When I speak to tell me about yourself, I want to be able to stand tall and strong as a tree knowing that what I say is a representation of where I come from and where I am growing. I want to take a stand for myself – a courageous act that I know requires drawing from my roots and trusting in my ability to be seen full.
I am here in all my towering strength and beauty. I am here able to sway in the wind of your presence. I am here, a living, breathing, part of the ecosystem of the world.
Tell me about yourself is mine to answer and design. Inside is a short story of my values and what I stand for. I want you to know about me from my roots to my limbs and leaves. Where am I growing, what I want to reach to, what I have set my sights on, and the sun that beckons me forth. I want you to know what fuels my fire, what guides me in making decisions, what I am committed to.
My roots go deep. I am grounded. I am solid. I have substance. You will hear it in what I am committed to, what gives me certainty and confidence about myself, what helps me to stand strongly even when the winds blow hard, the tasks uncertain, the budget dwindles, the policies change, the clients turn away.
I can draw from my roots when I need to. I will not be uprooted easily.
Tell me about yourself is an opportunity for me to share what feeds me and has me feeling satisfied and nourished.Air, water, sun, soil, bugs, birds, mammals. For me, the job seeker, food is what fulfills me and keeps me thriving and standing and reaching and shining. For me, the coach, food is lots of contact with other people especially contact that involves helping and supporting them. For me, that means lots of space to create and experiment, to sway from side to side, to shake my leaves in the wind, to provide shade and comfort, to make gentle noise teaching and coaching and acknowledging and speaking.
When you ask me to tell you about myself, I want you to know where and how I come to life, what energizes me, where I have enthusiasm and excitement, what calls me forth to work harder and bigger, to step up to challenges, to have the confidence to know that I can make a difference, to have the stamina and smarts to deliver results. 
I want you to know what lifts these branches and bows, what is the sun and space and habitat that nourishes me. If that includes your bugs and bows, bristles and bark, may we root together and grow.
I want you to know me and know what’s important to me. I want you to see where I shine, my brilliance, the same way that the tree extends its leaves and fruit and blossoms. I do not mean brilliance in an ugly ego I-am-better-than-you-way. I mean brilliance in what radiates from me. What I bring to the world, to relationships, to work, to tasks, to challenges.
Brilliance is more than light. Brilliance is what brings aliveness. The light through my leaves. The gentle arc of my branches. The dance of my limbs.
I am a tree. I am rooted. I am reaching up and out. I am shelter and support. I respond to light and warmth, to rain and wind. I bend toward what is good and stand on my own all the same.