18 Comments
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Bridgette's avatar

I love this reframe!

André Blackman's avatar

Thanks so much Bridge! Everything just need a different perspective.

Bridgette's avatar

OK, this is really sticky. I thought about it a lot yesterday after reading it…and today it is still on my mind.

JoAnne's avatar

Where in the world are y’all?

André Blackman's avatar

Aspen, Colorado! Amazing space — thanks for following along here too! Appreciate you 🙏🏾🙏🏾

Manuel Hernandez Paredes's avatar

Thanks for this super-thoughtful article, Andre! I loved seeing this full circle moment, with the Aspen Fellowship, Onboard, now. 🙌🏻

I’ve been going through a process similar to the one you wrote about in my approach to LinkedIn this year.

Let’s catch up when you ge a chance.

Akinwole Garrett's avatar

Love this reframe. This spoke to me on a deep level and captured the exact same struggle I’ve had since joining BlackDoctor. Very helpful as I continue to settle into the space. Thanks Andre!

Vanguard Weekly's avatar

Every time you externalize a thought, you’re not just helping others see clearer—

You’re proving:

“I’m someone who engages with the world, not hides from it.”

And that’s where the real leverage is.

Because the people shaping rooms aren’t just good thinkers…

They’re visible thinkers.

Not louder.

Not flashier.

Just… findable.

So yeah—build the ecosystem.

But understand:

Your voice doesn’t become valuable after it’s perfect.

It becomes valuable the moment it’s shared.

Execution > contemplation.

Always.

Marquise C Brown's avatar

Appreciate your take and perspective shift. Thanks for sharing! My current work is on a mission to help us have better relationships with ourselves. Your reframe is spot on.

Tamara Thomas's avatar

This is such an important message that we need to remember when we hear that small voice from within and even from others. Thank you Andre for sharing!

Sylvette A. La Touche-Howard's avatar

Wow! Thanks André! I saw myself and countless others in those examples and lines that you shared! Thank you for not screaming at us but cheering for us from the sidelines! :) Appreciate you and will definitely be sharing this piece! Total mindset shift unlocked!

André Blackman's avatar

So happy to hear it Sylvette! I wrote this for all of us! We don’t have time to shrink and stay quiet.

The Resting Garden's avatar

After years in the maternal and mental health space, I'm using my background in public health to create a health education platform leveraging yoga. The joy in creating this platform has definitely been marred by the promotion aspect, because I have associated it as self promotion and being visible creates anxiety about the scrutiny or loss of privacy that comes with that. Reading this has been the little permission slip I needed to shift my mindset to narration and focus on my why in wanting to share this in the first place. Thank you André

André Blackman's avatar

This is music to my ears! So happy this resonated and as someone who also has a public health background — I totally understand. Would love to keep up with whatever you’re building! Keep me posted please 🙏🏾

Nia Davis Sigona's avatar

So much resonated here, but I especially love the shift to ecosystemic thinking. The world can change, but no one can change the world alone. Recognizing that you as an individual are an integral part of an ecosystem can definitely give leaders permission to narrate!

Wes Melville's avatar

Powerful reframe, and love that you're both living and coaching it simultaneously. Similarly, the takeaway resonates strongly for a coach, entrepreneur and writer. Thank you for putting this out there!

Vanessa Mason's avatar

I really appreciate this reframe. I think many of us carry the self-belief that we need permission and that visibility means selfish self-promotion because of what we see reflected as valuable in mainstream society and culture. Social media has only reinforced this belief. But as a millennial I remember when visibility meant connection, creativity and self-expression. More people giving themselves permission to be narrators helps us build and reinforce alternative beliefs that being seen has many facets and purposes that lead with curiosity.

Danil Lopatkin | Make It Work's avatar

A great piece, André! The reframing you articulate is a perfect description of something I’ve been intuitively thinking about for a long time.

I’d add one more element to the From Spotlight to Ecosystem section (which is also a major area of interest and reflection for me on Substack): infrastructure — meaning the projects, initiatives, technical and communication solutions, and the relationships between them that sustain the ecosystem.

Building this kind of infrastructure (that supports and simplifies dissemination, engagement, and narrative formation) is a critical element in the long term.