#210

Meg messaged me after presenting to her executive team.

“It went great,” she said. “I got fantastic feedback. I felt... proud.”

But just a week before, she was wavering.

“I’ve done my prep, I’ve gone over the content, I’ve mentally rehearsed,” she told me. “But something’s still not right. I feel like I’ve lost my confidence.”

I cheekily asked, “Where haven’t you looked?”

She looked puzzled.

So, I rephrased it: “Where in your life are you the most confident?”

She didn’t hesitate. “Hyrox. I’m super confident doing Hyrox.”

(For the uninitiated, Hyrox is a high-intensity fitness competition that combines functional strength and endurance. Think CrossFit meets running event.)

“Cool,” I replied. “So Hyrox Meg would be a different Meg walking into that meeting?”

“Absolutely.”

“So why don’t you take her with you?”

That’s exactly what she did. She brought her Hyrox identity - her grit, discipline, preparation, and self-confidence - into the boardroom.

And it worked.

We often compartmentalise our identities. We let them live in separate lanes. Work Me. Friend Me. Parent Me. Gym Me.

But what if we stopped drawing such thick lines between them?

What if we blurred the lanes, followed the markings on the pool floor, and let the flow of one identity fuel another?

Because is it possible…

The same person who says, “I’m not good at managing people” might also be:

A working Mum managing 3 kids, an aging parent and a dog named Frankie; whilst coordinating a house renovation; in tandem with supporting a friend through a crisis; and still managing date night now and again.

So don’t tell me you can’t manage people. You already do.

So don’t tell me you’re not resilient. You already are.

So don’t tell me you’re not confident. You just haven’t borrowed from the right version of you… yet.

This week’s questions to whisper to yourself:

- Where in my life do I feel most confident, grounded, capable?

- What traits do I access in that role or context?

- How might I bring that version of me into an area I’m currently doubting?

- What would change if I acted as if I already had that confidence?

- What version of me do I need to bring into the room this week?