Lexi’s Last Day: A Final Message About My Journey And Next Adventure
Hi, it’s Lexi. If you are just stumbling across this post, my big announcement might not mean much to you. But if you have heard me speak on the radio before and have followed my posts in any capacity, this message is directly for you.
My big announcement is that I am leaving Charlotte and thus my job being on-air in radio at Kiss 95.1. I am moving to California, which is a place I’ve never even been to before. When I’ve told some people this, they act like I’m crazy for moving somewhere I’ve never even visited. Which, yeah, I guess it is kind of crazy. But at this time in my life, I need a little more crazy. And this will be me taking a leap into something that I have full faith in.
But why California? A bit of backstory first. After my first year in college, I went through a harder time in my life where I felt depressed and experienced a lot of anxiety surrounding my self-worth and what I could actually add to the world. It was at that point that I got the opportunity to work at a summer camp. It became the place and experience I needed that really saved me and brought me back to myself.
Because the thing about kids, man…they’re the most genuine humans you’ll ever interact with. And they’re not afraid to really be themselves. And be silly just to be silly. And enjoy every moment out of life. Because most of the time, they don’t even know what judgment is yet or what it feels like to internalize it when it comes from others. They don’t care about everyone else’s opinions. They’re just existing as…themselves. And it’s incredibly inspiring. How sad that most of us grow out of that feeling and have to work YEARS on finding that freedom again. This is the start of that journey for me.
I worked at camp for four summers and it was after that first week of that first summer that I knew working with kids is something I’ll always be drawn to. Probably because I’m just a big kid myself, and I never really want to grow out of that. It’s honestly the biggest part of who I am.
While living on my own in Charlotte has allowed me to learn a lot about myself, including how to use my voice literally and figuratively, I’ve struggled a lot. I started my job in radio here during the middle of COVID when not too many people were in the office or going out at all really. Some days, I wouldn’t interact with anyone at all outside of online communication or texting. I’m a big people person, and for a long time, I struggled with feeling isolated, just me and my computer screen. This was really hard for me to go through, as this compounded and amplified the mental health issues I’d been struggling with even before that.
While people began to return to the office, the isolated feeling stuck around. So, I knew I had to return to what had already brought me back to myself once before. I wanted somewhat of an escape from being an adult and that’s what I got. I found a job in California at an outdoor education program that teaches kids who visit on field trips with their schools about science, leadership, and team building.
I wanted a new adventure. In a new place with new people. And that’s what I got. This is why I’m leaving my position at Kiss 95.1.
It’s been an honor and privilege to be able to use my voice to reach the people of Charlotte and beyond. To be a friend, to provide some dumbassery for your entertainment on air for a little while. LOL…But most importantly, to start the conversations that we need to be having about the things that really matter and that affect more people than we even realize.
Thank you for listening. As one of my favorite artists says in her song “The Louvre“, it’s been such a fun pleasure to “broadcast the boom, boom, boom, boom and make ’em all dance to it.” <3
Signing off until next time,
Lexi
