This next story comes from someone I look up to, and respect so, so very much. Louise Gleeson is one of the most talented writers I’ve ever read. Her words take me to magical places far away, painting beautiful pictures and conjuring more emotion than I ever thought possible. She’s also one of the kindest human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, and she’s the kind of mother we all wish we could be.

Truly, she’s one of my heroes.

I’m honoured to share her story of courage here, and to always remind her that the joy she gets from writing sends wonderful ripples through our world as we, her readers, get to experience her gift, too.

Louise, thank you for having the guts to walk away from the career that wasn’t meant for you. xox

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I’ve always felt more comfortable doing what is expected of me. And I also have a tendency to want others to feel happy about my choices… which I eventually learned means those choices weren’t mine at all.

Because I was strong in math and science, I felt compelled to pursue a career in the field. It held prestige and certainty, and I knew it would make my parents proud.

But it didn’t fill me with the same joy as writing stories.

The bravest thing I have ever done, was to walk away from the career I had spent decades working towards, and instead make the choice to declare myself a writer.

It still scares me. But that’s what I love most about it.

The #ShowMeYourBrave Project asks people, “What’s the bravest, scariest, or most intimidating thing you’ve ever done?”. The idea of the project is to share stories of everyday bravery and human resilience to bring us closer together. In sharing, we not only find our voices, but we find support, allies, and others who have faced similar challenges. If you would like to submit your story, we would love to feature your bravery here.