Austin
My Story
Meet Austin!
Austin shares some themes of his life
Experiences that shaped who Austin is today
Austin discusses his autobiographical one-person show, Becoming Austin Nation
Austin describes the range of emotion about acting as himself in his show
The intersection and overlap of Art, Performance, and Nursing
Austin’s early experiences in discovering his sexuality
Austin shares how his identity remained mostly unspoken, rather than a traditional “coming out”
Things that bring joy
From addiction to recovery (long version)
Austin shares about his recovery (short version)
Words to live by
Austin shares about practicing the performance art of drag and his drag persona - A’freeka Nature
Important causes that Austin has dedicated his time and life to
Loved Ones
Early experiences of love
Austin shares this history of an important relationship
Experiences of partnerships prior to recovery
Austin talks about his relationship revelations while going through recovery
Platonic life partnership and looking for loving partnership
Standards for partnership through self love
What has been learned about love
Austin shares his philosophies and standards he holds for his relationships
Things that bring joy
From addiction to recovery (long version)
Stories about endings and how to do them better and learn from them
The importance of sharing feelings and moving through conflict, especially on a recovery journey
Thoughts about care when someone you love is sick, and the importance of showing up
Living through the AIDS Crisis
Questions about love, surrender, and trusting instincts
Challenges
Austin shares the biggest challenges he has faced
Experiences of living with a terminal diagnosis
A calling to share the story of living with AIDS as a Black, Queer man
Ways that Austin moved through the biggest challenges in his life
In response to the question, “What is the best way to develop resilience?”
An intersectional lens on challenges and resiliences
The importance of having support and community with those who have shared experiences
Austin talks about his BFF, Vern, who he credits with helping him face and get through adversity
Accomplishments
Austin shares the things he is most proud of
Defining success
Ways that Austin believes and hopes the people in his life will remember him
Exploring ideas about “Life’s Work”
Living life from a perspective of facing mortality and the importance of how we spend our time
Thoughts on living a happy and meaningful life
Zest for life due to an awareness of having limited time
Regrets, Fears, & Forgiveness
In response to the question, “If you could have done one thing differently in life, what would that be?”
Advice that Austin would give to his 16 year old self with the wisdom and knowledge he has now
Living with fear of dying related to an HIV diagnosis
The evolution of fear from living with HIV for several decades and now facing health related changes from aging
Approach to healthcare as a partnership, prioritizing knowledge and preservation of health as the expert of your own body
Reflections on forgiveness and acceptance
Values
Views on Spirituality, Religion, and how Austin has redefined his relationship to his higher power
Austin shares about understanding the influence and impact his life has and can make
Finding safety in church or a spiritual community for LGBTQ+ people
Austin shares about learning to trust himself
Letting dreams lead the way on a journey of learning to trust oneself
Austin shares his top 3 core values
Developing empathy through having gone through life’s challenges
Things Austin practices daily
Thank you so much to Austin for his vulnerably and authenticity in sharing his story, for his life-giving and joyful spirit, and for contributing to The Constellations Project!