Ep.83 Maps Are for Tourists, Rebels Make the Road

What leap would you take if you stopped waiting to feel ready? Because ready rarely arrives on schedule! This week we take aim at the myth that you need the full map before you move and trade it for a bolder truth: tourists follow routes, but rebels make their own roads. 

Across this short, solo episode, I unpack why action creates clarity, not the other way round, and why confidence is built mid‑stride. You’ll hear the Camp VC story, the scrappy start of this very podcast, and a practical framework to break the “waiting to be ready” loop.

If you’re craving a life that feels less like a treadmill and more like a trail you’re blazing, this conversation is your green light to act first and edit later. Subscribe for more myth‑busting mischief, share this with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review to help fellow rebels find the show. Then tell us: what’s your one scrappy step today?

Chapters

• 0:00 Myth: Needing The Whole Map
• 0:16 Welcome To Mischief Movement
• 1:24 Busting The Readiness Trap
• 2:31 Camp VC: Saying Yes Unready
• 4:17 Messy Starts Beat Perfect Plans
• 5:19 The 24-Hour Rebellion Challenge
• 7:05 Reflection, Resources, And Reminders
• 9:28 Next Steps And Sign-Off

Transcript

ZoeGreenhalf: 0:00

The myth says you have to know the whole map before you start the journey. But the truth is that maps are for tourists. And rebels figure it out as they go. Hey there, welcome or welcome back to the Mischief Movement Podcast. I'm Zoe, your guide on this journey to shake up the status quo and design a life that truly makes you feel alive. If you've ever felt disconnected, stuck on autopilot, or trapped in a life that feels more like a treadmill than an adventure, you're in the right place. I know that change can feel scary, so let's turn down the fear and crank up the fears as we transform your life from the inside out. Whether it's solo episodes packed with actionable advice or interviews with some absolute bless human beings who date to defy the normal by living life away, we're here to inspire, activate, empower and challenge you each week. My mission is simple: to help you reawaken your rebel spirit, break free from mediocrity, and design the life that's anything but you only get one. So what are you planning to do with yours? If you're ready to stop settling, start living boldly and create a positive impact along the way. Let's dive in and stir up some mischief together. Now buckle up and let's go. Hey Rebel, welcome back to the Mischief Movement Podcast. Today we're gonna bust one of the biggest myths out there. And it's this idea that you have to have it all figured out before you start. Now I hear this all the time when I am mentoring people. Um, I'll just start when I know the right steps, or um I'll start when I've got the right training, or I'll start when things calm down, when I've got more time, when I'm earning more money, when when when, right? And let me tell you that that is a trap. So if you're waiting to feel ready, you'll be waiting forever because it just ain't gonna happen. So today I want to share some real life stories of when I definitely wasn't ready and what happened when I leapt anyway, and how you can take your own rebellious leap without needing the perfect plan. So if I can take you back to 2021, I got a call from Camp VC, um, which is an all-women's motorcycle festival in Wales, and I was invited to step in last minute for somebody who was due to be stamping leather. Now, at the time I had a leather goods business, I was um producing handmade accessories um under the brand Mischief and Hyde. And I had no idea, to be honest, that I was even on their radar, but I loved the idea of what they were doing with their festival. And the call came in, we really need somebody to come in and do this leather stamping over the weekend for us. Could you do it? Um I was due to be flying back to Italy before the festival, and I didn't know anybody there. I'll tell you a secret, I didn't actually know how to use the stamping machine. And I had a sort of idea, but I just said yes anyway. I moved my flight, I said yes, I rocked up, pitched up my tent, and just kind of hoped for the best. The thing is, within hours I was surrounded by women who really felt like my tribe. And I don't say this lightly, but that weekend really did change me because it gave me permission to uh reconnect with the rebel inside, and it planted the seed for everything I'm doing now with the mischief movement. If I had waited until I felt ready for that, then none of this would exist. Um at the time I had um two young children, and um I just had forgotten that sense of who I was before I'd become a mum. And that weekend really did reactivate something inside me, which is often why I talk about this sense of reawakening your rebel spirit, because the chances are it's probably still there within you. Um but the same thing happened when I launched this podcast. I didn't have the perk the perfect microphone, probably still haven't. Um I didn't have a content strategy and I didn't even know if anyone would listen. But here we are, you and me right now, and proof that messy beginnings matter more than perfect plans. Like write that down. Messy beginnings matter more than perfect plans. So looking at the myth versus the truth, let's bust it open. The myth says you have to know the whole map before you start the journey. But the truth is that maps are for tourists and rebels figure it out as they go. Clarity doesn't come before action. Clarity comes because of action. Okay. I think it's very similar with confidence as well. You don't get the confidence before you do the thing, but you build the confidence as you're already doing it. So here's something practical that you could do today. Call it uh a mini 24 hour rebellion if you like. But here's how it works. Think of the thing that you've been putting off because you're not ready. Do you want to start a side hustle? Would you like to start a podcast? Have you been thinking about trying to sell your artwork online? Do you want to start a club, a women's circle, um, an online community? Have you got some scary emails to send? A pitch to write? Is it signing up for a new class? It could be any one of those things. But just ask yourself, what is one imperfect step that I can take within the next 24 hours? Not the whole plan, but just one scrappy rebellious step. That's no secret that I want to be more present on Substack. I'd like to be more um habitual in my writing. I'd like to improve a lot as well. Um but something about the writing space intimidates me a bit at the moment, and I'm really struggling. So my scrappy step after I finish recording this is gonna be to map out um a first draft of something to pop out on Substack. So if you subscribe to my newsletter, you'll get that anyway. Um if you don't yet, you can find the link um within these show notes, or you can come and find me directly on Substack. Um I don't know where my writing's gonna go. I I don't know if I'll be able to stick to it, but I think just one scrappy little step would be to get a draft and then I can look at when that's gonna go out, polishing it up, how it's gonna look, all the rest of it, okay? So just give yourself one scrappy step. Write it down and then go do it. And when you do, you're proving to yourself that you don't need permission or a certificate or a perfect plan. You just need to move. And if you're a journalist, here's a bit of a reflection for you. So ask yourself this. If I wasn't waiting to be ready, what would I start today? Write down whatever comes up without censoring it. Because that's where the mischief lives naturally. If you want to go deeper on this, um, there's a great book called The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield, which is really like a rallying cry for anyone who's waiting on ready. Um it's interesting because he talks a lot about creativity and having ideas and it being a bit like a river inside you that if you don't let it flow, it doesn't go away. You know, it's just there, like bubbling away inside you, looking for a way out. Um and music-wise, get some arcade fire on your Spotify. If you want somewhere to begin, ready to start is a great track. Add it to your playlist and let it remind you that action creates clarity. So here's your reminder for this week. Rebels don't wait to be ready. They leap, they stumble, they laugh, they learn, and that's how they end up with the best stories. If you haven't already, hit follow so you don't miss the next myth-busting dose of mischief. And next week, you can look forward to listening to my first guest. I'm not gonna tell you who it is. I'm gonna keep the surprise. So, until next time, don't forget to take that scrappy step so that you can make that leap before you're ready. Speak to you next week. That's a wrap on another episode of the Mischief Movement Podcast. If today's content stirred something in you, let's keep in touch on Instagram or connect with me on LinkedIn. You can even click the link in the show notes to sign up to my Mischief Mail newsletter, where you'll get exclusive insights on upcoming episodes and your chance to submit questions to future guests. But shh, don't tell anyone, it's our secret. For more info on ways to work with me and some fun-free resources, check out the website themischiefmovement.com. Until next time, stay bold, stay rebellious, and of course, keep making mischief.