LEADING WITH ME

For as long as I can remember, my introductions sounded like this:

I’m Marina. Just so you know, I have Cerebral Palsy.
I’m Marina. I was born with Cerebral Palsy.
Nice to meet you—excuse the shaky hands. I have Cerebral Palsy.

Somewhere along the way, my diagnosis began arriving before I did.

And what’s striking—almost uncomfortable—is that I know better. I speak, write, and advocate about seeing people for who they are, not defining them by what they carry. I remind others that disability is not an identity in itself, but one part of a much bigger story. Yet even with all of that conviction, I still found myself leading with my Cerebral Palsy instead of leading with me.

Why?

Because I assumed it was easier.
Because I thought I was getting ahead of the questions.
Because I believed explaining myself first would make others more comfortable.

That belief followed me into my first job interview out of college.

I sat down, introduced myself, and—without hesitation—shared that I have Cerebral Palsy. No pause. No buildup. Just reflex.

The interviewer smiled and said, “Lovely name—but I don’t need to know about the Cerebral Palsy yet. Just tell me about you.”

I remember thinking, Me? Not CP?

In that moment, I realized something quietly profound: I had been shrinking myself without even noticing. Not by hiding my disability—but by letting it speak before I did.

Cerebral Palsy is part of my story. It influences how I move, how I adapt, how I navigate the world. But it is not my opening line. It is not my headline. And it certainly isn’t my limit.

That interview didn’t teach me to separate myself from my disability. It taught me to stop placing it in front of myself.

Now, when I introduce myself, I try something different.

I lead with my name.
My work.
My experience.
My voice.

And when Cerebral Palsy enters the conversation—and it always does—it enters as context, not definition.

If you live with a disability, notice how you introduce yourself. Ask whether you’re leading with explanation or with identity. And if you don’t—pause before asking someone to explain themselves. Lead with curiosity. Lead with the person. Because when we allow people to arrive as themselves first, everything else finds its proper place.