Step 2

My second interview was with Dr. Rockquemore. As many of you may or may not know that the first time I saw Dr. Rock. was as a keynote speaker at the Women’s Leadership Symposium last summer. I was moved by her honesty and I could not believe that someone of her caliber had gone through some of the things she was talking about. She was a successful(tenured, published) professor, how could that be? In addition, she let her audience know that each person there has gifts, talents and deserves to live their life following their passion.

Yeah, okay! But here I am.

It was that keynote that started the ball rolling even when I did not want it to keep rolling. What she did for me I would like to do for someone else.

I was extremely nervous when I interviewed her because I really wanted to get something out of it that would help me move from where I was to where I needed to go. Well, that is exactly what I received.

How do you recognize that this is a gift/your passion?
When I am speaking, I feel content, most alive, high energy, lose track of time, present in the moment, happiest?

I walked away from this interview with the permission to let all the should haves and would haves Go! Because they were/are interfering with my current plans to find and follow my passion. All of that “baggage” is not useful and is a hindrance to my success. This is key for many people including myself.

Something that was extremely surprising and humbling is that she struggles with public speaking anxiety. By listening to her speak you would never have guessed it- well at least I did not. She does not let her anxiety hinder the message that she is trying to convey and is necessary to hear.

Her message to me:
Fine tune YOUR message
WHO is your target audience?
Look for opportunities to share YOUR message
You will improve your craft through practice-expectations

She was the second person to also bring up the point about expectations. She allows herself the freedom to not be perfect and by giving herself that freedom, she is able to learn, share and listen.

As a speaker, you definitely get to travel and she enjoys traveling

A final questions I asked:
Do you ever feel overwhelmed?
Yes, but it usually is that I have overcommitted myself. I recognize it and try to get out of some engagements if possible.

It really helped me to get a bit more real about my dream/goal/target by doing this interview. Thank you!