Unmasking My Secret Life as a Multipotentialite

When an Elevator Pitch Feels Like a Ph.D. Thesis

Warning: This might be your life too!

Today, dear reader, I'm spilling the beans about my secret double life. And no, it's not as a spy in Washington, DC (though that would make a great novel). I'm here to uncover the mysterious world of the Multipotentialite.

I took over a year of professional 'pause' to focus on what matters most: being by my mother's side during her last months here on Earth. It was an incredible privilege and the most rewarding choice I have made in recent years. With renewed energy and purpose, I am ready to embrace the exciting challenges ahead and welcome all the support I can get back into my professional life.?

So, a few weeks ago, I?asked my Mastermind Group to hold me accountable in the coming months, as I am ready to launch several initiatives before the year's end.??

Chapter 1: The Challenge of the Elevator Pitch

The Mastermind Group had spoken, and the task was simple: draft an elevator pitch to describe my work. Easy, right? Except for two hours and zero sentences later, it dawned on me that something was up, and maybe recording it would be easier.

I turned to my amazing Aussie doodle, Annie, my most trusted advisor, who patiently listened to several failed elevator pitch recitals during our walk. You haven't experienced failure until you've disappointed your dog. The recording attempt? Failed. Mind mapping? Failed. Surrendering? Success! (Sort of.)

Chapter 2: Confessions of a Professional Jack-of-All-Trades

The last time I updated my LinkedIn account, dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Okay, seven years ago, but who's counting? I had just left a traditional career at the Inter-American Development Bank, where I was a Senior Advisor -Social Innovation and Impact in the Private Sector,? to create 'my own thing' and be 'my own boss.' Since then, my professional life has evolved, and my elevator pitch felt like a Ph.D. dissertation on "Everything and the Kitchen Sink."

But why is it so challenging to summarize a professional life that ranges from Systems Thinking, Neurobiology Coaching, and Impact Investing to leading meditation sessions? It might be what Clyde Boyer calls an acute form of professional attention deficit, or iPAD. Or what Emilie Wapnick coined as Multipotentialite to describe individuals with many interests and creative pursuits. I remember watching Emilie's TED talk many years ago and feeling at home. She gets me, even though she says many of her interests are unrelated, and I see connections with all of mine.??

Explaining those connections to others, especially in an Elevator Pitch, seems more challenging than writing a Ph.D. Thesis.

Chapter 3: The Dinner That Changed Everything

It was a small gathering, full of joy and reconnecting, in the same week when a colleague asked me, "How long have you been a healer?" Cue dramatic music, surprise, and a quick shoulder check. Me? A healer? In the professional sense?

She saw my surprised face and quickly added- That is how I know you. You have led some meditation sessions for the BMW Responsible Leaders Network, and we have done healing intentions for people going through health and mental opportunities.?

She is right. For the past 25 years, I have been certified in several meditation modalities and healing practices. I also lead retreats and have a daily practice. But it's been a long time since someone has called me a healer, and never- ever in a 'professional context.'?

It was time to unmask my secret life as a Multipotentialite(I? struggle to pronounce my secret identity name- so I wonder how that will work out!)?

Chapter 4: Unveiling My Elevator Pitch (and a New Chapter in Life)

After years of avoiding the Elevator Pitch, I finally embraced my identity. Here is what I have so far in terms of Elevator Pitch:

"I am a Multipotentialite. I have many interests and creative pursuits. Currently, I focus on lifting whole communities out of poverty and finding ways to regenerate the Amazon through impact investing. I also coach Executives and their teams on innovating and thriving in this era of exponential change and speak at corporate events about Intrapreneurship and mindset shifts required to master change and thrive in uncertainty.

I am passionate about democratizing the Executive Innovation Coaching I provide high-paying corporate clients by offering it more broadly to other professionals through The Personal Accelerator- a 3-month online journey that allows them to rapid-prototype a future they would love to live in. Also, sometimes, I might heal you??."

Epilogue: Looking Ahead

As we venture into an era where AI is set to impact over 300 million white-collar jobs, according to Goldman Sachs-(AI CEOs, anyone?), Multipotentiality is more than a fancy word; it's a potential path, not only for those too curious to focus on one or two areas of expertise but for anyone open to (positively) leveraging the new technology available to us.

To all my fellow Multipotentialites, it's time to step into the spotlight. And to those who think it's synonymous with ADHD, it's not – but overlapping isn't bad either!

Here's to the future of exploration, showing up professionally in non-traditional ways, and being grateful for those who clear the path. In particular, to Clyde and Emilie.

PS: Don't be surprised if you see posts from me on every imaginable topic and different edits to my LinkedIn account. I've warned you. And if you're still wondering about iPAD. I believe it doesn't come with a charger. We would have to ask Clyde about that.?

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