Just a Shameless Leader ...

We've all been there before. Whether you were the new leader on the block feeling out of your depth with unfamiliar personalities, or you were the team member being led by someone who seemed equally lost, the struggle is real. At the end of the day, being in position is less about having the right qualifications and more about feeling qualified. In a workforce that values titles, appearances, and fitting in, it can be incredibly difficult to feel qualified within our complete identity.

So what's the resolution?

On one hand, there isn't one if we're unwilling to admit that our feelings don't always dictate how we should show up. But if you're here reading this newsletter titled "Just Another Shameless Leader," then you already know how those big, messy emotions can spill into our professional lens and completely shift how we see our day.

Welcome to your new safe space.

"Just a Shameless Leader" is the best kind of leader, in my opinion. This newsletter addresses the very emotions from our personal world that bleed into our professional one. Sometimes it's a gentle trickle, other times it's a head-on collision. We are the leaders who don't need a title to lead, or we have titles but place little emphasis on obvious power dynamics. We show up relentlessly, resiliently, and authentically. Not emotionally reactive, but emotionally aware. Or at least seeking to become emotionally aware.

In this newsletter, I want to connect with you biweekly about your emotions and your motivation to work through them. The workplace is filled with code-switchers and performers, and that's often an emotional response to our inability to safely show up as ourselves. The first step is recognizing that our authenticity is required. The second step is accepting that our authenticity may be fractured due to our lived experiences. The third step is getting brutally honest about those life fractures.

I'll go first.

When I started in corporate America at 25, I felt really insignificant. Small in my role, small in my impact. I believed my contributions were limited and that there was no margin for error—but ironically, those feelings showed up in completely counterproductive ways. I struggled with feedback and became overly passionate about defending my work. In short, I developed a "someone is out to get me" mindset, constantly looking over my shoulder with barely any time to look forward.

The truth was, someone was out to get me. The evolved version of me was lurking around the corner, hoping to overtake the insecure version so I could actually be in my role rather than stress about becoming worthy of it. That season of insecurity about belonging shaped how I showed up at work in ways I didn't even realize.

Resolving my own sense of belonging within myself became the key to belonging in the workplace. Of course, I learned this lesson after the job loss.

Just a Shameless Leader. 

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