Your Next Clear Move
Welcome to Your Next Clear Move™—the podcast for leaders, professionals, and high-capacity humans who are done “getting ready” and ready to move.
I’m Debbie Peterson, Leadership Readiness Expert, and in each episode I deliver grounded insight, clarity-driven mindset strategies, and one actionable step to help you stop the drift and lead yourself forward.
This isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about reconnecting to what matters—and making decisions that align with who you are and how you want to lead next.
Subscribe for weekly clarity drops that fuel your next level—with confidence.
Your Next Clear Move
Five Signs You Are Ready For Your Next Level (Even If You Don’t Feel Like It)
Have you ever felt that persistent tug—that whisper telling you it's time to step up, even while doubt holds you back? That's not hesitation speaking. It's readiness in disguise.
The truth about being ready for your next leadership move is that it rarely feels like having all the answers. Instead, it manifests as five distinct signals that most of us misinterpret as reasons to wait. As a clarity coach who's guided countless leaders through this terrain, I'm pulling back the curtain on what genuine readiness actually looks like.
From the evolution of your questions to that peculiar discomfort that won't subside, your leadership growth is already underway. When you spot patterns others miss or feel that unexplainable nudge to act despite uncertainty, these aren't warning lights—they're green signals your conscious mind hasn't caught up with yet. Perhaps most tellingly, when you grow weary of performing a role that no longer fits who you've become, that exhaustion isn't burnout—it's your authentic self demanding space.
This episode offers both validation for those standing at the edge of something significant and practical guidance on what to do next. You'll discover why your uncertainty might be your greatest asset and how to take one small step this week from a place of readiness rather than fear. Because here's what I know for certain: you're not behind. You're exactly where you need to be, and this conversation is your invitation to stop waiting for permission that won't arrive from anyone but yourself.
If these signs resonate with your team or organization, consider exploring our Readiness Reset Keynote and Readiness Labs, designed specifically to reconnect leaders with their innate clarity and capacity. Visit debbypetersonspeaks.com to learn how we can help transform hesitation into decisive action across your leadership culture.
Hey, hello and welcome back. I am Debbie Peterson of Getting to Clarity, and this is another episode of the Getting to Clarity podcast. This is a place that you come if you want your next clear move in your leadership, your career, your business, and today we are talking about five signs that you are ready, even when you don't feel like it. So stay tuned.
Speaker 3:Welcome to the Getting to Clarity podcast the place where busy leaders discover how to create more success in their leadership journey with less sacrifice in their life.
Speaker 2:Here's your host, debbie Peterson, of Getting to Clarity of Getting to Clarity.
Speaker 1:Well, if you're here with me today listening to this, there's something I want you to hear first, and that is I see you. You are not alone in wondering if you're ready. I have wondered it myself in the past and you're not wrong for feeling uncertain. But I want you to fully consider what if the uncertainty isn't a red flag? What if that feeling is actually a good thing? Because in my opinion it is. It's a sign that something more important is beginning to shift. So we've been trained all along that being ready for something should feel like confidence, like knowing all the steps in advance, right, like being bulletproof. But in real life, being ready feels more like a slight tug in your gut, a whisper, maybe. That said, this matters. It feels like paying attention, like caring more than you can explain, and sometimes it feels like fear, and that's okay, because not all fear is bad. So there's healthy fear, and that's the kind that shows up when something really matters. And then there's unhealthy fear, the kind that keeps you small because it's trying to protect you from discomfort. Your fear means you're on the edge of something new and it's a choice as to what you will do with it. And that's where I come in. Let me show you what readiness really looks like, so you can stop waiting for permission that you don't need and you can make good choices. So, number one if you're asking bigger questions than you used to like, if you're starting to ask, am I still energized by the work that I'm doing? Is it still fueling me? Or if you're asking, am I leading in a way that reflects who I really am or just who I think they want me to be? Or maybe you're asking what am I avoiding? Because it's easier than being myself or being real. That is not doubt. Those questions are not doubt. That is growth knocking on your door. You are ready for your next level.
Speaker 1:Readiness often begins with the realization that something isn't working like it used to. The questions get bigger because you're getting bigger. Number two you're uncomfortable in a new way. So it's not the oh my goodness, this airplane seat is horrible kind of discomfort. It's more like my life doesn't quite fit anymore and I don't know what to do with that sort of discomfort. That's a sign you're stretching Leaders who are actually ready. They tend to feel a little awkward. That's because they're leaving behind what they've mastered and they're reaching for what matters more. You're not behind, you're just in between.
Speaker 1:Number three noticing what others miss, you've started seeing patterns. Maybe you catch cultural blind spots. You hear the words that don't match the values. This isn't because you're overly critical, it's because you care. And when you start seeing what others tolerate, it's a cue that you're ready to lead something more aligned. Spoiler alert people who are not ready tend to just complain. People who are ready start imagining what could be different.
Speaker 1:Number four you feel a nudge. You can't explain oh boy, was that me and it would not leave me alone. So it could be the tiny voice that says say yes, it could be, raise your hand, do it. It could be ask the question. It doesn't matter if you sound silly, even when it doesn't make sense, even when it makes you sweat a little. That nudge is readiness in motion. It doesn't come with a checklist. It asks for your attention and the more you listen, the more you hear it, the more it shows up for you.
Speaker 1:Number five you are tired of pretending You've gotten really good at doing what's expected, maybe even succeeding at it, but lately, man, it is sucking the life out of you. It is not fulfilling, it's not honest, it's not you. And that exhaustion, it isn't from the workload, it's from wearing a version of yourself that doesn't quite fit anymore. When you're tired of quote unquote, performing and you're ready to reconnect. That's not a breakdown, that's a signal. So what's your next clear move? Love leaving you with these? So pick one of the signs that hit home, write it down, name the situation where it's showing up for you right now. And then I want you to ask yourself what is one thing that I can do this week to act from my readiness, one thing that I can do this week to act from my readiness, even if it's just a small step.
Speaker 1:And if you're not sure, here's a shortcut. If you're listening to this podcast and you're thinking this might be me, you're probably more ready than you've been giving yourself credit for, and you don't have to do this alone. You don't have to wait for someone else to validate your next step. You're not behind. You're on the edge of something important and you're ready. It's already in you. So if your organization is full of high capacity people who don't feel ready, but absolutely are, let's talk. The Readiness Reset Keynote and Readiness Labs are designed to reconnect leaders to their own clarity and capacity, because when we stop waiting and start aligning, everything shifts. So go on over to wwwdebbypetersonspeakscom for more information and until the next time, stay ready. My friends, be good to yourself and bye-bye for now.
