He was afraid to let the people know the real him.
He said, “I was ashamed, embarrassed and … afraid that people in my professional career were going to see this side of me…”
A situation that made Travis Lloyd realize the importance of living the story he wanted to live, and not the story that others wanted him to live.
A situation that made him realize the importance of continuing with his work, to inspire others who were living or lived in a similar upbringing that he did, even if it meant sacrificing everything to become something.
As fellow adoptee, Colin Kaepernick once said, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
For Travis Lloyd, it was no different.
He said, “I had just written my first song called, ‘No one else’ talking about no one else understands what’s going through my head… I had never showed anyone that song before… I performed this in front of 600 teenagers from all over the country who all grew up in foster care… I was shaking when I did it… Afterward… these kids just started attacking me… They wanted my signature, they wanted to talk to me, they wanted to share their stories with me… That felt so good to me to know that I was able to inspire them, to know that it’s possible to do something bigger… But, I still wasn’t to the point where I was ready to do that… I was ashamed… embarrassed… afraid that people in my professional career were going to see this side of me… So, I changed my name on social media…”
A name change that at first allowed Travis to continue developing his message.
Since then, Travis has become one of the leading voices for foster youth around the world.
What are the sacrifices that you’re willing to make in order to continue doing what you love the most?
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
On Public Narrative: “What are the 3, 5, 7 things that I want the world to know?”
