#51 Who Are You Really? w/ Joseph Braccio

When you ask yourself the question, “Who am I?”, what comes up for you?

Is it your name, where you live or what your occupation is? Maybe you think of your relationship status, your passions or the things you’re good at.

If I were to answer this question 5, 10 or 20 years ago, my answers would be completely different each time.

I remember back when I was 13 years old, I was obsessed with Sailor Moon. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, she’s a Japanese anime character with an incredible girl crew from outer space. They. Are. Badasses.

I mean, look how cool they are ;)

Anyway, I remember this show being the center point of my life. I had all the paraphernalia: the posters, the clothes, the stationary, you name it. Anything Sailor Moon related I could find, I would rock. I had stacks of VHS tapes I manually recorded - if you’re a millennial, you know this struggle is real.

Sailor Moon was a big part of my identity. I couldn’t picture my life without her, her amazing crew and her dreamy boyfriend Tuxedo Mask.

I never thought at any point in the future she and I would be apart from each other. Until they canceled her show. 

I was devastated.

I didn’t have a lot of experience with relationships at the time but in hindsight, it was like going through a bad breakup. Feeling such loss. Such emptiness. A void that was impossible to fill.

I lost a part of my identity.

In my interview with a Fear and Relationship Expert, Joseph Braccio, he shares his perspective on the topic of identity and how we tend to live with a false sense of who we really are. When we become attached to our labels (gender, race, class, occupation), it creates separation and suffering. Joseph shares that when we ask ourselves the question, “Who am I?”, is almost impossible to answer. But we do have a core, authentic self - a way of being in true alignment. And a way to get to that place is through facing our fears.

Listen to Episode 51 Now.

What are the parts of you that make up your identity? Curious to hear your thoughts.