The Flourishing Introvert Talks

Have you ever caught yourself saying, "Well, I can't grumble, I'm doing alright really", whilst another part of you is quietly thinking, "Are you sure?" Sometimes everything on the outside suggests we are doing just...

We introverts do not need fixing, but that does not mean there is no room for growth, development and becoming braver. I have been thinking about what actually needs to change, what I want to change, and what is within...

What if becoming braver isn't about finally reaching a point where we can say, "Right, that's bravery sorted"? I'm still becoming braver myself, still getting the collywobbles, and still having to choose bravery when...

Have you ever caught yourself sighing with frustration, accompanied by an eye-roll, and wondered what on earth that was about? Sometimes there is no single catastrophe to point at. Just years of adapting, being...

I have been thinking about certainty, and the curious pressure we seem to feel to know, or at least pretend to know, when life itself gives us very little guarantee. I explore why we introverts can be particularly...

There was a time when I would quietly hunt for the nearest escape route whenever my mental, social or emotional batteries were running down, and then feel guilty as hell for needing to leave. It took me a surprisingly...

For much of my early career, I felt like the shiny ball in a pinball machine, bouncing from role to role and team to team, trying to work out where I truly belonged. Along the way, I became very good at being flexible...

Being reliable is one of those qualities we introverts are often praised for, and there is plenty to admire about being our word. But when being the dependable one becomes the role everyone expects us to play, it can...

I have been thinking about the one way streets we introverts can find ourselves travelling along without ever realising that we are on one. The signs are rarely visible, yet somehow we are expected to know the rules...

I have worn more labels than I care to admit, some earned, many borrowed, and a fair few accepted far too readily. Looking back, I can see they only became powerful because I wove their meaning into the fabric of who I...

Last week I asked whether we had written ourselves off. This week I want to take that conversation one step further because I wonder how often we have quietly allowed other people's words to shrink what we believe is...

A few struggling sweet peas reminded me how quickly we can decide something has reached the end of its usefulness. I was convinced mine had given their last flowers, yet with a little care they surprised me all over...

There was a time when frustration was something I quietly packed away because it felt easier than dealing with it. After all, many of us were brought up to be strong, be nice, keep the peace and certainly not...

Perception has a habit of masquerading as truth, particularly in the workplace where people make sense of us through remarkably little evidence. We introverts often leave gaps that others are only too happy to fill with...

After talking about respect, I realised trust deserved a conversation of its own because without it, very little flourishes for long. I explore why we introverts may unintentionally give the impression that we do not...