This is the first in a new series where I'll be featuring an individual who exemplifies the freak factor.
Below is the story of Roxy Allen. I was introduced to her when she commented on my blog. Since then we've talked a few times and I've started following her on Twitter and reading her blog. She recently facilitated a discussion on social media and nonprofits that included Seth Godin.
I'll let Roxy tell you more about herself, in her own words . . .
"It is simple: I like to talk.
I was voted "Most Talkative" in high school.
I would get in trouble a lot in high school for talking during class or staging a protest against something I didn't believe in or planning a way to get out of class by pretending I had a chess tournament to go to.
My mom teased me through college for holding too many "forums." She would say, Roxy and forums just go together, or, Oh, you're doing yet another forum? I would hold them on my college campus all the time. I got in the town newspaper about an Iraq war protest I helped organize on campus. I had a column in our school newspaper and was voted "Most Likely to Appear on the Cover of Time Magazine."
She and my brother are introverts. On the Myers-Briggs test she and my brother are both ISTJ and I am ENFP - the exact opposite!
I also like to stand out. I wear my hair in a natural curly tapered 'fro and sometimes it gets really frizzy. People like to touch it and tell me it feels like a sheep or a dog. That used to make me uncomfortable but now I embrace it because it makes me stand out.
At one of my first jobs in my performance review it came out that I care so much about our organization's mission that it sometimes distracts me from the day to day activities. I like to talk about the whole organization and why it exists.
I've also been told I give a blank stare when people are talking to me - that just means I am thinking about what they are saying so I can respond to them thoughtfully. I am listening to what they have to say.
I try to embrace my talkative side and Freak Factor by finding outlets for it. I like to talk to interesting people. When I visit the Newseum in DC, I attend their lecture series that features famous authors and politicians. This summer I met Juan Williams of NPR and Cokie Roberts. I like to ask them questions and get real answers.
After asking Juan a question about the future of journalism at the Newseum, many people came up to me, even at the Starbucks across the street, and told me what a good and important question I asked.
But it is not all serious for me. I met Ace Young from American Idol season 5 on tour because I liked him so much. It's fun to meet people with good stories.
A good question got me into O Magazine. They published my letter to the editor in their April 2008 edition where I wrote in about an article by Suzy Welch and she wrote a response below it:
After reading Suzy Welch's article, I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth. For years Oprah's show has been encouraging women to say no and to put ourselves first. Welch's article tells us to say yes and to put our careers first. Other pieces in the issue encourage us to slow down and even to take a break from e-mail! I'm confused-should we say no or yes? I work for the consulting firm that chooses Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, and we favor employers who encourage a work-life balance, yet I don't know of anyone who ever became a CEO by putting that into practice. How do we find the right balance for us? Is Welch suggesting that a woman can't have it all?
Roxann Allen
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
Suzy's response: You’ve hit the nail on the head, Roxann. Women's lives these days can be confoundingly complex and filled with contradictions. My intention when I wrote the article wasn't necessarily to urge women to put their careers first by always saying yes; it was more to explore the reality that when you say no, there are consequences. The best decisions are always informed decisions.
I am now blogging about the people I have met and hope to meet and I have a goal to interview and/or personally meet the author of every book and blog I read. Maybe I will do so well I can get sponsors for my talks! That is my freak, factoring itself out!"
I love this story!
If you want to learn more about Roxy, you can find her on Twitter.
Do you have a freak factory story? Do you have strengths that look like weaknesses?
Do you want to be the freak of the week? If so, I'd love to hear from you.
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