How I Rewrote My Story And So Can You
Do you know the song Bitch? In case your answer is no, (what!), it goes like this, “I’m a bitch. I’m a lover. I’m a child. I’m a mother. I’m a sinner. I’m a saint. And I do not feel ashamed.” I should analyze with my therapist why this is the first thing I thought of when trying to describe myself. But I feel I indeed sit on many chairs. I’m an employee, part-time freelancer, and a person of many hobbies. One thing to unite all this is that I look for purpose in the things I do. I have a passion for community and diversity, and those elements were at the beginning of my story about how I jumped into the storytelling waters.
We all love stories as kids, don’t we? Everything in childhood is story-based. That’s how we learn and socialize. Some people, over time, lose their child-like curiosity and playfulness. But I’m happy it stuck with me. And I have the same interest in hearing great tales as I’m passionate about sharing them. They inspire us and give us the courage to return to our lives and believe that we can do it too.
Storytelling on and off
When I was seven, I started writing a travel journal, which I then read to my family. I also frequently presented them with exclusive editions of my own newspaper with accounts of what my turtle ate that day and other critical reports. At twelve, I launched a class magazine. And until I was eighteen, I aspired to a writing career.
I passed an audition for an intern at a news agency. But the more experience I gained, the less I believed I could succeed in the competitive world of journalism. Journalism and I just didn’t seem like the right fit. And as my press card expired, I began to turn my attention to what I could do with other things I cared about – community, inclusivity, and personal growth. I enrolled in an andragogy and HR studying program at Charles University and embarked on a professional path in leadership advisory.
Writing the Princess Unipony Diaries
…Years later, I was lying on a sofa with my feet up and head hanging down. I was engaged in our many existential talks with my friend S. “You should totally start a blog,” she concluded. “I should totally start a blog!” I exclaimed. How did that appear like such an obvious idea? Err, I don’t remember. But I seemed pretty convinced, so I got to work, and within a week, the blog, The Princess Unipony Diaries, was born.
You can guess from the original title that I had a lot of specific ideas and a crystal-clear direction.
In the end, it played in my favor that my life felt like a rollercoaster ride at that time. My romantic life was a mess, I resented my job, I just quit smoking and began healing from an eating disorder. I clearly needed a new project, anything to keep me busy and prevent me from hurting myself. It didn’t seem that important to know where I was going with the blog as long as I was heading forward.
So for the lack of better ideas, I kicked it off by sharing the fuck-up stories of my life.
From Unicorns to Prague Actually
Over time, as I put my life together, I had fewer embarrassing anecdotes and more ambitions to cultivate my passion for storytelling while contributing even more to the English-speaking community in Prague.
Why don’t I interview and share inspiring stories of some remarkable English-speaking Praguers?
Why not indeed. I got to work again and later added to my repertoire practical and fun guides and tips on life in Prague and voilá! Princess Unipony turned into Prague Actually, an expat-friendly blog about life and people in Prague.
At the beginning of last year, I initiated cooperation with news platforms such as Prague Morning and Prague Monitor and got my first big writing gig with the English College in Prague. All this led me last December to get my own storytelling side hustle rolling.
Rewrite Your Story
This could have been a story of my failure to become a journalist. Instead, I choose to tell it as a story of my success in becoming a freelance copywriter.
How do you tell the story of your life? The way your narrative goes becomes part of your identity. It’s not about what happened but why it was important, what it means to you, who you became because of it, and what comes next for you.
For example, my background as a headhunter in management consulting now allows me to see my clients’ stories in a unique context. I can add value to them in a way that wouldn’t be possible for me as a journalism graduate or downright marketer.
If you find it hard to find the silver lining in your story, I’m here for you. I consider it one of my superpowers to see and nail down what’s exceptional in seemingly ordinary narratives. I want us to come together and share our bold stories to inspire each other and give each other the courage to believe we can do it too!
Do you need an inspiration to write the next chapter of your story?
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I also root for the local businesses, solopreneurs, and artists with meaningful ideas and missions. If you’re one of those but you aren’t sure how to show what you’re made of, leave me a message. You can reach me through the form below or on my social media accounts. My texts will help you stand out and shine even if the competition is fierce.
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What they say about my work for them:
“We had a recruitment issue in that we wanted to encourage potential employees from abroad to join our organisation. Teny created a thematic story, an authentic and relatable description of what working with us might be like. To the reader, she made it seem not only manageable but extremely exciting. Through a drafting and redrafting process she ensured her work was in-line with our expectations. The real added value was bringing order and cohesion to a real “mish-mash” of nice but incoherent sentiments.”
“We wanted to formulate our story for our website, but since we are too close to our initiative, we thought it would be the best to hire someone from the outside to help us tell our story and keep the focus on elements that would resonate with our audience. We very much appreciate Teny’s thoroughness. The whole team is 100% satisfied with the result. Our cooperation added a lot of value to the direction we are headed, especially with the language we use to address our audience and it was very useful in making us focus on the selling points.”
“Teny wrote my bios very well; I would never be capable of writing something like that. She delivered the bios enough in advance to be ready when I released my new projects. And her last article about me, published just a few days before a release, helped create expectations for my listeners, and it helped them listen to the release as soon as it saw the light. She has been very professional in terms of quality and punctuality, and I felt really comfortable when we talked.”
“Teny did an amazing job (as usual) and was absolutely great in putting in words what I’m doing and what I’m trying to achieve. She managed to express it better than I ever could in prose. An enormous added value was that with the article Teny published about me, many people managed to understand what I am doing beyond just the music. And I managed to spread my message to more people. My visualizations on YouTube went up a lot, and I had a lot of feedback from old and new fans. For sure, I’d cooperate with Teny again.”
“I contacted Teny to grow and extend my musical presence in Prague. She explained which steps we’d go through and what timeline could be expected. I was very impressed with the outcome. Getting order out of chaos is a true talent. The biggest added value for me was getting more exposure and having an up-to-date cohesive article to use as promotion. It also enabled me to synchronize and update my social media with better-worded and more appropriate descriptions.”
“I appreciate the time Teny invested, the accuracy in her work, and her skills. I am super satisfied; I’m still using the fantastic job she did everywhere! The biggest value is the spontaneity and honesty she put in the work. You can feel that the description she came up with is personal and real. Our communication was fantastic, and I’m sure we will keep cooperating.”
