My Mic-Drop / Break My Brain Moment

The words weren't planned. I had no notes, and it wasn't even a conscious thought when I was asked to share my story. But the moment I said it, everything changed. 

I spoke the words during the closing moments of an interview on the "Achieve with Me" podcast, hosted by Rachel Gilfrin. Our meeting was serendipitous – as I navigated a massive career change, I faced the daunting task of deciding my salary for a brand-new role in an industry known to be financially rewarding with generous compensation packages. Haunted by the knowledge that women often undersell themselves, I was determined to get this right.  Seeking guidance, I turned to a personal development community I had recently joined, and Rachel answered the call. (More on that career leap later – spoiler alert, it all worked out perfectly).

On the podcast, I shared my approach to work and life: actively deciding on my values and desired experiences. As I shared with her, about 6 years before the COVID-19 pandemic and without asking permission, I achieved a hybrid work schedule. At that point, despite being a junior staff member, I was the only one on the team who would call in from a home office half the week. In hindsight, I now realize I was manifesting what I wanted, even if I didn't have the language to call it that.  Intention and belief were working for me.

As the pandemic hit and gave me more time for reflection, I dove deep into the world of thought-energy and never looked back.  While I'd always been good at dreaming big, I learned that identifying and dismantling limiting beliefs was the key to accelerating my manifestations and transforming my life.  Looking back at those days, I can see how I was manifesting what I wanted, even if I wasn’t calling it manifestation. “Woo” words or not, it was working for me. 

Shortly after, I built a successful new team at my company  – definitely without permission, again – and became a new discipline leader by showing up as one. (I'll share more details of how I manifested my dream job in big tech in a future post).  

Back to the podcast. We were winding down our conversation and in the middle of reflecting on manifesting from a place of hope and inspiration, when the words just poured out from me:

“… My biggest fear is that I'm not dreaming big enough. The scariest thing for me is, do I live a whole life and what if I didn't dream the biggest thing that could happen to me and I didn't even try.” 

The truth of that statement hit me hard.  Over and over again, I'd seen the power of my own intentions and big ideas, even when everyone else thought they were impossible. I was the one making them happen, oftentimes subconsciously and on a journey that I couldn’t tell you I was on until I arrived. But now I knew and there was turning back. I was going to do everything in my power to be open and honest with myself about what I want. I was going all in on shaping my mind for the incredible life I felt called to create.

Fast forward two years.  

After deep, soul-level work and building / rewiring countless neural pathways, a week ago I launched the Wayshow Collective – the embodiment of a dream I'd barely dared to imagine a year ago. (Side note: This dream arrived soon after releasing a long-held, deeply ingrained fear about my career. More proof that inner work is critical for unlocking our dream reality. I'll share this part of my story soon. Stay tuned.)

I'm thrilled to be here, and to journey forward together. In my next post, I'll explore what it means to be a wayshower and why chasing your dreams is so essential – not just meaningful for you but consequential for all of us collectively. 

If you’re keen to hear the podcast that ignited this journey, click here: S3: Episode 38: How Manifestation can Benefit your Career Progression with Rosanna Collars

To your future self showing up now,

Rosanna