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Welcome to my imperfect email.
As always, every week, we’ll send a question that will help you reflect on your own imperfect life, inspired by this week’s episode.
And it’s not every week that we have a history maker in the studio.
After 129 years of the Australian Football League, with over 12,500 players taking to the field, Mitch Brown has become the first openly bisexual man in the sports history.
What an honour,
Bell
Bell Northeast
when did someone truly make you feel like you belong?
We'd love to hear your answer to this question. If you're in the mood to get vulnerable and share your writing, send it through.
AFL’s First Openly Bisexual Man
With Mitch Brown
This moment is bigger than Mitch Brown.
Tie up your laces and pull up your socks, this story is ones for the ages.
As the first male AFL player in the sport’s 129 year history to come out as bisexual, Mitch, and the public’s reaction to his story, epitomises the importance of visibility, role models and the creation of safe and inclusive environments.
Joining us in the studio, Mitch takes us back to the beginning, vulnerably telling Hugh, Ryan and Josh about the hyper-masculine environments which formed (and suppressed) his identity from a young age.
Talking through his newfound imposter syndrome, past-mistakes, and journey to finding his true, authentic self, Mitch emphasizes the critical importance of empathy.
Confiding with the guys about how monumental, overwhelming and joyful the past few weeks have been, Mitch also acknowledges the deep grief of people in his life who felt like they had let him down.
For right now
Meet people where they are at. (41:54-43:42) and (59:48-1:02:36)
Instead of vilifying those who hurt him, Mitch extended empathy, even to a player responsible for a homophobic slur. Can you think of someone who has hurt you, that you could view through a lens of empathy, seeing the culture and upbringing behind their action?
For this week
Reflect and grow by setting aside 10 minutes to write about a past belief or behaviour you’ve outgrown. Then write what you’ve learnt so far. (19:49-24:21)
Mitch opened up about his past homophobic behaviour and reflected on how much he’s grown since then, acknowledging it’s ok for growth to take time, as long as you’re reflecting and learning from the past.
For this season of your life
Say the scary thing. (51:12-55:11)
Mitch shared how hiding his true self in his marriage created distance, and how honesty, though painful, ultimately deepened connections with his ex-wife Shae and now in his relationship with Lou. Is there something you haven’t said to someone close to you because it feels too scary?
what is your soul yearning for?
My soul yearns for adventure, freedom, and warm weather with sunshine every day. It yearns to head overseas with no plans, then hike every day to somewhere new with gorgeous rock features, mountains, green grass, and wildflowers.
The reality is I have an amazing job that I LOVE, however, it is incredibly difficult to get leave without pay for travel reasons and nearly impossible to quit and then reapply for my job back when I’m ready to come back to real life.
But I think I can work on some compromises. And maybe there’s a small chance they would approve my leave; you’ll never know if you don’t try, right?
Until then, I remain searching for the adventure in the everyday. Driving down bush roads just to see where they’ll take me, spending time outdoors smelling flowers, saying yes, and finding ways to enjoy the experience of existing.
I’m so lucky to be here on this beautiful planet!
Always vulnerable responsibly.
This week on A Little More Imperfects
TMI. RIP. FYI. What do all of these acronyms have in common?
A funeral (for the production role) of the always loved, always remembered, Bridge. Don’t fear, she may be haunting the studio soon (in human form, but with ghost vibes).
Ryan, somehow, fits in a contextual story about Plucka Duck.
Josh gets vulny about social rejection, and we do some myth-busting.
And then, we’re going to help George (the incredible editor of The Imperfects, and the creator of all the sick trailers for episodes you have been seeing) record some generic, multi-purpose, pieces to camera.
Did this newsletter make you think of someone in particular?