Generation to generation, story to story, woman to woman. Sharing our stories means sharing our struggles, our fears, our victories, and ultimately, ourselves.
For the past four months, Blair Mirabito and her team of women have been encouraging women in the power of their stories. By creating a safe space for women of all ages and backgrounds to come together and discuss feelings, topics, and their experiences as women in a transparent manner, they have crafted and coordinated Her Story, a monthly event held right here in the Articulate’s photo studio.
Photo credit: Tiffany Whitsitt
Each month, Her Story gives women the chance to explore a theme geared toward a common feeling, struggle, or experience that women face. Past events have included topics around isolation and loneliness, relationships, worrying and fear, and balancing life and priorities. The event begins with the lead storyteller sharing her story, which relates to that month’s theme, and then follows with a time of small group discussion led by a moderator.
While speaking with Blair, it become apparent that she is someone who focuses heavily on giving back and strengthening her community. Please enjoy more insight on this unique event by reading about our conversation below!
Photo credit: Tiffany Whitsitt
Logan with The Articulate: How did Her Story get started? What made you want to bring women together to discuss something that isn’t typically talked about?
Blair with Her Story: When my husband and I moved to Fort Collins seven years ago, we began Antioch Community Church. We hold many events at Antioch, but I began to realize that the women attending these events identified with the church, and others who might be interested could feel shut out if they didn’t identify with the church. My team and I discussed the disconnect that our society currently faces where discussions about our feelings, especially the negative ones, are almost becoming taboo and are talked about very little. In this age of being connected, there is very little connection actually occurring. For example, there is a trend where social media is used to express our life’s excitement but deep down, our social media life and real life might not align perfectly – and that can create these feelings.
We wanted to create a space that was open for women of all beliefs and backgrounds to come and feel like they can listen to others talk about these feelings and have the opportunity to share their stories. Through these discussions, we believe that each woman can become more empowered and feel less isolated in the difficult experiences they are having.
Logan: What do you think attracts women to come to Her Story?
Blair: I think a big attraction is that there is a very low barrier to entry. You just have to come and be present. There is no cost or speaking requirement. We just want the event to be as open and inclusive to every woman as possible. From my team’s perspective, we have the idea that Her Story is meant to be a gift to our community. It’s a way for us to bring all these amazing people together and use each story to strengthen not just our community of women, but to help them feel more connected when they leave to our Fort Collins community as a whole.
Most of our women hear about us on social media or word of mouth and it’s amazing to see more and more women at every event.
Logan: What has been your favorite memory?
Blair: When we were planning and setting up for the first event, we had no idea what to expect. We didn’t know how many people would show up or how well the event would go. There was a lot of uncertainty, but immediately once we started, the energy in the room was there and I could tell it was going to be something special. Afterwards, a lot of women stayed around and expressed how much they liked it and wanted to come again. That memory shows me that there is a need and a desire for Her Story, and that we have the chance to connect with a lot of women because of it.
The last Her Story event for the spring will be held on Sunday, May 21st at The Articulate between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. The theme is “Why We Tell Our Stories” and the lead story teller is a woman named Renate, a 90-year-old Jewish woman who was born in Germany during World War II and eventually made her way to the U.S.
-----
Blair and her team would like to invite every woman to attend and bring a friend. You can follow Her Story on their Facebook page or get in contact with Blair through her email, blairmirabito@gmail.com.