Different is diversity: My interview with advocate Brandon Wolf

When you were growing up, did you ever get the message that in order to succeed, you needed to try harder? Or get “better” at something? Or even “fix” yourself? 

Here’s the reality: It’s good to be better, but it’s better to be different. Different is better than better. 

To bring you a new perspective on difference, I sat down with nationally-celebrated diversity and civil rights advocate, Brandon Wolf.

Brandon is a survivor of the staggering trauma of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, that happened right here in Orlando in 2016. 

Since then, Brandon has become a nationally-recognized leader for LGBTQ youth (a cause near and dear to my heart). 

You may have seen him on national television or in the Huffington Post

But don’t just take my word for it… 

In a personal letter to Brandon, President Joe Biden writes that  he is “inspired” and “humbled” by Brandon and his mission. (Wow!) 

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, wrote this letter to Brandon Wolf

You’ve heard me say it before: Different is better than better. 

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Brandon (a couple actually brought tears to my eyes!):  

As a kid many times I was told and internalized the idea that just being ME meant FAILING. I found myself as a young person, constantly trying to fit into the boxes that other people had created for me. 

It wasn’t until much later in my life that I could begin to understand and articulate that being all of me is actually better, than only being the checkbox version of me.

When you bring people in that are different, in order to flesh out your Diversity & Inclusion program– but you don’t actually incorporate their lived experiences into the workplace– you rob that person, but you also rob the workplace of its greatest potential.

Sally, you have reclaimed the word “DIFFERENT,” because it doesn’t mean failing… It doesn’t mean broken. It really does mean BETTER. It means that when I’m all of myself, when I am fully different. I am the very best version of myself.

When you watch this personal and powerful video all the way through to the end, you’ll get how crucial it is to BE different, so you can MAKE a difference.

Then tell me in the comments below —  what did YOU learn about why “different is better”?https://youtu.be/Ndp8L8Kl5VcIn this interview with Sally, Brandon Wolf shares how discovering that he was The Maestro helped him to embrace his difference even more. Have you discovered your own Fascination Advantage? Log into your account now and review your Fascinate profile.

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About the author

Sally Hogshead

Sally skyrocketed to the top of the advertising world in her early 20s, fascinating millions of consumers for clients such as MINI Cooper and Coca-Cola. Since then, she’s published two New York Times bestsellers on the science of fascination, and is one of only 172 living members in the Speaker Hall of Fame. Over a million professionals have taken the Fascination Advantage® personality test to discover how others perceive their communication.

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