A high school speech teacher changed Brandi Powell’s life in ways she’s just now beginning to understand. That speech teacher, Mr. Gulman, “believed in me and saw something in me when no one else did.”
That belief motivated Brandi to embrace the gifts others scrutinized but that she knew in her heart that she possessed.
A weekend anchor and reporter for ABC affiliate KSTP-TV in Minneapolis, Brandi, 36, was the guest for the fall Patricia Adams Lecture Series Thursday.
In her keynote address, “Scared to Embrace What I’m Good At: Finding, Recognizing and Cultivating Your Gifts,” she talked frequently about the ability to discover and live out her dreams by storytelling and the spoken word.
“I am living my dream – like ‘The Alchemist,’” she said, in reference to her favorite book and one Mr. Gulman gave her as a gift after she had returned to her home and landed her job at KSTP.
“Often times, we don’t follow our dreams or what our gifts are because of outside forces, but our gifts are something no one can take away from us,” she said.
For Brandi, those outside forces included self-doubt and friends who questioned her choices.
“It wasn’t always easy. Everyone I clicked with was coming at me (with criticism) about studying communication because they thought it was too easy. … But what they were telling me was incongruent to what I thought of myself.”
Today, however, when she thinks about her personal gifts, she looks into her heart for an honest answer about what makes her tick and more importantly, what makes her happy. It’s not always the easiest path; there are little hills along the way. But crossing those barriers can be satisfying.
“If you can remember your Mr. Gulner, you won’t lose your way,” Brandi said. “There is a way to find your personal legend and follow your dreams … just like ‘The Alchemist’ did and just like my high school teacher (led me to do).”
Earlier in the day, Brandi met with students in two sessions, delivering career advice and discussing with them “Getting Your 1st (and 2nd) Gig out of College: Moving Outside of Your Comfort Zone” and “You can Go Your Own Way: Forging Your Own Pathway.”
She also met with media and communication students in class and informally, and was interviewed live on WTTF during the station’s 8-9 a.m. hour on Thursday.
See the photo gallery from the PALS Dinner on Thursday evening.