"Air Hostess Heather"

I guess I should have given my alter-ego persona a name different from my own, but it was necessary that we share one.

For years I have felt like an imposter in my own skin. I have tried to be "Pleasing Heather", "Wallflower Heather", "Outrageous Heather", and sometimes even "Raging Heather". When moving boxes are invovled I am "Set Decoration and Comic Relief Heather". Now am I writing as "Badass Bitch on a Power Wheelchair Heather" which has glorious freedom to it. Here, in this space, I get to share with you my truest self who is happy and sad, quirky and weird, having personal age-related temperature variances (except when I am freezing) and all of the other menopause symptoms that nobody is talking about, and is bold enough to believe you want to hear from me.

But sometimes personas are important. To work efficiently in society, or even for our own self-confidence, sometimes we need to wear a mask, or a cape.

I first had the notion of creating a persona when I heard Sarah Lomas, founder of REVIV Global, a leader in IV therapy and wellness, talk about the persona she was encouraged to create for her banking job with Lloyds of London. To feel more confident, Sarah donned a blonde wig and glasses before heading out the door. I didn't go to that extreme, although my close friends and confidants may disagree.

Enter "Air Hostess Heather", is friendly and polite to a fault. She is quick to let out a genuine laugh and always has an easy smile on her face. She will not judge you or cast withering glances in your direction about your lack of accessibility. She will refer to her Wheel the World checklist (which is not the ADA accessibility guidelines) and simply record the information. She works in data. She is able to tell with width of a standard door at a glance, but will measure it anyway. She is well-made-up, well-coiffed, and well-dressed in "just professional enough but not so overly professional" clothes which might make you squirm watching her roll about in the sweltering Scottsdale summer heat.

"Air Hostess Heather" also does all of the consultations for Making Waves for Good, with businesses who want to have more customers come through their doors. Her domains are data and problem-solving. She know businesses are exhausted from becoming ADA compliant and afraid that they will be sued. She can tell at a glance how high a table is, but will measure it anyway, and tell you in a report if it is the best usable option for your business. She's self-assured and reassuring, approachable and honest, wanting only the best for the clients in front of her and their future customers.

You'll know her when you see her. "Air Hostess Heather" wears scarves.