For years success felt like a double-edged sword. I was making a six-figure income, winning awards, and climbing the ladder. And yet, every day I was drowning in self-doubt and fear. I was exhausted, terrified, and sure that any minute everything would fall apart. It didn’t make sense. I had formally studied business, attended one of the top sales schools in the country, worked alongside top 1% producers, and catapulted from Sales Rep to Divisional Sales Manager in record time.

As an introverted woman, I felt utterly out of place and sales culture seemed determined to remind me of this regularly. I was surrounded by gregarious, loud, pushy, leaderboard-chasing peers who seemed to be recognized simply for their personalities and ability to fit in. I knew I didn’t belong and was spending most of my energy hiding it. The more I stretched to hide my true nature the more frayed my soul became.

After years of masking, I came to a breaking point. I couldn’t pretend to be something I wasn’t, or use practices that felt pushy and greedy. I couldn’t force smiles at happy hours that drained every ounce of my energy. I couldn’t be emotionally depleated every day, spend my evening recovering just to restart the cycle the next.

I was ready to give it all up OR I was going to stop pretending. I was going to show up 100% authentically, sell my way, and on my terms. Even if it cost my reputation, income, and security.

But, instead of costing me everything, it gave me a life I couldn’t have dreamed of.