When Information Isn't the Problem
When I was a kid, I always had a book in my face.
Well, in addition to the moments I was dreaming up new “companies” to run, but that’s a different story!
Curiosity, for better or worse, has always been a core value of mine.
I'd go to the library and check out armfuls of books, spread encyclopedias across the floor (yep, I’m old), and hunt down answers to every question my hungry (anxious?) mind conjured. If I got curious about something — how clouds formed, what astronauts discovered in space, how ancient civilizations operated — I'd find every possible resource until I'd absorbed everything available.
Curiosity meant seeking. It meant finding the information that was already out there, waiting to be discovered.
There was always something deeply satisfying about the hunt. The search itself felt purposeful. Information was precious because it was bounded, finite, something you had to work to access.
With technology, that shifted.
Now we're drowning in information. Every question has a thousand answers at our fingertips — whether factual or not. Every topic dives into infinite rabbit holes.
We can research ourselves into paralysis and consume content until our minds are buzzing with other people's thoughts, frameworks, and certainties.
The problem is no longer finding information.
The problem is knowing what is factually true — and knowing when to access our inner compass to find out what's true for us.
Last week, I spoke about “Finding and Using Your Authentic Voice” at the NAWBO Richmond Summit. Next month, I’m giving an expanded version of this talk at the Women’s Leadership Colloquium. (Want to come? Learn more here.)
What kept surfacing in the room last week — and in direct messages since then — is what always surfaces when I do this work:
Most people don't struggle with a lack of knowledge about how to communicate.
They struggle with trusting themselves enough to speak authentically, clearly, and with heart and conviction, whether or not what they have to say goes against social norms.
They struggle with finding the courage to believe their inner knowing over the noise.
They struggle to be convincing without their egos and fears leading their emotions and getting in the way.
We've been so conditioned by the voices outside of ourselves that we've forgotten how to listen inward.
Curiosity used to mean seeking information that existed somewhere else. Now, it is grounded in learning how to digest what we encounter and discern what resonates and what doesn’t.
It is our life’s work to trust our own inner knowing, timing, process, and compass and to listen to the quiet voice that says "yes, this" or "no, not that" even when we can't fully articulate why.
This time of year always lends itself to introspection, and I get a lot of people reaching out in the fall because they are — just like the trees — preparing for restoration.
We don’t have to gather more information, consume more content, or “find the perfect framework that will finally make everything clear.”
The real work is to trust what we already know deep down and take small steps to hear and use our own voice amid the noise.
This is identity work at its core — not discovering who you're supposed to be, but remembering who you already are underneath all the conditioning and shoulds and external voices.
When we take steps to reclaim our trust in ourselves, the effects ripple out into the world — and we all know our communities could use a little more of who we really are under our fears and anxieties.
If you're feeling ready to do this work — to quiet the external noise and reconnect with your inner knowing, to find and use your authentic voice, to trust yourself again — I'm here.
Hit reply or find a time on my calendar if you want to explore coaching or other work together. I'd love to hear what's calling you.
xox, Michelle
From NAWBO Richmond’s Summit last week. I love this org!
Want to explore how to work together?
I do identity work. Whether you are looking to rediscover who you are now, realign and strategize a way forward, or want to reclaim your voice and show up in the world, I can help. While I focus on life strategy and navigation using everything from human design, tarot, and 1:1 coaching, I also support personal brand voice discovery and content writing. Seek yourself. Be more you.
Everything touches. I am here to support you in making meaningful progress to live more freely & fully.
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Be who you are. Lead with curiosity & love. The world will respond.
