What happens when excellence gets in the way of your genius?

If you’ve read The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks, you’re probably familiar with the idea of the Zone of Excellence vs. the Zone of Genius.

(Should that be our next book club pick??)

When I first read the book, I started thinking about what feels like pure, joyful play to me. My honest answer? If I could just work in my garden and make delicious things for people I love… that would be spectacular.

That line of inquiry is what led me to launch my herbal business. And while it was a beautiful season, I now see that it wasn’t my true genius.

But it brought me so much closer.

I realized that what lit me up wasn’t the products—it was the energy of the plants. The way they spoke. The way they healed. The way they worked with me.

So many of us get stuck in our Zone of Excellence, especially if we carry “good girl” or “gold star student” conditioning. If your formative years were shaped by praise for being diligent, high-achieving, or buttoned-up, it’s easy to confuse excellence for alignment. (In fact, go ahead and give yourself a gold star if you’re recognizing that that applies to you!)

But here’s the truth I’ve witnessed over and over again:

Your genius might live entirely outside the bounds of what you were taught to value.

If you’d asked me ten years ago to name my Zone of Genius, I would not have said energy work.

I would’ve happily accepted:
– Art history professor specializing in Byzantium
– Chief Communications Officer for a nonprofit
– Fundraiser for fistula repair surgeries

But energy work? That felt too… out there.
Too woo. Too fringe. Too hard to explain at a cocktail party.

And yet—owning your genius is a helluva portal.

Since stepping into energy work as a core part of my business, I’ve experienced more ease, more healing, and yes, more revenue than ever before.

Because when I’m in my genius, I’m not performing.
I’m not trying to prove anything or dazzle anyone.
I’m serving.

I’ve hired and delegated in ways I never had the capacity to do before—because it’s not all on me anymore.

And I finally gave myself permission to invest in messaging support for my own business—because even though I’m great at messaging, I get muddled when it’s my own. (That’s normal, by the way.) You’ll start to see the results of that behind-the-scenes magic soon.

But here’s what I want you to know today:

There is a version of your business that doesn’t feel so effortful.
Where the next move is clearer.
Where it all flows more easily—because you’re anchored in your genius.

And your genius wants to be used.
Not someday.
Now.

Ready for help uncovering what that might look like? I’m opening up a handful of spots for 1x1 coaching this summer. Hit reply to get the conversation started, or go ahead and snag a spot right here. I can’t wait.