Nancy Regan Shows Up

TV and podcast host, Nancy Regan, shares her candid, debut memoir, From Showing Off to Showing Up: An Imposter’s Journey from Perfect to Present. Part memoir and part self-help, her book delves into her evolution from someone who judged herself too harshly and worried about what others thought of her to letting down her guard, presenting her authentic self, and showing up for others. “As far as I’m concerned, showing off is living our life according to those expectations of everybody else and looking for gold stars and praise and the good opinion of others, where showing up is, ‘here I am. This is the real me, you know? Not a people pleaser, not someone who’s always trying to look for the good opinion of others, but just, this is the real me. Take me or leave me,’ and that is an incredibly liberating way to live.” In her book, Regan says that people are robbed of their joy when they give in to the two most destructive forces in society – comparison and judgement. In addition, social media also feeds into our need for approval from others. “Whereas, real human connection, it feeds you. It doesn’t deplete you. It fills you up…we’re all just experiencing the human condition. You know, 99% of us are feeling that worry that we’re not enough and that we need to be more and that we’re falling short, and it’s such a waste of our lives to stay trapped in that. If I could accomplish one thing with this book, it is about that contribution to unlock for other people what was unlocked for me… to live liberated from that worry about what will the neighbors think. ”

As a writer, Regan found that being relatable, genuine, and real helps her connect emotionally to her readers. “You know, writers don’t write books to make money. If you set out with that intention, you’re not going to land with anyone. What I’ve discovered is that…the more intimately you can allow yourself to be seen and the more specific you are to your own story, the more it lands with the people who read it, and that has been such an amazing, magical learning for me and it’s connected me to my readers in such a beautiful way… if people do reach out and get this book, I really want to say I would love for you to reach out to me either through social media or through my website, nancyregan.ca, and talk to me about what your reaction to the book or how it landed with you…” Regan also pointed out that she deliberately wore Converse sneakers on the cover of her book because she felt her story was was about “starting a ‘Converse’-ation.’ It’s the intention. I wanted them on the cover because my intention was to connect with other human beings and to make us all feel like, you know what, we’re all going through this adventure together. So many of us are feeling those insecurities and doubts and if we could all just say, ‘hey, we’re in this together. Let’s have fun and be in the joy,’ and as I say to my kids when they leave the house or when I finish a conversation with them, I like to say, ‘have fun, stay safe, be LOVE.'”