Walking Away From The Noise

In today's episode of the Potential Leader Lab Podcast, I am going to walk you through why I've chosen a path less traveled, one of introspection and genuine connection.

I’m excited to welcome you to this episode—it’s a little different from the usual. This marks the beginning of a new three-part series that I’m calling “Walking Away from the Noise.”

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking you inside my own journey: how I’ve wrestled with the difference between marketing and self-promotion, what authenticity really means for me, and why I’ve decided to pull back from chasing visibility online.

In this episode, I dig deep into the tension I feel between sharing my work and simply promoting myself. I draw inspiration from existential thinkers—this time, Jean-Paul Sartre—to examine questions like: Are we truly being ourselves online, or just performing a role? I’ll admit, it’s been a three-year process for me to come to terms with the idea of stepping away from self-promotion, especially while still sharing my thoughts on a podcast!

My goal here isn’t to give you a trendy mindset shift, or tell you what you should do. Instead, I want to open up a real conversation about what motivates us to share, the temptation to be constantly visible, and how we each define success. I’ll challenge you with something I’ve asked myself: If you couldn’t post about your success, would it still feel like success?

If you’re curious about what it means to do good work for its own sake—to focus on meaning instead of applause, and to embrace the messy, evolving human experience—I hope this resonates. Whether you’re all-in with relentless self-promotion or you’re questioning it like I am, I appreciate you taking the time to listen, reflect, and maybe share your own truth with me.

Thanks for joining me on this path. I hope you walk away from this episode with something to think about—and if not, that’s cool too. Either way, I’d love to hear how you’re making sense of the noise.

Let’s get started...

Key Takeaways from this Week's Potential Leader Lab

• Personal Journey: I shared how my decision to walk away from self-promotion didn’t happen overnight, but was the result of several years of reflection and self-discovery.
• Marketing vs. Promotion: I explained the difference I see between marketing—which is about building long-term value and relationships—and promotion, which feels more about seeking immediate attention and transactions.
• Discomfort with Self-Promotion: I opened up about my discomfort promoting myself, since as a solo practitioner, it feels very personal, and I’d rather invest in authentic relationship-building.
• Pressure to Be Visible: I challenged the societal pressure to be constantly visible online, warning that relentless promotion can undermine authenticity and push us to live in what Sartre called “bad faith.”
• Becoming More Present: I noticed that stepping away from online promotion helped me become more present in my real-life interactions and deepened the work I do for my current clients.
• Motivations for Sharing: I encouraged myself (and listeners) to check our reasons for sharing online: are we truly sharing something meaningful, or just seeking attention and validation?
• Courage to Be Invisible: I promoted the idea that real value comes from meaningful work and private growth, not from chasing constant public validation, and that it’s okay—even powerful—to have the courage to be invisible.

Key Moments in this Week's Leadership Podcast

• 00:33 Embracing Failure: A Private Struggle

• 06:10 Success Through Constant Failure

• 08:13 Redefining Failure and Success

• 12:49 Embrace Failure for Growth

• 16:15 Learning from Nonfatal Failures

• 18:10 Embracing Struggle for Growth

• 20:55 Opportunity and Resilience Reflection

• 24:06 Embrace Failure, Evolve, Repeat 

Take Home Resources

• Enroll in The Emerging Leader Toolkit - Online Leadership Course by Perry Maughmer