On Belonging: And Being More You
I’m cheating this week. Hey, give me a break! I’m stressing out about my CreativeMornings Richmond talk on GROWTH, happening this Friday, probably RIGHT NOW if you’re reading this with your morning coffee.
Yes, I speak at a lot of events, conferences, retreats, corporate trainings, workshops, and in public all the time, but this talk at CreativeMornings feels sacred and special: partly because I’ve spent so much time in the past 8+ years contributing to this community — as a communicator, a speaker liaison, and most recently as Host — and partly because the talk is so very personal.
So, forgive me this month as I literally steal content from my friend and mentor, Racheal Cook, who had me on the “Promote Yourself to CEO” podcast last week.
I hope you give this a listen — not just because Rach & I tackle big topics like belonging, community, authenticity, and facilitating connection…
But because we also keep it effing REAL on the struggles of being who we truly are underneath the conditioning and stories we tell ourselves, what it truly means to grow, and how we evolve and become “successful,” even when it feels like we’re failing.
Here’s what Racheal, my badass friend, mentor, strategist, and role model, had to say:
I need you to meet Michelle Mercurio.
She’s one of those rare people who refuses to pick a lane—and that’s exactly what makes her brilliant.
In this conversation, we dig into why the traditional business advice to “niche down” might actually be killing your ability to show up as yourself.
Michelle’s built a career that spans branding, community building, teaching, and yes, witchy practices see the PPS below for more on this! —all tied together by two powerful threads: understanding who we are and how we relate to one another.
What I love most about this episode is how Michelle reframes growth itself. We’re so conditioned to think growth means up, up, up—more revenue, bigger team, next level.
But what if growth is actually a spiral? What if coming back to familiar patterns isn’t regression but evolution?
We explore how to shed decades of conditioning that taught us to smooth out our edges and fit in, why elevator pitches actually kill connection, and what it really takes to build authentic community (spoiler: it requires showing up even when it’s uncomfortable).
If you’ve ever felt like you’re supposed to be further along or you’re doing it wrong because you don’t fit the mold, this one’s for you.
xox, Michelle
P.S. One of my clients recently told me: "I thought I hired you to help me figure out what's next. What I didn't realize is that you'd help me learn how to be okay with not knowing yet. That's been the real gift." Want to coach with me? I’ve opened my 2026 books. Let’s chat
P.P.S. Stay tuned for the launch of two new “witchy” things next week — Arcana 2026, a class to deeply explore the archetypes, symbols, interpretations, and our relationship to the major arcana cards in tarot; and Witchy Eve 2026, a small, intimate community using tarot, intention, and deep healing discussions centered around the wheel of the year. Interested in being the first to know when these are live? Email me.
Racheal Cook & I had a great discusson on her Promote Yourself to CEO interview. Click the image for a link to the podcast!
Want to explore how to work together?
Visionaries and purpose-led teams hire me to rediscover who they are, align with what matters, and put strategies into action to make meaningful progress.
I do identity work, including life strategy and navigation, human design, tarot, and 1:1 coaching. I also develop & write brand voice for evolving humans and companies.
Seek yourself. Be more you.
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Be who you are. Lead with curiosity & love. The world will respond.
