I believe the only real failure in thought leadership is not getting it wrong or sharing an imperfect idea. The only real failure is choosing not to share something that could help someone because you are worried about being judged for it.
In this episode, I explore a pattern I keep witnessing across conference rooms, author calls, and client conversations: smart, capable people with genuinely important ideas staying invisible longer than they need to. Not because they lack expertise or do not know what to say, but because they are afraid of being seen by the people whose opinions feel most personal. Drawing from a powerful moment at a recent conference where my friend Michelle Gifford exposed the real fear behind visibility resistance, I unpack why we are not actually afraid of strangers or trolls. We are afraid of the neighbor who remembers when we were figuring things out, the colleague who might wonder who we think we are.
I walk through five practical approaches for choosing visibility even when it feels uncomfortable, including how your thought leadership archetype can guide you toward the right containers for your voice. Whether you have been dressing up fear in business language like "waiting for the right strategy" or hiding behind perfectionism, this episode offers a path forward. Because the person who needs what you know does not care if your college roommate rolls their eyes at your posts. They care that you cared enough to be seen so they could find you.
(A note on this episode: In true irony, I experienced an audio issue a few minutes in while discussing how perfectionism keeps us from taking action. I decided to practice what I preach and release the episode anyway, rather than letting the pursuit of perfection keep valuable ideas from reaching the people who need them.)
IMPACT POINTS FROM THIS EPISODE:
⚡ Resistance Signals Significance – The resistance you feel to sharing something is often proportional to how important it is. That knot in your stomach when you think about posting, that urge to wait or refine just a little longer, is sometimes wisdom but often a signal that you are onto something that needs to be seen.
⚡ Visibility Is Not One Size Fits All – If you have been telling yourself that being visible is hard, it might be because you are trying to show up in mediums that do not match how you are wired. Your archetype can guide you toward the right container, whether that is audio, written content, workshops, or structured educational experiences.
⚡ Consistency Compounds Over Fear – The first time you share something vulnerable, it is terrifying. The 50th time, it becomes what you do. Visibility gets easier not because the fear disappears, but because you build evidence that you can survive being seen and that you have something worth sharing.
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