Living Authentically with Michelle Martin
Unsure of who she was in her teens, Michelle Martin manifested the pressure of having to be perfect by creating different self narratives to fit her different environment. Engulfed in shame, self judgment, insecurity and fear, it wasn’t until her son, who she raised as a single mother, left for college that Michelle realized the tremendous pressure and lengths she went to to keep up a facade of perfection. Engaging in some true self exploration including therapy and blogging, Michelle eventually took off the masks and began living a life of increased authenticity, and greater well-being, with fewer façades, less role-playing and a lot more fun. Michelle is an associate professor of social work at California State University Fullerton. She's a social worker and, in addition to her university responsibilities, provides clinical services at Dee’s house, a substance abuse treatment center for mature women in Huntington beach, California. Michelle has an MSW and a PhD in peace studies and has decades of experience working with women, experiencing a range of life challenges. She is the author of three academic books in human services and is in the process of completing her first trade non-fiction book, Aging Naked, a self-help/memoir targeting middle-aged women. What You Will Hear in This Episode: Michelle’s journey Personal reckoning and struggles with relationships Projecting perfection vs rebellion Shame Taking off the masks and living authentically Toxicity of not being authentic Advice on how to be more authentic Owning your story Aging and self awareness Aging Naked Quotes “I thought that being more honest with complete strangers was easier than being honest with the people closest to me. “ “The view that I had of the mistakes that I'd made in my life in my head were so big, they were unforgivable.” “Authenticity is the key to aging well.” “To me, that’s bad-ass. It's owning all of who you are, your whole story.” “I don't want to be impulsive. I want to be thoughtful.” “As I get older, I authentically care less and less about what people think.” .Mentioned: MichelleMartinAuthor.com https://bonniemarcusleadership.com/ https://web.facebook.com/bonnie.marcus/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonniemarcus https://twitter.com/selfpromote https://www.instagram.com/self_promote_/ Gendered Ageism Survey Results Forbes article 5 Tips to own the superpower of your age IAMMusicGroup Purchase my book Not Done Yet on Amazon: If you enjoyed this episode of Badass Women Podcast, then make sure to subscribe to the podcast and drop us a five-star review.