What is the last hard thing I have done?
Reminding herself what she had already managed to overcome and achieve as she was going through each challenging moment became an anchor to reconnect with who she is and what she is made of at each moment. When we are able to look back and see our power play out at each moment of discomfort, we are also able to remember that we can trust ourselves, that we have what we need, and that we can and will figure out what is best for us each time.
This is the question that I want to leave you with today, especially in those moments that feel really heavy or overwhelming: What is the last hard thing you have done? I hope you remember that, and know that you have your back. I am here to support you, too.
Did this reflection or Marta’s story resonate with you? Let me know by replying back. I look forward to hearing from you.
See you next week for wrapping up this month by celebrating (me getting older, among other things),
