Exploring the stories that shape our decisions, I’ve found that a good edit can change a life.
When I see a problem that people keep struggling with despite an abundance of available explanations and remedies, I ask myself what is going on beneath the surface and why.
Over time, I’ve realised that many of the problems we treat as questions of discipline, confidence or motivation are actually rooted in the stories people have come to believe about themselves, other people and the world. But any story can be edited once you see its structure.
Working for two decades as a journalist in places where it’s dangerous to speak your mind, I’ve witnessed how people had to muffle their own voices so they fit into the mould, or story that those in power imposed on them.
Later, I became a therapist and mentor for leaders, founders, creatives and other high-capacity thinkers whose breadth of ability often makes clarity harder rather than easier. I saw that even when there is no oppressive regime, people can hold themselves back, and become unhappy, despite external success.
My career taught me to listen for what is not said as much as for what is. As a writer, mentor or therapist, I explore decision clarity, high- and multi-potentiality, giftedness, and the hidden stories that shape our lives, relations and organisations.
Once that’s clear, the next chapter rarely looks the same.
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