This is a photo of a page in my journal from July 2021:

At the time, I was working in tech middle management in exchange for big $$$ and Cadillac benefits for me and my partner. I helped people pivot careers during my lunch breaks and after hours, and admired the creative entrepreneurs my company supported—but never in a million years thought I could be like them.

I also sang little ditties around the house and sent my friends funny Memoji songs over text. But I didn't dare call myself a musician.

My dream was to meaningfully help people, create music, and be financially flexible.

Five years later, I’m living that dream.

When people meet me and I share that I wasn't always this way, they look at me incredulously. This weekend, a fellow singer literally exclaimed, “Oh, Grace, no!” The way I move through the world is obvious in hindsight—but it took breaking down the deep-seated beliefs that I’d be poor, unstable, criticized, unwell, and alone first.

We have to learn to jailbreak ourselves from shitty belief prisons

This isn’t about chasing rainbows.

This isn’t about toxic positivity.

This isn’t about ignoring the very real systems and constraints that impact each of us.

It's about slowing down to inspect—and lovingly burn down—any belief about ourselves and the way the world works that keeps us needlessly trapped. And replacing it with a belief system that keeps us both safe and learning, growing, and thriving.

But how?!

The unglamorous answer that totally irks the high-achieving, productivity hounds I work with is this:

Take small actions over time. Disprove the old beliefs. Prove the new ones.

But in the meantime, the best way to turbocharge the process is this:

Borrow someone else’s beliefs

If the mantras and the stickies on the mirror aren't working and you're ready to throw in the towel, find someone you trust. Ideally, someone who already holds the beliefs you're moving toward. Someone who knows you well enough to call you delulu if you're genuinely putting yourself at risk—and will big you up if you're not.

Look at yourself and your situation through their eyes.

Just in the past month…

• J's partner reminded her that they're financially held, and can take the time to find the right job—not just the first one
• R's leadership team acknowledged she'd hit a ceiling, and encouraged her to make a bigger impact on her own terms
• N's son thanked her for everything she'd done, and told her she was free to move away for her next opportunity
• M's wife reminded him of the incredible changes he's driven, and how any org would be lucky to have him
• T's manager told her she's a top performer, and that her biggest growth area is actually slowing down

To be fully honest, one of the most meaningful parts of my job is to lend my passionate powerhouse clients a clearer set of eyes until they can see it themselves.

One belief I help clients rewrite more than any other is that you can have work that's both fulfilling and provides financial freedom. If you're having a hard time believing even that much—shoot me a note. I read and respond to every reply, and I'll do my best to get you moving in the right direction.

Onward!
Grace