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The Insight Pause: Who Are You Without the Title?

 

We’ve been trained to introduce ourselves by our job. But when you strip that away - who’s left?

 

 

Someone once asked me that. Not “what do you do?” But: “Who are you, really?”

 

I paused. Not because I didn’t know - but because I’d spent years answering with a title.

 

We go to conferences. We network. We introduce ourselves in two lines or less - title, industry, results.

 

It becomes a rhythm. And after a while, it’s easy to confuse that polished version with our actual identity.

 

And somewhere in that rhythm - I realized: Most of us are fluent in the professional version of ourselves. We’ve said it so many times, it’s easy to forget it’s not all we are.

 

But it’s not.

 

I grew up in a culture where I watched my grandmother close deals with nothing but a handshake and her word. No scripts. No LinkedIn bio.

 

That shaped how I see identity today.

 

Because burnout isn’t just about overwork. It’s about being seen only for what you produce.

 

So let this be your pause this week: If your job disappeared tomorrow - what would still be true about you?

 

That part of you matters. Not because it sells. But because it’s what steadies everything else.

 

This isn’t about walking away from your career. It’s about not walking away from yourself in the process.

 

Because the most grounded leaders hold both: Clear contribution on the outside, Real connection on the inside

 

 

 

✍🏼 Written by Abigail R.

Founder of arickard | Coach & Consultant | Author of Self-Love Blueprint & Unbreakable. Supporting leaders and changemakers to regulate their nervous system, gain clarity, and find calm - so they can lead with presence, purpose, and emotional depth.

 

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