Episode Summary

In this episode, I sit down with Hollis Citron for a conversation about what happens when you stop trying to get everything right and actually bring yourself into the process.

We explore the difference between following a framework and being present within it, why play and experimentation are valuable ways to learn, and how curiosity can help you recognize and interrupt the patterns shaping your choices. Hollis and I also talk about vulnerability, uncomfortable conversations, taking up space, and what it means to allow yourself to be fully human while you figure things out.

Most importantly, we come back to a simple truth: you can have the strategy, structure, tools, and support, but if you remove yourself from the process, something essential is missing.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Why the energy you bring to something can matter as much as the strategy you use
• The difference between checking the boxes and actually being present in the process
• Why play, experimentation, and making mistakes create opportunities for learning
• How curiosity can help you interrupt familiar thought patterns
• What vulnerability and uncomfortable conversations can reveal
• How your personal timing influences the perspective you bring into collaborations
• Why two people in very different seasons can use those differences to strengthen their work together
• What it looks like to use structure as support without becoming rigid inside it

Key Takeaways

• A framework can give you structure, but you still have to bring yourself to it.
• Play isn't separate from meaningful learning. It can create the space where discovery happens.
• Curiosity gives you somewhere to go when you don't have an answer yet.
• Understanding the perspective you're bringing into a collaboration can help you work with someone whose needs are different from yours.
• Aligned leadership includes allowing yourself to be human, make mistakes, evolve, and show up as who you are now.

Call to ActionPay attention to one place where you're trying especially hard to do something "right." What changes when you relax into the structure and give yourself permission to play?Links

Charting Your Course: https://www.atmaitri.com/chartingyourcourse

Love Beyond the Surface: https://www.iamcreativephilly.com/storiesoflove