E167: Lead From Truth, Not Tension (Run Your Own Race)

In this deeply personal episode, Cynthia shares how running a half marathon became a living metaphor for leadership, self-trust, and growth.

From months of training and tapering, to full-circle encounters with mentors and old friends, to the moment she chose to run her own race instead of pushing to keep up — this story shows how slowing down and listening to your inner wisdom can transform the way you lead.

You’ll discover:
 ✨ Why slowing down isn’t weakness — it’s a leadership strategy
 ✨ How growth is cyclical, not linear, and why revisiting old places reveals how far you’ve come
 ✨ The freedom that comes from setting your own pace instead of chasing someone else’s
 ✨ Why your truth can’t look like anyone else’s — and the power of honoring that

If you’ve been feeling the pressure to perform, to prove, or to keep up, this episode is your invitation to breathe, listen, and find the pace that feels true to you.

Stay tuned to the end to hear how you can join Be the Light — a sanctuary for high-integrity humans and heart-led leaders ready to live, love, and lead authentically.

🎧 Listen now and ask yourself: what pace feels true right now?

Transcript

Welcome & Intent

Cynthia 0:05

Welcome to Uncharted and Unfiltered, The Journey Back to You. I am Cynthia Jameson, your host, and this is where we break free from the noise and dive deep into what truly matters. You. If you're tired of the shoulds, the expectations, and the pressures to fit into a mold that doesn't serve you, you're in the right place. This isn't a podcast about easy answers or sugar-coated advice. This is your invitation to reclaim your path, embrace the unknown, and become the bold, unapologetic version of yourself that's been waiting to show up. It's time to get unfiltered. Let's get started. Hello, hello, and welcome back to Uncharted and Unfiltered, a Journey Back to You. I am your host, Cynthia Jameson, and I am so glad you are here. It is a glorious day here today. It is Monday, October the 6th, and this is a beautiful time of year where Mother Nature reminds us of how simply we can, if we choose, um step into the letting go process. And having said that, what I want to talk to you about today is a personal story. It is a story about running, but not just the physical kind. It's about the pace that we set in life, the pressure to keep up, and what happens when we finally choose truth over tension. So let me give you a bit of context. Yesterday I ran a half marathon, 21.1 kilometers of movement, of reflection, and truth. And I did not do it alone. I ran with a friend who has become one of my favorite humans. The kind of friend that you meet through something simple like running and end up sharing conversations about life, about patterns, about purpose, about everything. And we started training back on July 31st. And so week after week, early mornings, long runs, we've had the opportunity to have deep conversations. And there's something about running long distances that opens people up. It opens me up, it opens others up. We strip away any pretense, and we meet each other in the space between breaths. And honestly, I love that so much. The sweat, the silence, the soul-level conversations that sneak in somewhere between kilometer eight and twelve. And for us, last week was taper week. And that's the quiet window before a race. The moments in time when you pull back, you rest, and you let your body recover. And so for me, what that meant was it meant saying no to a few other runs, to a few other invitations from friends, from just the community, just other things that would have pulled me out of that recovery and into something else. And it wasn't easy because I love being out there. I love being out there running, I love being out in the community, but something in me knew to listen, to trust a pause. Now that last week taught me something that I wish more leaders understood, and I wish that I would have understood it sooner. But slowing down isn't weakness, it's strategy, and it is where clarity has room to catch up with you. And so I did. I paused. My friend paused, we paused, and we decided to drive to Moncton on Saturday afternoon. So for those of you who are not from uh the East Coast, not from Canada, anywhere else in the world, what that means is it was about an hour and a half drive to the event. And we were super excited. We were ready to pick up our race kits at the expo. And I just want to take a moment and say how underwhelming that was. But there's also something here to learn because sometimes your expectations don't meet the reality, but that's life, right? Like how many times have you had an expectation? And when that wasn't met, your joy, you're like you had this, instead, you've had this feeling of disappointment. So we laughed that off and we lifted up our own spirits and we went for dinner at a place called Carabah. I hope I'm saying that correctly. It was a place that was recommended to us by my son and my daughter-in-law. And I have failed to mention that my husband was with us too. He was running the 5k the next morning. So it felt like this big, beautiful adventure. The three of us, as we were going out for dinner, we were going to sit down, really ready to enjoy a good meal and some good conversations. And then one of those full circle moments, I literally ran into my old boss. And so there were big hugs, there were warm smiles, and there were promises to reconnect. There was a big move, all of these different moving parts were taking place. And I just want to say, she isn't just a former boss, she was one of my mentors, someone who saw leadership in me long before I truly trusted it in myself. And so then later, about 15 minutes later, another former colleague came by our table, someone I hadn't seen since 2012. And it felt like to me like the universe was giving me these little winks of connection, little reminders that even when things don't go as planned, we're always where we're meant to be. And it was such a beautiful reminder that connection fuels resilience because we lead stronger when we're surrounded by people who have seen us through different chapters, the ones who can remind us of who we've been and who we are becoming. And so dinner that night was absolutely beautiful, delightful. There was laughter, there were stories, there was deep talks about families, about life, about growth, and about consciousness, all of the things that light me up. And later on, as we walked back to our hotel feeling full, not just from really great food, but also from soul connection. That's how I was feeling. And it was just such a beautiful, beautiful evening. There were stars overhead, even though like it's just like taking it all in. So as it happens, we didn't know this until the morning, but we had the hotel uh HVAC system right outside our window. So let's just say sleep was not as I had envisioned it. Now it's still obviously I got some sleep, and lo and behold, raced morning arrived. It was crisp and electric at the same time. Now, I followed my usual pre-race routine that I have. I have my ritual of grounding and preparing, and then we went to meet my friend, our friend at the start line, and the excitement in the oval at the Avenue Center was palpable. We started scanning the crowd for pace bunnies. There was another friend of mine that I came across that I hadn't seen for I don't know how many years, probably 10. And yeah, started scanning for the pace bunnies. I lost my train of thought there for a moment. And if you have never run an event, pace bunnies help you set your speed through the race. And my friend had her eye on the 150 Pace Bunny. And this is the moment when my intuition started to whisper to me. And here's what it said, not today, Cynthia. So I spotted the two-hour pace bunny in instead for myself and thought, like I just kept this to myself, that feels right for me. And I knew that if the two-hour pace bunny was behind me, I knew that I was doing great. If they passed me, that I would reassess. And so I'm bringing you, I want to invite you into this moment with me. So the gun goes off. We start running. And right from the first few kilometers, something felt off. My bib was rubbing against my shirt, and it was creating all of this noise and all of this friction and all of this distraction. My running belt, which is the one that held my water, my nutrition kept shifting all around my body. And it sounds small, but in a race, those little distractions add up. And as I ran, I noticed something else. I was running through streets that I used to run back in 2012 when I last lived in Moncton. And the air was familiar, the turns were recognizable. And out of nowhere, all of these synchronicities hit me all at once. The people, the places, the memories, everything looping back to me. And in so many ways, it didn't seem like I had ever left, like I'd stepped right back into an old chapter. But this time with a new level of awareness. And it hit me in a way that it just didn't before. Like growth is not linear, it's cyclical. We loop back to places, to people and patterns that once shaped us. Not to repeat the past, but to see how much we have evolved. I mean, sometimes we repeat the past, and that's until you evolve. And it was like time folded in on itself, showing me just how far I'd come, not just in distance, but in growth. And around the five kilometer mark, I realized something else. And by it, I mean the energy, the rhythm, the power, the legs, the freedom. And I didn't. Now the old me would have pushed through, tried to keep up, ignored my body and my inner knowing just to prove I could. But I don't lead that way anymore. Because while culture and society love to tell us this is how we do things, Cynthia, what I have learned is that our own way, our own rhythm, our own truth is the only right way for us. And so instead, I looked over at my friend and I said, Go, you've got this. Run your race, run your best race. And I ran mine. But and that moment reminded me that leadership is learning to listen to your own pace, not someone else's finish line. We can't lead from truth if we're running on someone else's rhythm. And that was my truth that day, yesterday. To listen, to trust, to let go. And I crossed the finish line at two hours, one minute, and 44 seconds. Was it my best? No. Was it my worst? No. But do you know what? It was my success. My definition of success yesterday was no toe cramps, no burnout, just peace. And my friend ran her best raised, feeling great. And my husband ran his and nailed his 5K in the way that he wanted to. And and I didn't see any of my family this time. And the old me would have felt obligated to. And that's what success felt like on that day. Not speed, not comparison, not proving, just trusting myself. And it was interesting because my husband and I have been talking about this. I have, I think most of us used to chase or are chasing sameness. Help, let me be what everybody else is doing. But the idea that success had to look a certain way, feel a certain way, be a certain way. And now I know better. Like my way is enough. It's more than enough. And today I'm really feeling the emotions of it all, the full circle moments, the growth, the letting go. And as I sit with it, I can see so clearly that my mission as I understand it today has always been to find my inner truth and to trust that. Yesterday's race was exactly that. It was a lived expression of what I teach and what I believe and what I'm still learning. To listen, to trust, and to let truth lead the way. I realized that every physical experience is a spiritual mirror. The way that we move through a run, a project, a relationship, it all reflects how we lead ourselves. That race was such a mirror for leadership, for life. How often do we measure our pace against someone else's? How often do we push past our own wisdom just to keep moving, to keep proving, to keep up, to perform. But leadership, real leadership, isn't about speed. It's about alignment. It is about knowing within yourself when to push, when to pause, when to listen, when to lead, when to follow. The antidote to burnout isn't balance, it's truth. Because when you lead from your truth, you stop forcing, you start flowing. And here's the thing: your truth might not look like anyone else's. In fact, it can't, because you're the only you that there ever will be. And that's the power of honoring it. It might mean taking the slower pace, it might mean saying no. It might mean walking instead of running for a while. But when you honor it, really honor it, you will find energy that no external validation could ever give you. And so maybe today you don't need to run faster. Maybe you just need to listen, to ask yourself, what pace feels true right now? That's how you lead from truth, not tension. And if you are craving a space to actually live this, to practice leading from truth instead of tension, I would love to welcome you into the Be the Light community. It is a sanctuary for high integrity humans and heart-led leaders ready to live, love, and lead authentically, and like the way for others to do the same. And there are three ways you can join us. There's a monthly membership, just two to four hours a month. It's simple, it's intentional, it's nourishing. There are standalone resources like the power of know, career values identification workbook, balance and self-care toolkit, career coaching toolkit, renew you love your life self-paced program. And there's the free community, where you will find the very tools that I have leaned on myself when leadership and life felt heavy, positive intelligence practices, the feelings wheel, mental fitness exercises, growth mindset prompts. And here's the thing: I promise you, you do not need to have to figure it all out alone. In the community, you will find others who get it, people who are also navigating change, practicing self-awareness and creating lives that they are proud of. And so my invitation is to come as you are and live a little, live a live a little. Yes, live a little and leave a little lighter, clearer, and more lit up about your life. Or if you're ready for deep support, you can work with me one-on-one. All of the links are in the show notes. And with that, it feels like a beautiful place to say thank you so much from my heart to yours for being here, for listening, for walking or running this uncharted path with me. Until next time, I'm Cynthia Jameson, and this is Uncharted and Unfiltered, the journey back to you. I hope that you're walking away feeling more aligned with your true self, more confident in the choices ahead, and ready to leave the safe path behind, knowing you've got everything you need within. Remember, the journey to you isn't about finding one perfect direction. It's about trusting yourself enough to explore all of it. If you're ready to dive deeper, join me for the next episode and don't forget to subscribe so that you never miss the next step on your path. I invite you to join my mailing list at www.cynthia jamesoncoach.ca, where we'll deepen our relationship and you can claim your copy of your inner compass, a guide to charting your course to authenticity. Until next time, stay unfiltered, stay true, and most importantly, stay you.