Nobody Knows You like YOU.
As a society we are increasingly turning to experts to address each nuance of the human experience, from how to find coupons to the best time for haircuts to the really important questions like how to get kids to clean a toilet. The resources at our fingertips are remarkable, but there are downsides to so many "experts." We have subtly but steadily given away our ability to trust our own expertise, outsourcing our intuition and inherent confidence to the faceless masses and their capacity to like, unlike, or follow us.
The power we've given experts and the world at large to give us our opinions can lead to a paralysis on countless decisions, ranging from seemingly simple ones like hairstyles or shoe choices, to incredibly profound ones related to how we value ourselves and our worth.
While I'm comfortable with experts and expertise (I claim to be one, after all), we cross an important line when we decide that experts know us better than we know ourselves. Whether in the realm of nutrition, exercise and movement, education, finance, mental health, or any other area of our lives, all too often the presence of a few letters behind one's name creates a dynamic where the one with the letters is dubbed the "expert" and is given the power to decide what is in another's best interest. This dynamic has never sat well with me. I've found that my expertise is best used by asking helpful questions, believing in others, and harnessing helpful research to help clients own their expertise. I ask good questions. You find good answers. When we give power to others to tell us "the answers," we rarely achieve the results we truly desire. Change comes and stays when we own the process of finding and trusting ourselves.
We have the power to discover who we are, who we want to become, and the best way to navigate that journey. This podcast is about harnessing that power.
Finding Our Power is a Journey
Early in my marriage my wife, young son, and I lived near a single mother of two who had fled her country to escape violence and political unrest. Her oldest daughter had the weekly chore of taking the trash to the community dumpster, about 30 yards from their front door. This weekly chore was virtually the only time I saw this child outdoors. She would frantically look in every direction before sprinting, wide eyed and terrified, as fast as her 8-year-old legs would carry her to throw the trash in the dumpster then dash home, slamming her front door, "safe"... until the next time.
To this girl, the world was terrifyingly unsafe. That belief influenced every moment and decision of her life.
A few doors down, a 2-year-old boy was growing up with the belief that the world was a magical and safe place full of wonder, excitement, and opportunities for exploration.
Neither of these children chose their template for seeing the world, but both were and are profoundly affected by the core beliefs they internalized during their early years.
Sifting through programming downloaded in our early years is hard work, and we often need help finding the truths that serve us within that framework.
Enter The Finding Podcast.
More than anything, The Finding Podcast is a safe space to think about, feel about, and be curious about virtually anything and everything that comes into the heart, mind, and body.
No judgment. No shame. No evaluation. Just acceptance, compassion, and curiosity as we find the courage to experiment with what we discover, learn from our mistakes, and take ownership of our journey.