Project Hiding: One Year Later

I leaned in to the nudge. You know the voice in your heart, the tap on your shoulder and sometimes what feels like a kick at the door. It's a knowing inside you cannot explain, but you hear it. Most of the time meeting the voice with being 'too tired', 'too busy' and 'it's not possible because'...or simply ignoring it.

It was about one year ago I was taking a planned break from the podcast and reworking the strategy for the next season. I started then stopped. Started then stopped. I kept hearing the voice. I got so far as to record and release one new episode. Then stopped again.

I finally leaned in to the voice that kept telling me I was hiding; podcasting was putting me second to those I continued to shine the light on. I heard the voice tell me to put the podcast aside and move to front and center with my ideas, real time. Not recorded. So I leaned in.

Side note: this is the complete opposite of what I'd normally do. If you know me, you know I LOVE podcasting, my guests, all of it. I had no idea what would happen, what was next or where I would land. I had committed to launch a second company in 2020 so this was definitely not in the plan...

What made me lean in this time? I want to write, I have no idea. That's simply not true. I had been feeling for quite some time I was hiding my light.

I hosted a series of conversations with anyone that would listen. I learned quickly everyone felt just like me. They had a nudge, a voice for something bigger, a dream of being heard, a brilliance that was not yet shining brightly. I learned they felt they were hiding too, in all kinds of ways, men and women. I remember thinking, huh, I may be on to something here.

100% of humans are hiding their humanity

So I decided to make it official, launched Project Hiding, and began researching more about what we hide, where we do it, how we keep ourselves there when we have this inner knowing, and ultimately why we do this to ourselves. I spoke to executive women 1:1, conducted surveys with high achievers like me, and have now presented my findings to over 25 audiences gathering valuable feedback and insights from hundreds. The data keeps growing but the outcome remains the same:

2 out of 3 high performing women report hiding their true brilliance

I had been sitting on this information for months, hiding it. I thought no one would want to hear it or resonate despite the research. Ultimately, I was hiding the fact that I thought no one would want to hear it from me. That it would decrease my value somehow. And I certainly didn't want to make another career pivot and be wrong. It seemed easier to just keep hiding. When I learned 2 out of 3 felt their light inside was not shining brightly, that their true voice was not being heard and that they had more magic to offer and be leveraged for impact, I knew the only option was to go for it.

I'd love to share my research and Unhide Your Magic framework with your executive circle, team or organization. Reach out via messaging to start the conversation, or visit my website to get in touch.

Discover the top four most common ways we hide, how you stack up, and where you may be holding yourself back >> www.unhideyourmagicquiz.com