++ EDGEWALKERS ++

Do you ever feel like half of one thing and half of another? Like you don't quite fit in one box - or maybe the box for you or what you're offering hasn't been created yet?

"Have we talked about entrophy?" "That's the thing where everything in the universe is falling apart." "Yup. But very, very slowly." He pauses. "What if we call things names so we can think they won't change, but really everything is on its way to being something else? What do you think, kiddo?" - extract from We Are the Stars by Gina Chick

I remember the first time many years ago when I heard someone say the word "multipassionate" when describing themselves. "That's me!," I thought. I'm so many things. Why does that have to be hard? I no longer have to put myself in one box - the "communications expert" box or "facilitator" box or "mentor" box or "yogini" box or "creative" box. I'm in all those boxes and more, I thought, and there's even a word for it! (And my boxes are more like bowls made of water - fluid, ever-changing.) But it was the start of a liberating journey of embracing myself as an edgewalker and seeing the critical role of people who push the boundaries in times of profound change.

Discovering the term "edgewalker" (thanks Mum!) came as another "ping!" moment. Edgewalker carries deep meaning across different traditions and contexts. In Indigenous wisdom, edgewalkers are those who walk between worlds - the seen and unseen, the known and emerging. In leadership and change work, we're the ones who operate at the boundaries of established systems, bridging different disciplines and ways of thinking. We're the translators, the bridge-builders, the ones who can see and create the new before others do. Some might call us change agents or innovators or sometimes outcasts, but what truly defines an edgewalker is our ability to navigate and thrive in the spaces between - between cultures, between paradigms, between the way things are and the way things could be.

When you're someone who works in many spaces, on many projects, has many modalities and qualifications, and works at the intersection of things, the natural human need to categorise (and often minimise or "other") things in order to simplify and understand them becomes a real burden. Why should you have to be one thing, or deny or hide some of the?things, when you can be many?

Don't get me wrong. Language is powerful. Words cast ripples and spells. Having just the right words to explain who you are and what you bring can be a gateway to the new - in an instant. I've had the privilege of opening this up for others so many times in my work: when a perfect word unblocks their self-concept, visibility, purpose or offering, it can be like the river returning to the sea. But labels and words can be cages too. And trying to reduce a beautiful human in all their complexity down to a few words feels kind of impossible and a bit cruel, if I'm honest.?

I don't need the?boxes anymore - and I don't mind if others do need them or need to squeeze me into them for their own understanding, as we all need and do that. But the shift to seeing yourself as multipassionate can come with practical benefits too, like the permission to have a portfolio career. When I stopped trying to fit my work and professional identity into a single neat category and instead allowed myself to be the facilitator AND the strategist AND the leadership mentor AND the health coach AND the meditation teacher, something magical happened. Each role enriched the others, creating a unique alignment that could only come from embracing all my parts. It's not about being provocative - it's about feeling whole.

So if you needed it, like I did, this is your invitation to be more of what you feel you are, within and outside of the lines. And a few ideas for those feeling called to embrace your edges more fully:

• Start collecting your "ping" words - those terms that make you feel seen and understood and whole. Let them be breadcrumbs leading you to your authentic expression.
• Notice where you naturally bridge different worlds, or ways of thinking. These intersection points are often where your unique magic lives.
• Instead of trying to niche or specialise, ask yourself: "Can a combo of my zones of genius weave together to create something new / unique?"
• Find or create spaces where all parts of you are welcome. Sometimes this means building your own table rather than trying to fit at someone else's.
• Connect with other edgewalkers and multipassionates. We need community as we navigate these spaces between.
• Trust that your ability to see possibilities others don't yet see isn't a liability - it's a gift our world desperately needs right now.

In this time of unprecedented change and complexity, we need more leaders willing to walk the edges. More voices that can translate between worlds, more minds that can bridge different ways of thinking, more hearts brave enough to bring forth what's emerging. The future isn't going to be built by those who stay safely in the centre - it's going to be shaped by those of us willing to explore the unknown, to question the boundaries, and to imagine new possibilities.

Keen to hear where you are feeling called to walk your edges? And your stories of how is it helping you thrive?

P.S. I'll post in the comments some things that have inspired me and given me courage to embrace the outskirts.