The Story Only You Can Tell

Bursting Through was built on curiosity. Curiosity about what connects us, how our lived experiences shape the way we move through the world, and the role the people who love us play in who we become.

I’ve always been fascinated by how people experience the world. How we make meaning of love, loss, identity, belonging, joy, grief, triumph, and all the moments that shape who we become.

I don’t think I ever fully realized how much being marginalized, in my case, gay, shaped my own experience. It’s not that I didn’t know from a young age that being gay wasn’t preferred by society. It’s nearly impossible to miss.

But it wasn’t until years of therapy, difficult self-reflection, and confronting some uncomfortable truths that I fully understood how deeply that experience shaped the way I moved through the world. I continue to learn and am often surprised by how marginalized people have to navigate a world that wasn’t designed with them in mind.

Writing about my own experiences and listening to the stories of others only deepened that understanding. Over time, I came to realize that authenticity isn’t something we achieve simply by declaring who we are. It grows from understanding why we think, feel, and move through the world the way we do.

Bursting Through gave me a container and the confidence to sit across from people, listen to their stories, and ask different questions. The kinds of questions I didn’t often hear others asking, but the questions I found myself genuinely curious about. The questions that helped people move beyond what happened and explore why it mattered.

Those questions led to Bursting Through stories. Stories of expanded love, compassion, and empathy. Stories that reveal how moments, both big and small, shape our relationships with ourselves and others.

Those stories became the foundation of Bursting Through and have surfaced in places like Bursting Through Connections digital magazines, the Bursting Through On Air podcast, and live events like National Out Ally Day. They are powerful, experience-based stories that remind us of our shared humanity at a time when understanding often feels in short supply.

For years, those stories belonged to the people generous enough to share them with me. They became Bursting Through stories, stories that helped others feel seen, understood, and less alone.

Over time, I began to wonder if there was a way to share more than the stories themselves. What if more people could experience the storytelling process for themselves? What if they had the opportunity to reflect on their own lives, explore the moments that shaped them, and create something meaningful from those experiences?

That question became The Human Connection Project.

The Human Connection Project is an opportunity to experience that process for yourself through a series of guided reflections and storytelling prompts.

Participants are invited to explore the moments, relationships, challenges, and experiences that shaped who they are. This experience is not a timeline of events, but a deeper exploration of meaning, identity, belonging, and the lessons carried forward from a life lived.

At its heart, The Human Connection Project is about being seen and heard. It’s an opportunity to pause long enough to recognize the experiences that matter, the people who helped shape us, and the stories we may have carried quietly for years.

The result is a personalized Bursting Through Story, a book created from your own lived experiences that can be kept, revisited, shared, and passed forward as a reflection of who you are and how you came to be.

For the past several months, I’ve been building, refining, and testing The Human Connection Project. Along the way, I completed the prototype by telling my own story.

Now, I’d like to invite someone else to experience it.

Through June 30, I’m extending a complimentary Human Connection Project invitation to one person who would like to experience the Bursting Through storytelling process for themselves. The selected participant will experience the full storytelling process and receive their own personalized Bursting Through Story.

If you’ve ever felt like there are experiences you’ve carried for years, lessons you’ve learned, or moments that helped shape who you are, I’d love to hear from you.

You can learn more about The Human Connection Project and share your interest here: Storytelling Invitation

If this story resonated with you, please consider sharing it. There are people carrying stories, experiences, and lessons that deserve to be seen, heard, and remembered. Sharing helps this invitation reach them.

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Bursting Through exists to create more understanding through storytelling, human connection, and Allyship in Action. If you'd like to learn more about workshops, speaking, consulting, or The Human Connection Project, I'd love to connect.

If these stories feel meaningful to you, becoming a paid member is one way to help sustain this work. Your support helps Bursting Through continue gathering, holding, and sharing stories that remind us of our shared humanity.

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