On This Walk

Introverts Unite & Connect for a Quiet Revolution

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Have you ever felt like your introversion has left you feeling inferior because you choose to observe rather than speak up? How can introverts find balance in solitude and simultaneously be in a community with others? 

Our heart-centered guests on this week’s episode of On This Walk are two of my past walking partners, Jenny Wiley and Michael Smith. They both have experience working with others in their respective positions and helping communities of individuals find their purpose and fulfillment. Also, as people with introverted qualities, they know the struggle to find a balance between solitude and socialization.

Today, we’re unpacking that challenge and exploring how meditation, boundaries, and permission can allow us to find safety in ourselves and our identities.  


In This Episode

  • (0:25) The importance of finding the natural balance in introversion
  • (8:50) The main reason Susan Cain’s book, Quiet, spoke to Jenny
  • (14:48) Why we must balance the need to be with people and the need for solitude
  • (19:49) The layers of beauty that emerge when we set boundaries surrounding our time and energy
  • (23:22) Why we have to work through the challenging feelings that can come when we’re quiet 
  • (29:28) The major milestone that balance and meditation can help us reach
  • (34:15) The valuable give and take that comes when we turn toward the practice of meditation
  • (43:30) The power to cultivate a sense of safety is within YOU
  • (51:28) Why permission is at the heart of practical boundaries 


    • Notable Quotes

    • “Now I’m like, ‘Bring on the yoga! Bring on the mindfulness movement!’ That’s totally my jam. But thinking about slowing down enough to feel exactly what was going on in my life at the time, and it’s still even hard now sometimes, but slowing down to feel all of that, because I was experiencing a lot of shame and judgment around what I should be feeling at that time, it was often very intense for me to slow down and feel those things. Because not only was I slowing down and feeling them, I was judging them too in that quiet space. And that judgment added a layer of pain that now I know was just not even necessary.” – Jenny (25:39) 
    • “There’s one really important energy that we need to embody and live, and that is the energy of permission and giving ourselves permission. When we are not creating boundaries in the way that our true self might be asking us to create boundaries, it’s usually because we are not giving ourselves permission to do more of something or less of something. And it’s usually often around early childhood experiences, the way that we grew up, traumas in our past, and the fears that are attached to that.” – Michael (52:25) 


      • Our Guests

      Jenny Wiley specializes in community coaching and helping organizations rebuild, reenergize, and grow. She currently serves as Director of Programming & Community Growth for the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), which works with committed individuals to help them reach their goals, dreams, and realize their potential. 

      Doctoral-trained therapist and healing practitioner Michael Smith is the founder of Empath Connection. As a leader in mind-body holistic healing for nearly two decades, Michael has personally coached thousands of individuals to make stronger connections between mind, body, and spirit. 


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          • Michael Smith

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            On This WalkBy Luke Iorio