DESCRIPTION OF TOPIC:
Midwifery practice is inherently emotional and deeply personal, yet despite our profession's rich storytelling history, we often struggle to create safe spaces for sharing our experiences. This presentation encourages midwives to embrace the power of authenticity and vulnerability and return to our storytelling roots to transform midwifery education, research, and practice. The inspiration for this 3MT stems from publishing an autoethnography exploring how my midwifery experiences working in low and middle-income countries shaped my understanding of the stories midwives shared with me in my research. Initial relief at my manuscript’s acceptance was quickly followed by gut-wrenching dread about sharing admissions of self-doubt, lack of practice readiness, and mistakes made, with the midwifery community. This highlighted the tension between our profession's need for authentic storytelling and our discomfort with vulnerability. Many midwives embrace storytelling, recognizing the power of stories to teach, inspire, warn, and comfort. I have met midwives, though, whose work cultures inhibit vulnerability through sharing experiences, but who discover the relief of relinquishing the burden of stories untold and finding meaning and understanding in their midwifery journey.

RELEVANCE TO MIDWIFERY:
Whether in education, clinical practice, or research, all midwives need safe spaces to be 'real' in sharing the stories of their midwifery joys and stories that left their hearts broken. By encouraging midwives to share both celebratory and challenging experiences, we create opportunities for collective learning and healing. When midwives feel safe to be vulnerable and real, they become powerful in their knowledge and connection to others, regardless of different care models or contexts. This presentation advocates for intentionally cultivating vulnerability-embracing spaces that strengthen our collective midwifery basket of wisdom through storytelling, ultimately enhancing our professional well-being and care for women and babies. Midwife autonomy (including three-minute presentation competition)