With President Trump eliminating almost anything remotely DEI-related in the federal government, as well as erasing all HIV and LGBTQ+ medical care guidance from the CDC website, today’s guest on Living Not So Fabulously couldn’t be more timely.

From climbing out of credit card debt by launching a small business to preparing his finances for coming out publicly as HIV positive and then turning his life’s journey into a thriving personal brand, GLAAD Senior Director of Communications Tony Morrison shares his poignant lessons on brand building and living authentically with hosts David & John Auten-Schneider.

After coming out as HIV positive publicly with an article in 2021 while at ABC’s Good Morning America, Morrison discovered support and a craving for more of his experiences. “What was interesting for me is a lot of non-LGBTQ people reaching out to me, thanking me for my story. People wanted more story and experience, and I, in turn, wanted to hear the same from others.”

As advice to folks building their own personal brand, Morrison says folks should hone in on their own personal stories. “I have this huge belief that your story is your currency—your experience is your currency,” he explains. “People will pay for your experience and for your story,” he says. “If you attach your story, your experience to your business and your model, I think you're unstoppable. Because your story is the one thing that no one can take from you.”

Today, along with serving as GLAAD's Senior Communications Director since 2022, Morrison has built his own story into a personal brand as the host of +Life Media’s web series “Truth Be Told,” where he has weekly conversations featuring LGBTQ+ personalities and activists as they share their own truths with the world. Morrison’s journey as a media maker is more than just inspiration. They serve as guidance for someone else to take their own stigmatized journey and evolve it into a personal brand.

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes. 

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Tony Morrison joins Living Not So Fabulously

01:30-"A non literate gay in finance space"

07:40-Handling credit card debt by...going into small business? 

11:10-Coming out as HIV positive publicly 

15:30-Looking for different representation of HIV positive stories

16:30-Becoming unstoppable! Weave your personal story into your brand

18:45-GLAAD addressing LGBTQ DEI cut backs

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Tony Morrison (@THETonyMorrison, he/him) is 3x Emmy and GLAAD award-earning journalist serving as Senior Director of Communications for GLAAD, the world’s leading LGBTQ media advocacy organization.

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