For a big part of my life and even to this day, I have been a yes person; always willing to help people in whatever capacity they need me. However the energy behind my actions today is much more centered and genuine than it was before.

Before it was more about pleasing others and wanting the world to have a favorable view of me. Now it’s all about who I truly am. I had to reflect on myself in order to realign my beliefs and let go of some commitments that I had unconsciously made about why I was helping others. In short, I had to own myself and my actions in order to find purpose, meaning, balance and fulfillment.

Today’s walk is about owning who you are, and my walking partner understands this all too well. Liz Brunner has committed herself to reinvention and to something I call a re-deepening process allowing her to move closer to the center of who she is.

In This Episode

Notable Quotes

• “Very often, I would be one of the first ones to say yes to jump in and help out a friend or a colleague. However, ultimately, I recognized that most of my yeses stemmed from a combination of people pleasing or wanting others to have a favorable view of me. It wasn’t as genuine as true service because I wasn’t being honest with myself as to where my yeses were actually stemming from. And that led to a deeper exploration of my needs; my need to be liked or recognized; my need to avoid conflict or rejection or judgment, and so on. It opened up an opportunity for me to get to know myself better; to release some of those blocks and some of those old commitments that I had unconsciously made about why I was helping others. I still have that commitment to service. It truly is a part of who I am, but the energy behind it now is so much more genuine. It’s congruent and it’s centered because the way that I serve is much more aligned with who I really am and not based on the expectations of others or my need of their approval.” – Luke (01:56)

• “A lot of people think vulnerability and authenticity is ‘oh you just wear your heart on your sleeve, and you share everything with everybody.’ No! You share your stories with people who have earned the right to hear them. That’s vulnerability. Authenticity is there is never a question about your actions and your behavior. They are in sync. That’s being authentic. And I think it’s really important that people, particularly when you are in this position of saying, maybe I should do something else, what am I going to do, how do I figure it out; you do have to be that authentic and that vulnerable with the people who have earned the right to hear your stories and people you trust. And that’s not easy.” – Liz (48:37)

Our Guest

Liz Brunner is the CEO and founder of Brunner Communications and the bestselling author of Dare to Own You. She leverages more than 30 years of media and communication experience and expertise to support individuals and organizations in building meaningful reputations and powerful brand identities. She is also the host of Live Your Best Life Podcast, where she shares success stories of recreation, reinvention, and re-deepening.

Resources & Links

On This Walk