Before the Titles, There Was Me

My name is Erica, and I’m multi-passionate.

Most of my life, it’s been so easy to define myself in one word: I’m a student. I’m an account executive. I’m a community manager. I’m a director.

But after I left one title I held for eight years, I realized something: I can’t be just one thing.

The past year gave me the pause I didn’t know I needed, to rediscover who I am beyond productivity, beyond performance, beyond what I do for others.

Does that sound like a commercial for self-help woo woo? Maybe. But it was real.

Because the deeper question was this: Who was I beyond what I did for others? Mother, daughter, wife: those are beautiful roles. But they’re not the whole me.

I started to ask myself: What did I want to be as a kid, before society, family, and my own insecurity demons told me I was wrong?

The answer came quickly: I loved the stage. I loved the microphone. I loved helping others in a crowd, in a circle, one-on-one.

I am a speaker.

I am a coach.

I am a community builder.

I am a unicorn.

I’ve worn so many titles, but the ones that mattered most?

I buried them when life got busy, when survival took over, when burnout hit louder than joy.

But somewhere in that mess, I found myself again.

And when I say I’m a unicorn, it’s not just glitter and sparkle (though let’s be real, I love both).

It means I’ve stopped trying to fit into neat boxes.

I’ve embraced being different: multi-passionate, expressive, a little rebellious.

I’m not trying to tone it down anymore. I’m learning to take up space.

Close your eyes. Think about your childhood passions. Running through grass as fast as you could, unafraid of falling. Creating. Performing. Dreaming.

What would you do if failure or judgment didn’t exist?

Maybe you’re like me. A little tired. A little cracked open. But starting to remember. Remembering the sound of your own voice. Remembering who you were before the titles.

If that’s you, welcome.

I’m not here to tell you who to be.

I’m here to remind you that you’ve always been someone worth becoming.