We recently had the chance to connect with CHELSEA BURNETT and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning CHELSEA, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I love this question! For years I have avoided speaking to large groups of people down to answering my own phone at a workplace. I have a speech impediment, a stutter, that inhibits my ability to speak fluidly like normal folks. My dad stutters, and so did my grandpa (dad’s dad!). I always assumed it would be a hindrance to being at my full potential in life.
Since 2015 I’ve made it my mission to get back to my life’s passion – severe weather. But that requires talking about it to people and on social media. Fast-forward almost 10 years and I am now chasing storms & talking about them full-time!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Chelsea Burnett. I’m a DFW-based (but Oklahoma-born) storm chaser + public speaker under the self-brand Beyond the Skies. I partner with groups such as Storm Science, Girls Who Chase and Texas Storm Chasers to provide severe weather awareness content for kids & adults.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I was picked on for a variety of typical things such as acne, braces, unplucked eyebrows, and a speech impediment. I believed that since I stuttered, there would be no opportunities for me to as an adult to work where I had to talk. All the jobs I knew of as a child involved speaking with the public – restaurants, grocery stores, office jobs, etc. As I became a teenager, I held jobs as a cook, table busser, and other back-end jobs that kept me from being customer-facing. It also led me further away from my dream of severe weather. As I became an adult, I learned to be comfortable in my awkward skin of having a stutter and developed coping mechanisms to reduce it for the most part! As I made friends in the workplace and in public, I realized people genuinely had an interest in my obsession with weather. As I began to open up about it, I realized how easy it was to discuss it to those who would listen. I was at ease, comfortable, and had zero jitters which led to me discovering I could carry a conversation without stuttering!
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I firmly believe “suffering” with a speech impediment humbled me so incredibly hard that I’d never take for granted being able to do what I do now as a public speaker. Had I became successful at what I do, without the struggles & sufferings, I don’t think I’d feel as deeply appreciative for it as I do now!
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Severe weather and my son!
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Yes, and I believe that’s how one knows if they’re passionate about (insert topic) or not. Living in this digital age, it’s easy to jump onto any of the “trending topics” and receive praise for doing it. But when no one is watching, do we still want to do those things? That defines what we are or aren’t meant to do. How we go about our lives when no one is watching.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beyondtheskies.net
- Instagram: chelsea_beyondtheskies
- Facebook: Storm Chaser Chelsea Burnett
- Youtube: Storm Chaser Chelsea Burnett
