There’s this idea we’ve all been sold:
That to be taken seriously, you have to be polished. That to lead, to create, to stand firm in your calling, you have to have it all together.
But I’ve come to believe the opposite might be true.
That real authority—the kind that moves people, the kind that honors your gift— isn’t built on performance. It’s built on presence. And presence can’t happen without vulnerability.
What if your power doesn’t lie in perfection—but in your permission to be seen?
Brené Brown says it best:
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity, belonging, and joy.”
But it’s also the birthplace of true authority.
Because when you lead or create from a place of guardedness, your work might be admired… but it won’t be felt. And feeling is how people connect. It’s how they trust. It’s how they heal.
The artists, leaders, and visionaries I’ve loved most aren’t the ones who came with all the answers. They’re the ones who stood in their truth even when it trembled. Who admitted they were still becoming. Who spoke even when their voice cracked.
That’s what builds real trust. Not the illusion of strength—but the presence of honesty.
Foucault once said power isn’t something you own, it’s something that flows.
It lives in relationships, in spaces, in energy. So authority isn’t about control. It’s about how deeply you allow yourself to be there.
Not above your audience. Not ahead of them. With them.
In the mess. In the learning. In the unfolding.
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I’ve seen it in myself:
There are moments I want to package the pain, edit the story, make it cleaner before I share it.
But some truths aren’t meant to be pretty. They’re meant to be true. And when I let myself speak from that raw, open place, I feel something holy happen.
Not just in the words, but in the room. In the space between me and whoever is listening.
Because vulnerability doesn’t make your gift weak.
It gives your gift life.
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So ask yourself:
• Are you leading with image or integrity?
• Are you showing up with your full truth—or the filtered version?
• Are you building connection or building walls?
Your authority doesn’t live in how confident you look. It lives in how present you are.
And maybe that’s the whole point:
You don’t need to be the expert. You don’t need to be unshakeable. You just need to be real.
So bring the whole you.
The scared you. The powerful you. The healing you. The artist who’s still learning. The visionary who still doubts sometimes.
Bring all of it.
Because your vulnerability doesn’t diminish your authority.
It cements it.
