The WHO vs the WHAT: Rethinking Your Self-Introduction.

When was the last time you met someone new and had to introduce yourself?
Maybe you were at the pub, a family BBQ, school parents’ night, a first date.

What rolled out of your mouth?
Last time I did it, my intro was basically:
Name, Age (maybe), Family set-up (No I don't have kids), Job title and status, Where I live, How I commute, Who I know.

A tidy little bundle of social tags — the surface-level stuff we’ve been trained to swap like trading cards. But here’s the thing… what if you ditched the tags? What if you led with your values, your quirks, your passions — the WHO instead of the WHAT.

Because when your intro becomes habit, that habit becomes identity. And if you believe you are your tags, what happens when they shift, or disappear? Job loss? Kids move out? You sell the house? Suddenly… who are you?

So here’s my challenge: If you weren’t allowed to mention your job, family, or postcode — how would you introduce yourself?

Not sure where to start - here is my template:
1. Three values you live by
2. A passion or obsession that lights you up
3. A quirk or habit people remember you for
4. A belief you hold that’s a little different from the norm
5. One thing you want people to feel when they meet you

If you’re game, I’m ready to “meet” the real you in the comments or you could take the template into your next team meeting and get your team to reintroduce themself, their real self.

And because I'd never ask you to do something I wouldn't be willing to do, here is me:

Hey, I’m Claire. I like my values like I like my coffee — strong, fair, and without the fake stuff (hmm this doesn't work as an analogy anymore - my coffee order is a Soy Latte...). I find my happy place in anything with steps and structure — sewing, painting, baking, list-making. I’m known to break an awkward pre-meeting silence with a burst of ‘All That Jazz’ or some seasonal Mariah because being able to shift other people's energy positively is real-life magic for me. I believe everyone’s creative, but somewhere along the way we swapped our PVA glue and trampolines for productive calculators and pie graphs (which makes me sad for us). When people meet me, I want them to feel safe to bring their whole self to the table.

Stay Curious,
Claire