Truth Circles

Throughout my life and career, I’ve become increasingly curious about the gap between who we think we need to be and who we truly are.

I’m not talking about the reasonable ways we adapt with professionalism and self-awareness as we mature and move through different environments. I am pointing towards something deeper. Something subtle, that we may normalize over time, that I fear can compound, leading to exhaustion, disorientation, and a dulling of our sense of self. A dulling of how well we know ourselves and whether we get to create our lives as ourselves. Or miss the chance entirely. 

One of the seeds planted years ago that brought this tension into view for me, a seed that blossomed into The Truth Is, was a statistic I came across in 2020: 43% of people suppress meaningful aspects of their identities in order to be viewed as successful. And that number has only grown. According to a recent Deloitte study, 60% of U.S. workers now downplay parts of themselves that don't fit the archetype in order to be seen as competent, valuable, credible.

Does that show up in your life? Downplaying or performing how you present yourself, in order to be viewed as competent, valuable, successful?

If the answer is yes, I think the first step is to grant ourselves a big dose of grace and compassion. 

Because for many, downplaying parts of our identities in spaces not designed for us is a necessary act of self-preservation. Bias is real. It can feel risky, even unsafe, to speak or show up honestly, especially when your security seems to depend on it.

And still, I keep thinking about the compounding risk those statistics suggest. That not only could we miss out on living our lives as ourselves, but the places we inhabit miss out on the whole of us too. Our unique perspectives, voices, and contributions. 

And I am coming to believe that the world needs our unique perspectives, voices, and contributions, not just for ourselves, but for what we might build together.

Over the last year, moving into work that is quite literally about living truthfully, has put this under a microscope for me. I can feel the moments I show up as myself, rooted in my own experience and curiosity, in direct contrast to the moments I play it safe and performing an idea of a prepared podcast host. I’ve realized in hindsight how often I’ve defaulted to that performance in the past. Whether it be a perspective or question I felt silly vocalizing, a conversation I hesitated to ask for, or an injustice I observed but accepted as status quo. 

I can’t claim to have this all figured out, but I can confidently say that through this awareness and experimentation in not avoiding my truer expression, I am feeling more…me. And it’s through more me-ness that I am finding more confidence, more vitality, and a stronger belief in myself and what is possible for my life.

And I am charged by the moment we are living through. Veils on systems of power that were never designed to benefit the collective are being lifted. Work itself is transforming. It feels like the status quo is under a microscope everywhere. 

What a moment to show up as ourselves. To reclaim and express how we see and experience our lives. To believe in the value of our unique perspectives. To contribute them to the conversations and the spaces we inhabit. To reclaim authorship over our own lives in the big decisions and the small, daily moments. To shift culture from the inside, one honest conversation at a time. 

The stakes of that have never felt higher. We are accelerating into an age of AI that will be one of the most disruptive periods of our lifetimes. And the reason I bring it up here is because this technology, while paradigm shifting, draws from what already exists. Our original thinking doesn't. And in my experience, the temptation to outsource my thinking to these tools in the name of productivity has left me, at times, disoriented. Less clear. Less me.

While I believe innovation will come with these tools, our capacity for human reflection, conversation, and wisdom needs to accelerate right alongside it. 

This work is designed to bring you into a deeper relationship with yourself. With your own felt sense of truth. To default to your own reflection and discernment. To have a relationship with the dreams and the revelations available to you when you are open enough to receive them. Because not only do we deserve to author our own lives, but collectively, we get to claim authorship of this next moment.

I created this program because I have lived this gap. Throughout my career. Throughout my twenties, and now deep into the mystery of my thirties. In the big life decisions, and the daily ones.

I spent over a decade building a career I was genuinely proud of, in brand strategy, working with companies like Walmart and Hello Sunshine, ultimately leading as a Vice President. I knew how to navigate complex systems, build trust, and deliver. And somewhere inside all of that, I started to confuse performing success with being myself. With advocating for what I believed in. With taking up space as myself.

The parts of me that were most uniquely mine — my creativity, my spirituality, my playfulness, my ability to listen deeply and ask questions — I didn't always trust their value. I didn't know how to lean into them, honor them, and protect them. 

Over time, I’ve realized those parts of me weren’t distractions from my path. They were the most essential parts of it. And now, in a chapter where I am building something new, the pull of comparison, not-enoughness, ‘I should do it their way’ is louder than ever. 

What I’ve learned is that I don’t need motivation or a 4am cold plunge or a better strategy. I needed calibration back to myself. Back to my truth.

I can't tell you what you'll find when you finally get quiet enough to hear yourself. But I know it's already there. And I know it's worth finding.