We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christine Handy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Christine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
The one thing I want to be handed down from my example, is that great trauma can turn into enormous altruism. The trauma we can not control. My cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment was not my choice, but how I dealt with it and how I used it to help others was in my power to direct. Choosing courage under enormous plight is not easy but can be a tool to teach others courage. Chronic pain is crippling to a normal life, but it can also be a vessel to showing others that pain doesn’t have to stop you. Dreams don’t die in illness, they can, but why? It is our perception, courage and a willingness to share our journeys which in turn creates for an altruistic life. I choose to serve through difficulty. I believe I am not just a survivor but a SER-vivor.
Christine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My work started after I completed treatment for breast cancer. I believed that by sharing my difficult journey, it could help others navigate theirs. That is when I wrote a novel called Walk Beside Me. Once my story was published, it gave me a platform to reach larger audience’s through motivational speaking. I subsequently became a professional speaker and also dabbled in social media platforms to see how I could inspire there. Once established on socials, I started my non-profit work. I am now on the board of two non-profits. It felt like each direction I was taking was adding bounty to the main goal, to serve, lead and inspire. By applying the decision to serve others to each activity, it ensured my mission would have an impact. Then I just kept moving in that direction each day We will never know the impact we have, but to try each day to have an impact is the only mission I carry today.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
As a professional speaker, during covid I had to pivot. I went from being a sought after in person speaker to be isolated on zoom like the rest of the world. I quickly realized that my speaking fees and opportunities would change. So I signed up on another app which catered more to speakers. That way I could practice my craft even during the uncertainty of paid jobs. At that time I also agreed to do more interviews, to be on more radio shows and podcasts. This also kept my speaking abilities refined as well as getting my story out to people who needed to listen to hope. Shifting in business is a process most of will have to go through, but accepting the shift and exploring ways to shift sooner, is your greatest asset in uncertain markets.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Building an audience in this environment is difficult. There are new opportunities that come out through different social media platforms all the time. But with that comes changing the way you create and place content. The days of one picture on instagram are over. There are stories, highlights, reels, lives and on and on. That takes time, practice and a lot of development. My best advice is don’t give up. That sounds so cliche but it’s true. Be YOU on social media and be consistent. Audiences want honesty, Our world is starving for vulnerability. So don’t just show the highlight reels, show the whole picture. That is what reels in true following on social media.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://christinehandy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehandy1/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walkbesidemebychristinehandy/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-handy-3056ba125/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/handychristine1
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/1christinehandy/_created/
Image Credits
Matt Roy, Austin Ryde