AS a writer and journalist, one of the things I love most about my work, is the fact that I get to meet all kinds of fascinating people.

I get to listen to their incredible stories and I also get the privilege of sharing them with a wider audience.

Stories make the world go round. They fascinate, they inspire, they teach, they motivate, they overwhelm, they resonate.

We all have stories to tell and secrets to share. But yet how many of us really – and honestly – do?

I launched ‘Pouting In Heels’ over 18 months ago so that I could share my own stories, experiences and secrets. I wanted to be braver in my writing, to be more personal, more honest and less guarded.

I always try my best to write from the heart and even though at times, I have been pretty afraid to hit that ‘publish’ button, I have found, that the more honest I am, the more people connect with the post and the warmer and lovelier the response is.

I firmly believe that the less guarded and open we are, the more we will learn and benefit from each other.

Which is why, whilst I will continue to share my secrets and my innermost thoughts with you all,  I now want to open up my blog to you guys. I want it to be a safe place where you can share your secrets. The most precious stories that you have to tell.

‘Your Secrets’ is a new guest series coming to this blog very soon. And it is especially for you.

Think of it as a place where you can have a voice. A place where you can share your darkest secrets and wildest dreams. A place where you can be open and honest. A place where you can help to inspire others through your stories. A place where you can feel empowered.

I’m now on the lookout for people to take part. Perhaps you don’t have a blog but would like to share your story with an audience. Perhaps you’ve beaten yourself up for years about something and now want to let it all out and move on. Perhaps you’ve learnt something incredibly profound and you’re now desperate to share it because you just know it will help change someone’s life. Whatever your story is, I’d love to hear about it.

If you’d like to be considered for the series, this is what you need to know:

• Your story can be as heartbreaking, enlightening, sad or funny as you like. But, in some way, it needs to be inspiring. We’re looking for the light at the end of the tunnel pieces, I’ve been there got the T-shirt kind of posts here.

• You can use your own name or be anonymous. This is entirely your choice. (And I promise you that if you do chose to remain name-less, I will not disclose your identity to a soul.)

•  You need to be comfortable with the fact that your story may get attention!

If you’re happy with all of the above, then we’re good to go! Just drop me a line at katie@poutinginheels.com, putting in the subject ‘Your Secret’ and briefly outlining what you’d like to share with my audience and why.

The series will start this month, beginning with a special secret story post from yours truly. It’s a biggie for me and I’m already feeling extremely nervous about sharing it but I know in my gut, it’s a story I need to tell.

My hope is that it will inspire more of you to share you stories, which I look forward to helping you tell.

Till the next time,

Katie