Individuality is one of the greatest freedoms of our culture—and also one of its biggest traps.

The beauty of individuality is that it allows us to hear our own desires, define our own values, and express our unique contribution to the world. It fuels creativity, innovation, and self-discovery. But when the desire to be original stops us from taking action, it becomes an Achilles’ heel.

In this episode, we talk about the tension between wanting to be original and wanting to be effective—and why the world needs you focused on the latter. Because when we obsess over originality, we make our ideas about us. But the truth is, it’s not about us. It’s about helping, contributing, and using our unique voices to make the world better.

You’ll hear stories, metaphors, and examples—from surgeons to songwriters, from small community groups to global change movements—that illustrate this truth: the fact that you do the thing matters infinitely more than it being one of a kind.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The difference between originality (ego) and effectiveness (impact).
• Why your contribution matters more than how “unique” it is.
  How chasing originality can paralyze creativity and delay action.
• Why it’s more powerful to focus on helping, healing, and building than standing out.
• A metaphor for how our individual actions can collectively turn the tide of humanity—like a flock of birds shifting direction together.

Right now, the world feels heavy to many people. That’s exactly why your contribution matters. Every positive action you take—every group you start, every song you write, every piece of art, blog, class, or community you build—helps counterbalance the negative.

Your voice will land with someone that no one else’s can. Your work will reach people that no one else could reach. And when each of us focuses on being effective, we turn the whole flock toward something better—one small action at a time.

Be one of the birds that turns the flock. Get your idea going. The world needs what you have to give.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 1: You’re the one we want
• The Moxie Mastermind — for women turning their ideas into real, world-changing projects.
• Harvard Happiness Study — the link between contribution, connection, and well-being.

How to connect with Marie:

• On the Web | The Local Bloom
• Instagram: @the.bloom.coach
• All Things Marie on LinkTree

JOIN THE BLOOM ROOM!
We'll take all these ideas and apply them to our lives. Follow me on Instagram at @the.bloom.coach to learn more and snag a spot in my group coaching program!

Most of us were taught that failure is bad. That if we fall short, it means something about who we are—our worth, our capability, our potential. But what if failure isn’t a problem at all? What if it’s the path to everything we want?

In this episode, we unpack what I call failure tolerance—the skill of building your capacity to try, fall short, feel the feelings that come with it, and keep going anyway. Because here’s the truth: when we avoid failure, we actually fail on purpose. We choose inaction to dodge discomfort, and that turns a 50% chance of failing into a 100% guarantee.

You’ll learn how to flip that pattern—how to stop avoiding failure and instead get good at it. When you do, everything changes. You stop seeing failure as evidence of your worth and start seeing it as iteration. Each “failure” becomes a puzzle piece in building something extraordinary.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why avoiding failure is actually a form of guaranteed failure.
• How to expand your failure tolerance so you can take bigger risks with more freedom.
• The two key skills that make iteration possible (and fun):
  1. Evaluating what worked, what didn’t, and what you’ll tweak next time.
  2. Learning to feel your emotions when things don’t go as planned.
• Why mastering these two skills opens every door—to creativity, impact, and possibility.
• A behind-the-scenes look at how I do a live “retro” (retrospective) on one of my own recent attempts, breaking it down step by step so you can apply it to your own projects.
  
  

We’ll also celebrate an exciting milestone: the first few women joining the Moxie Mastermind before enrollment even opened! This six-month experience is for women ready to turn one powerful idea into something real—with community, coaching, and deep transformation along the way.

Because when you build failure tolerance, you stop being afraid of getting it wrong—and start building the life, business, and legacy that’s been waiting for you all along.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Moxie Mastermind — 6-month group program starting in January for women ready to bring their big ideas to life.
• Retros are Everything — for a deeper dive into the reflection skill that powers iteration.
• The Practice — for building your emotional capacity to feel and process failure.

How to connect with Marie:

• On the Web | The Local Bloom
• Instagram: @the.bloom.coach
• All Things Marie on LinkTree

JOIN THE BLOOM ROOM!
We'll take all these ideas and apply them to our lives. Follow me on Instagram at @the.bloom.coach to learn more and snag a spot in my group coaching program!

So many of my students reach a point in life where they’ve checked all the boxes: career, marriage, kids, home, stability. They’ve climbed every rung of the ladder they were told to climb. And then one day, they look up and think—now what?

In this episode, we explore that moment of disorientation that comes after meeting all of life’s early milestones. You’ll hear why so many of us feel stuck once the path runs out, and how we can begin to build our own ladders, guided by passion, purpose, and authentic desire rather than social expectation.

I’ll share how I discovered the concept of chrononormativity—the belief that our lives should follow a standard, linear timeline of education, work, marriage, kids, and retirement—and how this subtle cultural force can keep us trapped in patterns that look “successful,” but feel hollow.

You’ll hear stories from my own life—dropping out of college to heal, having kids before marriage, walking away from a prestigious leadership role—to illustrate what it looks like to step outside of the “normal” timeline and into a life designed from the inside out.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• What chrononormativity is and how it quietly shapes our decisions and expectations.
• Why so many high achievers feel lost or bored once they’ve met society’s milestones.
• How to recognize when you’re living by someone else’s timeline instead of your own.
• A powerful exercise to create your next vision from a place of wild, authentic possibility.
• How allowing yourself to imagine something “ridiculous” can lead to your most fulfilled and aligned life.

By the end of this episode, you’ll be invited to question the rules you’ve been following—and to ask yourself where the “acceptable” timeline might be limiting what’s possible for you. Because when you trade expectation for imagination, you unlock the kind of freedom that makes your life feel worth every moment.

Write your vision. Let it feel bold, maybe even a little ridiculous. Because all great ideas do—until they become real.

Mentioned in this episode:

Chrononormativity — a term originally coined by Elizabeth Freeman

How to connect with Marie:

• On the Web | The Local Bloom
• Instagram: @the.bloom.coach
• All Things Marie on LinkTree

JOIN THE BLOOM ROOM!
We'll take all these ideas and apply them to our lives. Follow me on Instagram at @the.bloom.coach to learn more and snag a spot in my group coaching program!