In this week’s episode, we follow Francia through his travels across the globe while going inward to find his frequency and connect with his essence. Francia is an Entertainment Attorney by day and a multi-hyphenate Artist away from the desk: Singer-Songwriter, Actor, Model, TV Host, Voice Actor, Dancer, and Yogi.
Recording this episode was a true joy, so I cannot recommend you listening to it enough. But we also delve into what his experience moving from Venezuela to the United States felt like, and how the quest for thriving can be a coping mechanism for surviving for many of us. Overachieving feels like our path to safety. One of my favorites quotes from him:
“(...) I think my story is a collection of micro stories that unfold all over the world. And it really informs how I view the world, how I connect to other people, and always having something to relate to based on these experiences around the world.”
But these microstories do not happen in a vacuum, as none of ours do, and we also discuss that: the way in which learning about systems is part of our survival, and sometimes our gifts, like our smiles, can be weaponized to move forward in the direction of our ambition. But that is not costless, and we talk about how Francia came to confront that for himself when he was able to take a pause and reconnect with himself, opening to a whole new journey along with his beloved Magdalena, his foldable bike. (You can watch an absolutely gorgeous and moving short documentary on this on his website here.)
Today, I want to invite you to think about the microstories of our lives. (We will come back to systems next time, I promise.). Specifically, here is the question I leave for you to ponder on in the coming weeks:
What are the microstories that shape how I see myself and open up to others?
Like Francia, I have my own set of microstories, many of which I have shared with you and throughout the years: the story about commuting long hours to school, the stories about learning languages early on in life, the stories about my various visa pivots, and even not about launching my business…
The challenge with microstories is that sometimes they are so ingrained in us, that we grab them when relevant almost like on autopilot. It makes sense. But every now and then, it is helpful to pause and assess: what are the microstories that shape how I see myself today? What continues to speak to me? What does not? Are there other stories that feel more relevant to who I am today?
You know I love stories, so I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reactions to these questions. In the meantime, make sure to share and review Lucky to Be Here to support my work.
Next time, we travel from New Zealand to Berlin to delve into the systems we interact with and what happens when things do not go the way we expect them to and we face the reality of geographies of global inequality.
See you then,
