You ever been told feedback was a gift—then walked away feeling smaller, not stronger?

I have. And I’ve watched it happen to leaders, teams, and even clients I admire.

Today’s episode, “The Feedback Fantasy: Why ‘Constructive Criticism’ Rarely Works,” pulls back the curtain on why most feedback backfires—and how to give input that actually transforms.

Because if your feedback doesn’t serve identity, it won’t stick.

Let’s figure this out together.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

* Why most feedback reinforces ego, not growth

* How “helpful” input often creates identity resistance

* The Identity-Driven Leadership shift that rewires real change

This Episode Will Help You:

* Give and receive feedback without triggering defense or shame

* Understand how identity filters what people hear

* Lead conversations that build people up instead of breaking them down

If you loved today’s episode, here are some ways to take the next step:

* Share this episode with someone grinding out of love and help them build with boundaries.

* Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for grounded identity-based growth

* Join the R.E.A.L. Mastery™ Hub – Where we heal by integrating, not escaping. HERE

* Coming Soon: Watch identity coaching in real time inside our Beyond the Boost feature—live, unscripted transformation that shows how the work gets done in real life. Comment or send me a message if you want to be considered (free coaching).

* Engage with me online:

* Instagram: @coachshawnmichael

* TikTok: @coachshawnmichael

* YouTube: @coachshawnmichael

* LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

On the Next Episode:

“Quitting Early Can Save Your Legacy: Why Strategic Exits are a Power Move, Not a Failure”

Because staying too long might cost you more than leaving smart.

Bonus Resource(s)

Book a free Success Blockers Call and discover how to shift identity-based resistance—so feedback becomes fuel, not friction.

You’re not too sensitive. You’re just too smart to swallow feedback that fractures your self-concept.

Reflection Prompts

* What’s the most memorable piece of feedback you’ve received—and how did it shape your self-concept?

* Where in your life are you “protecting” someone by avoiding truth?

* Are you coaching performance—or identity?

Exercises

* Mirror Audit: Reflect on the last three pieces of feedback you gave. Did they speak to action, or identity?

* Reframe Drill: Take one criticism and rework it using the Identity-Driven model: “This isn’t who you are—it’s what you’ve learned. Let’s grow from here.”

* Feedback Fast: For one day, avoid offering any advice. Just listen, validate, and ask identity-based questions. See what opens up.

References & Influences:

* Steve Andreas, Transforming Your Self (on identity-based change)

* Kim Scott, Radical Candor (on feedback and care)

* Harvard Business Review, “Why Feedback Rarely Does What It’s Meant To”

* Daniel Coyle, The Culture Code (on psychological safety and growth)

You ever love your work so much it starts bleeding into everything else?

I’ve been there—where passion morphs into obsession, and fulfillment quietly turns to burnout. Today, we’re naming it with “The Passion Trap: Why Loving Your Work Can Destroy Your Boundaries”—because when passion becomes pathology, even your dream can drain you.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

* Why passion, when unguarded, can erode your physical, emotional, and relational health

* The subtle shift from mission-driven to self-sacrificing (and how to spot it early)

* How to reframe passion as a fuel source—not a prison sentence

This Episode Will Help You:

* Reclaim the boundaries you’ve blurred in the name of “loving the work”

* Reconnect to your identity beyond your output

* Protect what actually matters—your energy, your values, and your real relationships

If you loved today’s episode, here are some ways to take the next step:

* Share this episode with someone grinding out of love and help them build with boundaries.

* Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for grounded identity-based growth

* Join the R.E.A.L. Mastery™ Hub – Where we heal by integrating, not escaping. HERE

* Coming Soon: Watch identity coaching in real time inside our Beyond the Boost feature—live, unscripted transformation that shows how the work gets done in real life

* Engage with me online:

* Instagram: @coachshawnmichael

* TikTok: @coachshawnmichael

* YouTube: @coachshawnmichael

* LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

Bonus Resources

Book a no-cost Success Blockers Call to identify where your passion has crossed into overextension—and how to reclaim your energy without killing your fire.

You don’t have to choose between your mission and your mental health.

On the Next Episode:

“The Feedback Fantasy: Why ‘Constructive Criticism’ Rarely Works” — because most feedback protects egos, not growth. Let’s fix that.

Reflection Prompts:

* Where has passion started costing you more than it’s giving you?

* When did you last say “no” to something that drained you—even if it looked “on mission”?

* What boundaries do you need to rebuild to protect your energy and your excellence?

Exercises:

* Audit Your Energy — List your top 5 weekly work tasks. Mark which ones energize you and which ones drain you. Notice patterns.

* Rebuild a Boundary — Choose one boundary that’s slipped (time, availability, emotional labor). Reinstate it clearly this week.

* Anchor Identity Beyond Output — Journal: “Who am I when I’m not producing?” Let that version of you guide your calendar this week.

You ever hear someone say, “I have no regrets” and something in you just didn’t buy it?
Because maybe you have regrets. Real ones! And you’re still trying to figure out what to do with them. Today, we’re cracking open “The ‘No Regrets’ Lie: Why Your Past Choices Hold the Key to Your Future”, because healing isn’t about erasing regret. It’s about learning how to read it.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

• Why regret is a signal, not a shame trigger
• How to extract your values and identity lessons from past pain
• Simple ways to act on regret in ways that move you forward

This Episode Will Help You:

• Shift from guilt to growth by reframing regret as feedback
• Reconnect with the self you’ve been becoming, not just judging
• Lead yourself with emotional honesty and forward momentum

If you loved today’s episode, here are some ways to take the next step:

• Share this episode with someone quietly haunted by a past decision
• Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for grounded identity-based growth
• Join the R.E.A.L. Mastery™ Hub. Where we heal by integrating, not escaping. HERE
• New: Watch identity coaching in real time inside our Beyond the Boost feature; live, unscripted transformation that shows how the work gets done in real life (Coming Soon-comment if you want in)

• Engage with me online:
  • Instagram: @coachshawnmichael
  • TikTok: @coachshawnmichael
  • YouTube: @coachshawnmichael
  • LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

BONUS RESOURCES

Book a free Success Blockers Call and uncover how regret can become your growth roadmap.

Truth doesn’t haunt. It heals, if you’re willing to hear it.

On the Next Episode:
Tomorrow, we’re exposing a harder truth with “The Passion Trap: Why Loving Your Work Can Destroy Your Boundaries”, because obsession isn’t the same as purpose.

Reflection Prompts

• The Regret: What’s one past choice you keep minimizing, avoiding, or rushing past?
• The Message: What value or boundary was violated? What does that reveal about you now?
• The Pivot: What can you do differently today because of what you’ve learned?
• The Integration: What would change if you stopped trying to delete your regret and started building from it?

Exercises

• Name It (10 min): Write out one regret without spin. Let it speak honestly.
• Extract It (5 min): Ask: What did this teach me about who I want to be?
• Act On It (1 day): Take one opposite action that honors the lesson regret taught you.
• Bless It (Ongoing): Say this weekly: “My former self didn’t fail. They gave me this wisdom.”

Ever find yourself reaching a goal only to feel... nothing?

Or worse, relief that it's over instead of joy? You might be caught in the grip of what I call the "Hustle Hangover." It's that unsettling realization that your drive isn't fueled by passion, but by something darker.

In this episode, we're peeling back the layers of ambition to reveal an uncomfortable truth: sometimes, what looks like motivation is actually a sophisticated form of avoidance. I'm sharing my own journey from hustle-as-armor to understanding the true cost of constant motion.

Unmasking the Hustle Culture

We'll explore three key insights that might just change how you view your own ambition:

• The Panic-Purpose Paradox: Learn to distinguish between genuine drive and fear-fueled frenzy.
• The Empty Achievement Trap: Why hitting every goal can still leave you feeling hollow inside.
• The Identity Crisis of Hustle: How attaching your worth to productivity becomes a dangerous game.

Reclaiming Your Authentic Drive

But we're not just diagnosing the problem—we're charting a path forward. I'll guide you through a personal audit to:

• Identify the real motivations behind your goals
• Reimagine your week driven by purpose, not panic
• Break free from the "always-on" identity
• Practice guilt-free rest as a tool for growth

From Burnout to Breakthrough

This isn't about slowing down—it's about moving with intention. It's time to trade exhaustion for alignment, and panic for purpose. Whether you're an entrepreneur pushing for the next level, a leader trying to set the pace, or simply someone who's tired of feeling tired, this episode is your wake-up call.

Ready to turn your hustle into wholeness? Tune in now and discover how to fuel your ambitions with clarity instead of caffeine. Because true success isn't measured by your speed, but by your alignment with what truly matters.

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• If you loved today’s episode, here are some ways to take the next step:

  • Share this episode with someone who’s sprinting through burnout
  • Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for insights that ground growth in identity
  • Join the R.E.A.L. Mastery™ Hub – Where we stop running and start leading from the inside out. HERE
  • Engage with me online:
    • Instagram: @coachshawnmichael
    • TikTok: @coachshawnmichael
    • YouTube: @coachshawnmichael
    • LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

  BONUS RESOURCES

  Book a no-cost Success Blockers Call and let’s identify what your hustle’s been hiding.

  
  

  You’re not lazy for slowing down. You’re leading better when you stop running blind.

  On the Next Episode:
  We’re rewriting another myth in “The ‘No Regrets’ Lie: Why Your Past Choices Hold the Key to Your Future”—because what you regret might just be what reveals your next right move.

  Reflection Prompts

  • The Engine: What’s fueling your hustle right now—vision or fear?
  • The Pattern: Where have you defined your worth by your output?
  • The Pause: What’s one area where stillness might reveal more than speed?
  • The Cost: What relationships or ideas are suffering under the weight of constant grind?

  Exercises

  • Audit the Fuel (10 min): Journal on what you’re chasing and why—approval, safety, legacy?
  • Name Your Pace (5 min): Write out what a purpose-aligned week would look like for you
  • Break the Identity (1 day): Finish the sentence “If I’m not hustling, I’m still worthy because…”
  • Rest on Purpose (Ongoing): Schedule one hour this week that is completely unproductive—and protect it
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  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit trunorth.substack.com

You ever try to lead a team and feel like your authority just... evaporated?
You lay out the vision. They nod. And then… nothing. Today, we’re ripping into “The Generational Clash: Why Leading Gen Z Feels Like Herding Cats.” Beecause alpha leadership doesn’t work on a values-driven workforce. Let’s figure this out together.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

• Why traditional leadership tactics fall flat with Gen Z
• Three leadership shifts that earn respect and trust
• Real language swaps that move Gen Z from passive to committed

This Episode Will Help You:

• Adapt your leadership style to the workforce you actually have
• Replace control with clarity and connection
• Build a team culture that respects boundaries and drives results

If you loved today’s episode, here are some ways to take the next step:

• Share this episode with a leader stuck in the “just do your job” era
• Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for more tools that sharpen your leadership and identity
• Join the R.E.A.L. Mastery™ Hub – Tactical tools and real growth. HERE

• Engage with me online:
  • Instagram: @coachshawnmichael
  • TikTok: @coachshawnmichael
  • YouTube: @coachshawnmichael
  • LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

BONUS RESOURCES

Book a no-cost Success Blockers Call and let’s upgrade how you lead across generations.

Trust is the new currency. Let’s help you earn it.

On the Next Episode:
Tomorrow, we’re exposing the root of your exhaustion in “The Hustle Hangover: Why Your ‘Drive’ is a Trauma Response.” Because what looks like ambition might just be avoidance.

Reflection Prompts

• The Misfire: Where are you leading from old scripts and getting silence in return?
• The Shift: What would happen if you invited more collaboration than command?
• The Edge: Are you honoring boundaries? Or are you pushing burnout?
• The Invitation: What matters most to your Gen Z team?Have you asked?

Exercises

• Ask for Input (10 min): Choose one initiative and invite Gen Z feedback before making a decision
• Coach with Clarity (5 min): Swap vague feedback with one specific, actionable insight
• Share the Why (1 day): Before assigning a task, explain the purpose behind it
• Invite Their Voice (Ongoing): Weekly, ask one Gen Z team member: “What’s one thing we could do better?” Then act on it.

You ever told yourself “stay positive” when your insides were on fire?
Yeah. Me too. Today, we’re pulling back the mask on forced optimism with “The Emotional Bypass: Why ‘Positive Vibes Only’ is Gaslighting Yourself”—because real leaders don’t numb. They lead real.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

• How emotional bypassing disconnects you from your truth
• Why “positive vibes only” creates internal shame and low self-trust
• What emotional granularity is—and why leaders need it

This Episode Will Help You:

• Stop performing positivity and start practicing honesty
• Develop emotional precision instead of emotional avoidance
• Lead with emotional integrity—because connection needs truth

If you loved today’s episode, here are some ways to take the next step:

• Share this episode with someone stuck in forced optimism
• Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for real talk that sharpens your leadership from the inside out
• Join the R.E.A.L. Mastery™ Hub – The community where growth gets honest. HERE

• Engage with me online:
  • Instagram: @coachshawnmichael
  • TikTok: @coachshawnmichael
  • YouTube: @coachshawnmichael
  • LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

BONUS RESOURCES

Book your free Success Blockers Call—and let’s lead from truth, not tension.

Let your emotions inform you—not erase you.

On the Next Episode:
Tomorrow, we’re digging into the new workplace battlefield with “The Generational Clash: Why Leading Gen Z Feels Like Herding Cats”—because alpha leadership won’t cut it with a values-driven workforce.

Reflection Prompts

• The Mask: Where are you faking fine instead of feeling real?
• The Cost: What truth are you skipping when you slap a smile on struggle?
• The Signal: What emotion keeps showing up—and what might it be trying to teach you?
• The Move: What conversation would feel more honest if you dropped the “good vibes” filter?

Exercises

• Feel It (10 min): Set a timer. Sit with whatever’s real. No spin. No fix.
• Name It (5 min): Write down 3 emotions—get specific. Not “bad”—but frustrated, restless, hopeful, etc.
• Say It (1 day): Have one honest emotional check-in with a trusted person—no script, just truth.
• Flip It (Ongoing): When tempted to say “I’m fine,” try “Here’s what’s real right now…”

You ever say “sorry” just for existing in the room?
For needing clarity? For being two minutes late to a meeting you lead? Yeah. Me too. Today, we’re pulling the plug on the habit that’s been shrinking your voice—“The Apology Addiction: Why ‘Sorry’ is Your Most Toxic Habit”—because constant apology isn’t humility. It’s a leak in your self-respect.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

• Why over-apologizing is a form of self-abandonment.
• How to replace fear-based language with clean, clear presence.
• Ways to reclaim your power without arrogance.

This Episode Will Help You:

• Break free from people-pleasing disguised as politeness.
• Rewire how you speak to and about yourself.
• Lead with grounded confidence and no unnecessary disclaimers.

If you loved today’s episode, here are some ways to take the next step:

• Share this episode with someone who starts every email with “sorry.”
• Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for more real talk on mindset, mastery, and identity.
• Join the R.E.A.L. Mastery™ Hub – Grounded growth and unapologetic transformation. HERE

• Engage with me online:
  • Instagram: @coachshawnmichael
  • TikTok: @coachshawnmichael
  • YouTube: @coachshawnmichael
  • LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

BONUS RESOURCES

Book your free Success Blockers Call—and let’s unhook the habits that are holding you back.

Your voice matters. Let’s help you use it.

On the Next Episode:
Tomorrow, we’re busting open toxic positivity with “The Emotional Bypass: Why ‘Positive Vibes Only’ is Gaslighting Yourself”—because real leaders feel everything, and that’s the edge.

Reflection Prompts

• The Pattern: Where do you over-apologize in your day-to-day life?
• The Fear: What are you afraid will happen if you don’t soften or shrink?
• The Shift: What would happen if you just said it—clean and clear?
• The Truth: Where have you confused humility with hiding?

Exercises

• Track Your Sorrys (10 min): Keep a tally today. Where are they showing up—and why?
• Flip the Phrase (5 min): Swap one “sorry” for “thank you” or direct presence today.
• Practice Clean Ownership (1 day): Own a mistake if needed—but speak up without apology when you haven’t done harm.
• Speak Your Truth (Ongoing): Pick one message this week to deliver without disclaimers. Say it. Stand by it.

You ever thought finding your purpose would fix everything—only to end up more lost?
I have. Because I thought purpose was something you discovered. Turns out, it’s something you build. Today, we’re tearing down a well-worn myth—“The ‘Purpose’ Trap: Why Chasing Meaning is Making You Miserable”—because purpose isn’t something you find. It’s something you forge. Let’s figure this out together.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

• Why chasing purpose makes you passive.
• How purpose is built through aligned action, not found in a flash.
• The three ways to start living with purpose right now.

This Episode Will Help You:

• Stop seeking purpose and start creating it.
• Recognize where you’ve been waiting instead of acting.
• Align your values with your actions.

If you loved today’s episode, here are some ways to take the next step:

• Share this episode with someone stuck in “finding” their purpose.
• Subscribe to Daily Power Boost for more insights and tools to help you grow and thrive.
• Join the R.E.A.L. Mastery™ Hub – Your Space for Transformation, Mastery, and Growth! HERE

• Engage with me online:
  • Instagram: @coachshawnmichael
  • TikTok: @coachshawnmichael
  • YouTube: @coachshawnmichael
  • LinkedIn: @coachinguatemala

BONUS RESOURCES

Ready to take your growth to the next level? Book a no-cost Success Blockers Call with me.

Your feedback means the world to me! Subscribe, leave a review, or comment with your biggest takeaway from today’s episode.

On the Next Episode:
Tomorrow, we’re tearing down another empty promise with “The Apology Addiction: Why ‘Sorry’ is Your Most Toxic Habit”—because over-apologizing is self-sabotage.

Reflection Prompts

• The Illusion: Where are you chasing purpose instead of building it?
• The Mirror: What values do you claim? Do your actions reflect them?
• The Shift: What’s one action you can take this week to live with purpose?
• The Choice: Where have you been waiting instead of creating?

Exercises

• Define Your Values (10 min): Write down your top three values. These are the foundation of your purpose.
• Choose Aligned Actions (5 min): List three ways you can live those values this week.
• Stop Waiting, Start Creating (1 day): Pick one project, relationship, or habit you will build with intention.
• Reinforce (Ongoing): Each morning, ask: "Am I living with purpose, or just looking for it?"