Stripping away pretense
Letting go is growth, too
I've been writing about growth lately — pages and pages of observations, questions, and half-formed insights as I prepare for a big talk I'm giving in November. Growth has always been a central theme I notice in my life, but the topic has become my lens for everything in these past few months — showing up in client sessions, in my own transitions, and in the weird weather patterns of August.
When I was in a different phase, I think I equated growth as striving & working toward something. Where I am now, I realize — for me — growth isn't as much about going outward as it is a return to oneself.
In the notes I’m constantly adding to for my talk, I wrote this: Growth is stripping away what you're not.
What if this next season — figuratively (for our own growth) and literally (autumn) — is here to help us practice letting go and stripping away?
In these final weeks of summer, what if we ask ourselves what is ready to shift? What's ready to be released so something new can grow in its place?
I've been thinking about this in my own life.
After years of collecting identities, credentials, and ways of describing who I am, I'm more interested in the question: Who am I when I strip away all the things I think I should be?
Not the roles I play or the boxes I check, but the person underneath —
the one who knows things without having to prove them,
who trusts her instincts without needing external validation,
who can sit with uncertainty without rushing toward the next accomplishment.
What if the work isn't in becoming someone new, but in returning to who we've always been?
As we head into these final weeks of summer, I'm curious:
What did you love before you were told what to love?
What's ready to shift for you as summer winds down — and what would you do if you trusted that you already know enough to make that shift?
Maybe growth isn't something we strive for at all. Maybe it's something we have to remember.
What I’m learning is that we have to know, like, and trust that person underneath first — and that inner voice that sometimes get buried in the noise of external pressures and internal striving — before we can expect the rest of the world to see and value who we really are.
The work of stripping away what we're not isn't just about personal clarity. It's about showing up as ourselves so fully that others have no choice but to meet us there.
This kind of deep questioning and remembering work is exactly what I explore with clients in life strategy sessions and ongoing coaching. (And my website will be shifting in the coming weeks to show these new offers — so excited! Stay tuned!)
Sometimes we need support in trusting what we already know and navigating the process of returning to ourselves. If any of this resonates and you're ready to explore your own process, let’s chat.
xox, Michelle
P.S. Or, if you’re interested in a virtual or local, in-person tarot session as the fall approaches, I’m available for that, too! Details here.
Fun photo from the incredible Jacqui for my 50th birthday. The 50s are definitely about embracing my natural me — feral hair and all.
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. Yes, this still includes brand content (which I love!) and business and life strategy. Everything touches — and I am here to support you in making meaningful progress.
If you want to share the love, forward this to a friend. If you were forwarded this email and want more like it, sign up here.
For more insights and interviews, follow me on Instagram here & here, TikTok, & YouTube. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn.
Be who you are. Lead with curiosity & love. The world will respond.
