You Are Not What You Do
Tune in for the audio version—plus some unscripted Laura riffs that didn't make it to the newsletter!
Listen here!
You are not your résumé. You are not your LinkedIn headline. You are not your inbox, your to-do list, or your overflowing calendar. You are not what you do.
But chances are, the world taught you otherwise.
From childhood, we’re praised for performance. Gold stars. Straight A’s. MVP trophies. Somewhere along the line, “What do you do?” became shorthand for “Who are you?” And we believed it.
I know I did.
For years, I built my life around doing, achievement, productivity, and proving. And truthfully? It worked. On paper, everything looked impressive. Executive roles, leadership accolades, and sales results. But inside? I was disconnected. Dimming. Full-on anxiety. Performing a version of success that looked great from the outside but felt hollow on the inside.
And I know I’m not the only one.
Because I’ve sat across from thousands of high-achieving professionals who shared the same quiet truth: “I’m doing everything right. So why do I feel so off?”
High Achievement Isn’t the Problem. The Identity Hook Is
Let me be clear: ambition isn’t the enemy. Passion, excellence, contribution—those are beautiful things. But when your identity gets fused to your output, that’s where the danger lives. It’s subtle at first. You become the job title. The promotion. The role everyone leans on.
Until you’re not sure where “you” ends and the job, the doing, begins.
And here’s what I’ve learned after 30,000 interviews and my own reckoning with burnout:
When your worth is performance-based, your peace is always at risk.
That’s why I’m here in your inbox today. Not to motivate you to do more, but to invite you back to who you already are beneath the doing.
Let’s Flip the Script
What if your value has nothing to do with your productivity?
What if you could be seen, loved, and powerful simply for being…you?
What if the deepest transformation begins the moment you stop trying to be impressive and start choosing to be present?
I know this sounds radical. Especially in a world that rewards hustle, busyness, and always being “on.” But I’ve watched client after client shed decades of identity armor and emerge brighter, more grounded, and more impactful than ever, not because they did more, but because they remembered who they are.
A Practice for You: The Identity Introduction
Here’s something simple—but revealing.
Try introducing yourself without mentioning your job, your achievements, or your roles.
What would you say? This practice cracks the shell of the performance persona. It helps you remember the essence beneath the résumé. Maybe you say:
● “I’m a joyful question-asker.”
● “I’m a lighthouse for others in their fog.”
● “I’m a soul who loves deeply and laughs often.”
That’s truth. That’s where your light lives. And when you start living from that truth? That’s when the real magic begins.
Presence Is the New Power
One of my favorite coaching moments is when a client realizes: “I don’t need to prove anymore.”
They shift from hustle to harmony. From over-performing to aligned living.
They stop striving to “be somebody” and start showing up as their full, free selves.
They come home to who they really are.
And let me tell you, nothing is more magnetic than a human being who’s stopped performing and started living from alignment.
You don’t need to blow up your life to get there. But you do need to get honest.
Ask yourself:
● Where am I still over-identifying with what I do?
● What would it mean to lead from who I am?
● What truth about my worth have I been afraid to claim?
Your Soul Doesn’t Care About Your Job Title
At the end of your life, what will matter most won’t be your LinkedIn profile or your email signature.
It will be the way you made people feel. The moments of presence you gave. The memories. The experiences. The ways you stayed true to your essence when the world told you to be something else.
This is your wake-up call. Or maybe a gentle nudge.
You are not what you do.
You are light. You are love. You are whole—even when you’re resting. Especially then.
So, here’s your invitation this week:
Unhook from the doing.
Pause the performing.
Return to the truth.
You’re already enough. Exactly as you are.
With deep belief in your magnificence,
Laura
P.S. If today’s message stirred something in you, honor it. -- You don’t have to figure it all out right away. Sometimes the most powerful move you can make is simply pausing long enough to listen. And if you ever want a guide for the road ahead, you know where to find me.