Messy Business - with Libby Langley

176: #176 You Don't Have to Pretend Everything's Perfect

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If you’re the "I’m fine" one (even when you’re falling apart inside), this episode is for you.

I’m talking about the exhausting pressure to perform competence in business - always sounding sorted, always polished, always upbeat - and why that performance layer is one of the fastest routes to burnout (even when nothing is technically wrong).

This episode is about presence over polish, honesty over performance, and building a business that’s actually sustainable to live inside.

In this episode, I cover:

  • Why “sounding fine” has become an unspoken expectation in business
  • The difference between being professional and being performative
  • How performance sneaks in to tone monitoring, smoothing edges, and managing perception
  • Why curated doesn’t have to mean dishonest; but constant performing is draining
  • The “false binary” of business: either polished and upbeat or disappear completely
  • The power of the comfortable middle: steady, human, unexaggerated you
  • Why your message lands more cleanly when you stop trying to be impressive

  • A reminder: you don’t need to be “fine” to be effective

    • 💥 If this episode sparked something, message me on Instagram or LinkedIn, or email me, and tell me what’s going on for you.

    🧡 If you want support getting reorientated in your business, take a look at the Messy Business ThinkSpace: https://libbylangley.com/community.

    📙 And if you’d like more of this thinking in book form, you can read Life in Business here: https://libbylangley.com/book.

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    Messy Business - with Libby LangleyBy Libby Langley - Business Coach