To be authentic means to be your true self with everyone, whether that be in your personal life or at work. My authentic self is someone who cares a lot for others, overthinks at times, wants to build good, steady connections with everyone I interact with, and wants to have fun. I love to read and watch movies. I am obsessed with football and finding ways to include it in my theatre curriculum. I adore spending time with family and friends. Travel (specifically to Disney) is one of my favorite things, but my favorite place to be at the end of the day, most days, is my bed.

As a leader, it can be hard at times to show your authentic self. To me, I feel like professionalism takes over my world some days. I have to force myself to remember that it’s okay to show who I am to my co-workers, students, and peers. By being authentic, I can build the relationships I want to and discover new things about others based on the conversations we have. Also, by being authentic, the pressure that sometimes lives in a workplace goes away. I have never had an experience where being authentic cost me as a leader. If anything, it has helped me in every work environment I’ve been in.

Am I always a perfect leader? No, but I think that is important for those you work with to see. I also think that being imperfect helps a leader connect with those they are working with. Being imperfect makes us more human.