The Light She Carries!

I'm one of 10,000 people on my feet in this sold-out arena, applauding and dancing to a fun pump-up song…like we're willing a rock star onto stage.

We aren’t Swifties or Bieliebers.

No, we're fans of a different sort, anticipating hearing the former First Lady, Michelle Obama, in an interview!

?Is this déjà vu?

In this same arena, same week, same month, five years ago, we welcomed with the same electricity, her husband, former US President, Barack Obama, in an interview with the same person.

?This is Obama 2.0!

?Former First Lady and 3-time author, Michelle Obama, walks onto the stage, waving to the crowd, to the beat of Rachel Platten’s perfectly themed, Fight Song:

?“This is my fight song, Take back my life song, Prove I'm alright song, My power's turned on Starting right now I'll be strong, I'll play my fight song, And I don't really care if nobody else believes, Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me”

?Why perfectly themed?

Inspiring Hope to overcome Obstacles and Taking Action by Modeling Equality and Excellence describe the Obama “team”.

She prefers "team" to define the equal partnership/relationship with her spouse, evidenced in the first question about Barack surrendering his future into Michelle's hands when he considered running for President, knowing if he won, it would need to be a family decision. So he asked her.

?It WASN'T an immediate, YES.

?Despite Michelle Obama’s confidence and credentials, when Barack offered her the power to ultimately make that decision, she was gripped with fear.

She wanted to say, no, but in analyzing why, her fear wasn’t a warning of danger, rather it was simply alerting her to a fear of change, fear of what it would mean for her family, fear of moving out of her comfort zone.

With that understanding, coupled with her belief that he would make a great President, she knew her answer was YES.

She offered this story as a ‘lesson’ to young leaders in the audience, adding that what’s on the other side of fear, is opportunity.

One example of the benefit of moving beyond fear for her has been getting to hang with Oprah!

(She couldn’t guarantee the exact same benefit for you and me!)

But this willingness to express her vulnerability gives this 2.0 Obama visit to Atlantic Canada its own personality.

As much as the two share the same values and vision, this conversation is not simply an updated version of 5-years ago.

It’s a new conversation.

Why?

Tone! (And ‘shade’?)

?Where Barack is the inspiring orator, the way Michelle describes herself is exactly how we hear her converse on stage. She is a self-proclaimed “straight shooter”, a quality that has taken her far, graduating two Ivy League universities, becoming a leading attorney, then First Lady – breaking ground as America’s first black First Lady.

?When asked, who would she like to meet among those who’ve passed, she didn’t hesitate; former First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt because she was a leader in a time when women weren’t considered equal.

?While she admires the person, interestingly, she has distain for the title, “Lady”.

?With a ‘high girly voice’, she has the audience laughing, parodying its connotation as someone whose goal is to look pretty, to coyly smile longingly at her husband.

?We may be forgiven thinking she’s alluding to the First Lady who followed her.

?Michelle assures us she wasn’t ‘throwing shade’ when speaking of the ‘the Trumps’, simply telling it like it is.

?She says, ‘handing the White House over to the Trumps was a sad day’, because it represented two things: apathy toward voting (if we don’t vote, someone else decides for us) and a President not believing in “facts and science” concerned her. “You’ve got to have someone who reads”, she says! (referencing a report prepared for the next administration warning of a pandemic).

?The audience loved it.

?So, for the woman identified with the phrase, “when they go low, we go high”, she successfully walked the line.

Hope and Inspiration return:

?“Any of you can be where I am”.

This is where the experiences of hearing both Michelle and Barack unite – the tone changes from “straight shooter” to a shared passion for empowering young leaders.

This intention became a reality for 3,000 young “brilliant minds” in the audience whose tickets were generously sponsored. I was fortunate to partner with two colleagues and sponsors who believe the same. They asked me to invite 15 young leaders in my community who represent diverse cultures and countries.

?I know these young local leaders will be successful and contribute to our region’s success. They ‘moved mountains’ to attend. It’s this kind of commitment to learning, to seeing and taking advantage of opportunity that will serve them well in their life and career.

I'm imaginging the positive impact these 15 from my community and 3,000 around our region will have, perhaps creating a network of their own to support and encourage each other, making Atlantic Canada a more inclusive and dynamic home with a vibrant economy.

What did I learn about Michelle Obama’s personal brand in one hour on stage?

?It’s the same core ingredient for each of us. It’s to KNOW yourself, your strengths, your values, so you lead with purpose.

When asked, ‘how did you know what to do when you got into the White House’, she proudly acknowledged her educational and professional accomplishments, and her experiences of overcoming hard things.

For the Obama 'team', they both appear united in the hope that by living with purpose and overcoming hard things, they can inspire the next generation and create hope for the world's future.

They put that hope into action by equipping young people to lead (including preparing them to become President of their country) through establishing the Obama Foundation, whose mission is to “inspire, empower, and connect them to change their world”.

As a life-long learner, while wanting to be fully present for the 2.0 Michelle Obama experience, I also took a few quick notes and quotes as favourte takeaways:

• KNOW yourself, Believe in yourself, Own your strengths and accomplishments
• To Fear is to be human, distinguish fear from danger and discover what's on the other side of fear
• Pursue Excellence, Equality, Education
• Live your Values, Take Action to Empower Next Gen Leaders????
• Her whispering gratitude into Nelson Mandela's ear. Madiba was aging when she and her daughters visited him. She wasn't sure if he knew who they were but wanted to express her appreciation. Her way of connecting to say "Thank You" is a moment of compassion to remember, and her insight of him is one to share: Keep working to do what’s right, because you believe in it, not for recognition or reward.

“I whispered gratitude into his ear” because of all he sacrificed and for the work he did while in prison without knowing if it would ever come to anything, but he chose to do it anyway. ?

Favourite Quotes (not in order):

1. Opportunity is on the other side of Fear
2. Nobody can make you feel bad if you feel good about yourself - so get out of other people’s mirrors
3. I will out-work you, out-think you, work harder, faster…
4. We need to be better adults, be better with inclusion, invest in kids of all backgrounds
5. Put aside misogyny and racism
6. Normalize what is often painful and shameful
7. Be Compassionate and Contribute
8. I will never stop working for you (to the younger generations)

Here's your chance to contribute to the conversation!

What is your favourite quote?

#michelleobama #obamafoundation #cooperativecouncil

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SHINE on LinkedIn and in Life!

I'm Eleanor, Brand Strategist and Storyteller, guiding you to discern your inner genius and transform it into your personal brand story, to be distinguishable and discoverable on LinkedIn. Let's connect!

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