You have a story worth telling

Here are some resources that might help.

Last spring, my husband and I drove through Waco, Texas— the home of Chip and Joanna Gaines, the masterminds behind HGTV’s smash hit “Fixer Upper.”

As one does when passing through Waco, we stopped at “The Silos,” a two-block shopping complex owned by the Gaines family that feels like Pottery Barn and Disney World had a baby. While I found the home decor boutiques insultingly overpriced, two things stood out to me:

1. The “Shiplap” vanilla cupcake at The Silos Baking Company (that buttercream 🤤!)

2. A towering mural that read: “Everyone has a story worth telling.”

Mural at The Silos in Waco, TX (Photo Credit: Amy Whitlock)

At the time, I had just embarked on my memoir-writing journey. I was grappling with doubts, wondering if my life story of growing up in Mexico, heading to the United States to build my American dream, only to leave it all behind at the height of my career for a more simple, nomadic life—and ultimately, back in Mexico— was compelling enough.

I wondered, would anyone care?

This mural stirred something in me, so much that I now have a photo of it (taken by my amazing photographer friend Amy Whitlock) as my computer screensaver. It serves as a constant reminder: yes, everyone—including you, me, and your neighbor—has a story that someone wants and needs to hear.

Sharing to Reconnect with Ourselves

Last week, the wonderful writer, Rocío Lucero Cadena, found my story compelling enough to publish it in Mexico News Daily as part of her fascinating series “My American Dream is in Mexico” (you can read the article Rocío wrote here).

This series features a growing trend among Mexican-Americans, who like me, are reclaiming their heritage by choosing to live in Mexico— a form of “reverse migration”.

When the article was about to be published, I was nervous, wondering: Had I shared too little? Too much? Was my journey really as “story-worthy” as I hoped? Butterflies filled my stomach as I clicked on the story link, unsure of what I would feel.

The emotions flooded in as I started reading. Seeing my story unfold through Rocío’s writing, from how my parents met in Mexico City, to leaving my successful American career, to moving into a camper and coming back to my roots in Mexico made me feel, well, like a badass. Or as we’d say in Mexico, “bien chingona” ☺️.

Sharing my story with Rocío and her readers reminded me of why sharing our story matters: our stories don’t just connect us with other people and their experiences; they also reconnect us with ourselves.

The process of sharing—whether it’s through an article, a memoir, or even a heartfelt conversation—is a powerful way to reflect on how you’ve grown and stepped into a wiser version of yourself.

Telling Your Story: Some Resources

This past Saturday marked the end of my year-long Memoir Writing Certificate class, a transformative experience with the award-winning writing teacher and coach, Marni Freedman and Tracy Jones, writer, editor, and President of the International Memoir Writers Association. It was an emotional moment to wave goodbye on Zoom to my classmates—now friends—with whom I’ve shared my stories, my writing, and my tears for an entire year.

Through this course, as students, we didn’t just become better writers and storytellers; we became stronger as people. We learned that our most vulnerable stories—the ones that feel the scariest to share—are often the most powerful and worth telling.

If you’ve been feeling an inner nudge to document your story, whether to publish and share it with the world or simply to preserve it for your family, I highly recommend this course, which begins its next cycle on Saturday, January 25, 2025.

I also invite you to join me this February at the San Miguel de Allende Writers’ Conference, an event I’ve been privileged to help organize this year. The conference features many memoir-focused classes by some incredible women, including:

• Remembrance of Things Past: Making Memoir From Personal Experience with Keynote, Jennifer Clement

• Finding Your True Story and Turning it Into Memoir with

  Ann Hood

• Time in Memoir: A Chronology of Its Own with

  JUDY REEVES

• Making Memoir Work: Tips for Creating Plot and Broadening Relevancy in Personal Narrative with

  Courtney Maum

• Craft Matters: Eight Tricks of the Trade Every Memoir Writer Should Consider with Jennifer Leigh Selig
  
  ...and so many others! You can learn about the full line-up of memoir-related classes and intensives here.

Writing a memoir to share your story may not be your thing, but you can still share your story with the world, if that calls to you.

For some of us, that might take form as a social media post, for others, a podcast interview, or maybe just a conversation.

No matter the format, remember that you, yes YOU, have a story worth telling.

Might 2025 be the time to make it happen?

With love,