Have you ever wondered how to start a podcast where you know you’re going to say something that some will find offensive? No? Just me. Alright. Let me start by saying I’m a fan of baseball. While I don’t follow the major leagues closely any more, I can often be found at minor league games throughout the United States each summer. But what I really can’t stand is when someone says, “So and So broke an unwritten rule.”
An unwritten rule in baseball is not a rule. It is more of a behavioral constraint that is imposed on players that are not typically voiced or written down. Here’s the thing: Who came up with the unwritten rules and who continues to hand them down to generation after generation of players?
By now you’re probably asking, does this rant have anything to do with today’s topic? Yes, way more than you think. My guest today is Margaret Ghielmetti. Margaret penned Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist. In her book, she talks about the Family Handbook. The family handbook is actually something we most likely all are aware of but don’t physically have. Guess what? It’s the unwritten rules we’ve been taught to abide by.
When Margaret and I first began communicating I told her how there are unwritten rules in teaching. Maybe they are practices and habits we do because that is how we were taught, or what we witnessed growing up. And while many times they aren’t bad “rules,” they can often hinder us. We are going to find out how today.
About Margaret
Margaret Ghielmetti has lived on four continents and has visited nearly fifty countries. She wrote Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist to inspire readers that it’s never too late to learn to live our own lives – if we dare to let go of outdated roles and rules we thought kept us safe . . . AND to entertain readers with her adventures (and mis-adventures) abroad, sharing what each country taught her (that she never would have learned on her own.) Margaret comes from a family-full of educators, so teaching and learning are two of her favorite things!
Ghielmetti is proud that Brave(ish) earned Silver in Story Circle’s Gilda Prize: nominated memoirs are “Distinguished by their fresh voices, their honesty, and their authenticity. They make us laugh (even when we want to cry).”
She’s delighted that the New York Times published her Tiny Love Story – “A Memory Mea Culpa” – on New Year’s Day 2023 . . . to have won two StorySLAMs with The Moth “live lit” storytelling show . . . to have been quoted recently in TIME and Authority Magazine online. Her solo show, “Fierce,” is about re-claiming her genuine voice and expression in mid-life. Other creative passions include photography, improv, and coaching others to tell their stories.
Oh, and travel – always travel!
Brave(ish) takes Margaret and her Swiss hotelier husband from New York City to Paris, Cairo, Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt,) Chiang Mai (Thailand,) Bangkok, Singapore, and back to her hometown of Chicago, with significant “stops” in India and Switzerland.
She loves to be in touch with readers, and is always grateful to participate in meaningful conversations with book groups!
Find Margaret on the following platforms
Click the book to get your copy of Brave(ish)
