Welcome to On The Rise - a space for those navigating identity shifts, life transitions, and the often quiet realization that you’ve outgrown who you used to be. Let’s evolve with intention!

This week's newsletter is a 2-minute read (693 words).

You….stripped down.

Here’s a challenge for you…

If I asked you to give me a 30-second elevator pitch telling me who you are, could you?

But here’s the thing, you can’t use your job title, your place of employment, or where you live.

Yeah, it’s a crazy question to sit with.

Most of us have spent years, sometimes our entire lives, building identities around what we do, what we’ve been through, and who we’re told we should be.

But think about it, who are you underneath all those labels, whether self-appointed or bestowed by another?

Who are you besides:

• your job.

• your title.

• the version of you that people learned to expect.

Something that’s interesting is that growing up, 'roles’ are something you play. Ya know, like the G.I Joe soldier, or the good housewife, or the teacher, etc., etc., etc.

But they’re not who you really are. And as a kid, you know this. Because after you’re done playing, you go back to ‘being yourself’.

Except somewhere along the path to adulthood, those roles stop feeling like choices and start feeling like obligations.

We get consumed by an external identity that was never meant to be a permanent label.

And, truth be told, some people can live their entire lives in these roles. And for them, that’s enough.

But for others, like me and probably like you, at some point, we begin to feel a shift.

A brief moment of recognition where you realize that beneath all the ‘roles’ you’re playing, there is a version of you that isn’t any of that other stuff.

And that moment can be unnerving because it can feel like you’re losing your entire identity. At least the one that you’ve become accustomed to associating yourself with.

Because if you’re not that anymore, then who are you?

That in-between space, where the roles you once identified with no longer fit, can feel uncomfortable, unclear, and a little (or a lot) like floating without anything solid to hold onto.

And there’s always a part that wants to go back to what was familiar and safe.

But the thing about growth is that it doesn’t let you stay where you’ve outgrown.

It’s one of those good/bad things. In the moment, it feels bad, but in the long-term, you know it’s good for you.

Because in the ‘in-between’, that space between who you thought you were and who you know you’re not anymore, well, that’s where you meet yourself.

The you, that’s the real you.

Not the conditioned you. The expected you. Or the pretending you.

But the real you.

The you, who can answer that very first question I asked.

Because that version of you isn’t defined by roles, titles, or any type of status.

That version is defined by your awareness, intention, and willingness to step your true being forward into this world so you can be who you want to be.

And just to end with another powerful question…

How might your life change if you gave yourself permission to be the real you?

Because that answer is where everything starts.

This is what it means to be On The Rise.

Cheers to evolving.

Coach Tay

1. Ready for clarity? Whether you’re redefining yourself after military service, stepping more fully into authenticity, navigating a career shift, or simply realizing your current life no longer fits my one-on-one coaching could be perfect to help you gain clarity and strengthen your mindset so you’re ready to step into your next life chapter with clarity and confidence. Jump on a free discovery call with me and let’s talk! Start HERE!

2. Favor. I only have one favor to ask. If there’s someone in your circle who could benefit from this newsletter, share it with them. Not only would it mean the world to me, but it would also be meaningful to them.

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