Take the next 31 seconds (because 30 is too predictable) and list as many words as you can when you hear the word “Authentic.”
🧐 Some of you will roll your eyes and say, “Overused. Ironic. Buzzword.”
💡 Others will think of a quote like, “It’s not what you did, it’s how you made people feel.”
🤨 And then there’s that one person thinking, “Authenticity is just a construct to control people.” (I see you, conspiracy theorist in the back.)
Whatever came to mind, here’s the real question: What does authenticity actually mean to you?
I’ll go first.
I’m 5’8”, 220 lbs. A mix of muscle and the same spare tire I’ve been wearing for decades. I’m the guy you call to move furniture and the guy who spends exactly $0 on my hair (or lack thereof). I talk fast, honestly, and sometimes cross the line—but it’s never performative. I don’t have to “summon” my authentic self because I am myself, whether I’m in a Zoom meeting or a backyard BBQ.
And that’s where the real challenge lies:
➡️ Can you say the same?
➡️ Would your friends and coworkers recognize the same “you” no matter the setting?
➡️ Or are you playing a character—shifting, adapting, code-switching, until the real you is a blur?
A Challenge: Write Your Own “This Is Me”
Here’s an exercise: Write an honest account of yourself. Like I just did. Strip away the uniform, the work persona, the LinkedIn-polished bio. Describe yourself the way your closest friends would.
Because when you know who you are—when you don’t have to “get into character” just to show up—that’s when people know they can trust you.
So… who are you?