It's storytime. Gather 'round.

I clutched my wife Meagan's hand as we made our way through the line. It was hot and humid as hell in that room, sort of like trying to breathe through a wet blanket. (Welcome to Omaha, folks.) My heart was beating so hard it felt like it might be trying to escape my chest. I ignored all of these things. I was determined.

As we inched closer, I reminded Meagan that I have two talking speeds when meeting folks I truly admire. One is a nonstop flood of babble that I usually have to be pulled away from. The other is where I open my mouth and no sound comes out at all. Nothing. Not a peep.

Then I asked Meg to be my voice in case I didn't have one. I told Meg what to say: that I absolutely positively love her work in the world, that she is makes me and a lot of others feel seen, and that I especially love her work on Star Trek: Discovery. And then this happened.

Who has the power to render me speechless? Tig Notaro. Why do I absolutely adore this human?

She's not polished at all. She doesn't make billions of dollars. She went home to a wife in LA and two twin seven-year-old boys.

There's no room for glam in that. She is unapologetically herself. Period.

If you look her up, you'll see immediately that not everyone gets her. And she gives no s.

She isn't just a standup comedian. She's a comedian and a human who really stands up. And that's what renders me speechless.

What does this have to do with marketing? The bro marketers out there would tell you it has nothing to do with marketing.

I say it has everything to do with marketing.

When you represent yourself and your business as you really are, that's when the magic happens. That's when your ideal people are drawn to you. That's when people pop up out of the woodwork just to talk to you.

Tig talking about her own experiences makes me feel seen and heard. Like I'm not alone, or the only one who thinks that way. Like I'd cross a crowd of sweaty humans just to shake her hand.

Over to you. How do you talk about your experiences? How are you representing yourself? Is it the version social media wants? Or is it the version your ideal clients would climb a mountain to hear?

Hint: to get more ideal clients, choose the second option. 😎