Authenticity Unleashed: Breaking Free From Where You're Still Hiding

"Where are you still hiding?" This simple yet profound question is our compass for today's soul-stirring exploration of authenticity. We all have places we conceal our true selves – sometimes in plain sight, sometimes buried so deep we've forgotten they exist. But what would happen if we gently brought these hidden parts into the light?

In this intimate conversation, we examine the subtle ways we diminish our light: waiting for permission to speak our truth, shrinking ourselves in relationships and work, and staying quiet about what we truly want. As Joe Dispenza wisely notes, we often "choose a familiar hell over an unfamiliar heaven" because our nervous systems crave the safety of predictability. Yet July's cosmic energy invites us to step into our radiance and power – if only we're willing to look at what still lurks in the shadows.

The journey toward authenticity isn't about perfection or performance. It's about reconnecting with your soul's purpose and the gifts you were born to share. Whether you're held back by fear of rejection, old patterns of people-pleasing, trauma, or the false comfort of invisibility – healing begins with awareness. Through journal prompts and gentle reflection questions, you'll explore what part of you is ready to be seen, what it would feel like to be both fully visible and fully safe, and one small way you can stop hiding today. Remember, when you take one step forward, the universe responds with ten. Your courage doesn't just transform your life – it creates ripples that inspire everyone around you. It's time to trust that it's safe to be seen, exactly as you are.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Modern Zen Collective
• 1:08 Where Are You Still Hiding?
• 4:18 The Fear of Rejection
• 9:20 Why We Hide Our Truth
• 16:33 Journal Prompts for Self-Discovery
• 19:00 Moving Forward and Taking Action
• 23:08 Invitation to Modern Zen Collective App

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:13

Hi, I'm Lizzie and I'm Nikki. Have you ever felt that your life was missing purpose, joy or deep connection? Welcome to the Modern Zen Collective podcast, where we embrace holistic living for a joyful, purpose-driven life.

Speaker 1: 0:29

In this podcast, we'll explore holistic practices, consciousness expansion and spiritual alignment. We will dive into personal development practices that connect mind, body, spirit and share secrets that ancient cultures have known for centuries. Together, we aim to guide, educate and connect individuals eager to transform their lives.

Speaker 2: 0:49

Join us weekly on the Modern Zen Collective podcast and elevate your mind, body and spirit. And now on to today's episode.

Speaker 1: 1:08

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Modern Zen Collective Podcast. I am Nikki. This is a solo cast. I am so happy you are here Today.

Speaker 1: 1:18

We are going into a question that comes across a lot when you are starting to uncover what you truly want to do moving forward with your purpose, maybe leaving your corporate job, stepping into the unknown and the question is where are you still hiding? So grab a journal. This will be a short one. We'll do some reflection and you'll have time after to dig a little bit more into these questions. Specifically for you. This isn't a judgment episode. This is a mirror. This is a question where we are going to explore and everyone's journey is different, so we want to look at where are you playing small? Where are you holding back your truth? Are you shrinking your light? Are you staying in the familiar? But deep down, you know it's no longer aligned, just a gentle awareness throughout this episode. So let's take a moment to explore this together with compassion and curiosity.

Speaker 1: 2:14

July 2025 has been an energy about stepping into radiance and power, and before we do that, we really want to look at what could still be in the shadows. Where are the parts of us that we are not fully stepping into or holding on with such a tight grasp to stay in that familiar. Joe Dispenza has that famous quote where he talks about how we will choose a familiar hell over an unfamiliar heaven, because we are unsure of what the future holds. And a lot of that, from his perspective, has to do with our nervous system and survival and making sure that we are not around threat. The unknown is threat because we're not sure what it is. When you have the familiar that you see and do and feel every single day, that is your safety net. So July has been about stepping into your own power, your own radiance, with all of the cosmic activity that we've had this year solar flares, everything going on this year to really support you in that way and to do so. We can't build a house on a rocky foundation or a foundation that does not have the correct attributes, the correct strength, the correct alignment for you as a person and what you were created to bring here and birth into this world.

Speaker 1: 3:43

So the central question for this episode is where are you still hiding? Where are you still hiding from yourself, from your purpose, from your truth? So let's look at this from a soft reflection. Are you waiting for permission to share your voice? Is that something where you hang out? Wait for permission, wait for someone to ask you, wait for someone to tell you it's okay to speak your voice, speak your truth, express yourself. Are you waiting for that?

Speaker 1: 4:17

So we've talked before about human design and different types of human design types and how there are some that are meant to be the igniters, the initiators, and there are some that are waiting for the invitation. This is different than that. This is different than you waiting for the invitation to be asked to do something. This is more about your inner truth. So waiting for the invitation for human design is more so about creation, opportunities, partnerships, community, different things like that. But it still means that you own your own inner voice, like that's your sovereignty, that's your own personal part of you, that no one can tell you what it is, how to say it, etc. Although people will try. You get to have your strong foundation where you decide what your truth is, how to speak it, and to own your authenticity, because the universe, god, however you want to name that energy, light, energy, etc. Just wants you to get back to your authenticity, wants you to get back to your authentic energy inside, that you are at a soul level, without all the layers of everything that have been thrown on top of it, for survival, acceptance, all of that.

Speaker 1: 5:35

So are you waiting for permission to share your voice? So are you waiting for permission to either have the space made for you to share your voice, or feel that it's safe for you to share your voice, or feel that it's safe for you to share your voice, or have someone tell you that it's okay to share your voice and, with this part, just have a gentle reflection of that? Are there times in your life lately if not within the last few months or in 2025, or when you're listening to this episode that you have held your tongue when you knew you wanted to say something? Now, isn't this just such a fine dance? Because we have two ears, you know one mouth, so we're meant to listen twice as much as we communicate and talk. That's part of the generating and creating and embodying the wisdom that is out there for us. We also need to state our truth, who we are and own that part of us. So begin peeling that apart and seeing. Is that an area where you're hiding, where you're waiting for permission to share your voice.

Speaker 1: 6:40

Another one to think about and to reflect on is are you shrinking in relationships and work? Are you shrinking in ways that you're not fully putting yourself out there being seen, whether that's in a relationship, for fear of judgment, or if it's at work, for also fear of judgment, and you don't have this energy of you know, shoulders together, spine is straight with this confidence. Have you heard of the? You know superwoman. Spine is straight with this confidence. Have you heard of the? You know superwoman, superman pose with your hands on your hips, just having that energy. So with that, are you shrinking? Are you shrinking yourself?

Speaker 1: 7:16

Another beautiful teacher that is great with this is Gabor Mate, where he talks about the is great with this is Gabor Mate, where he talks about the childhood decision of acceptance versus authenticity. So if a child realized early on that if it embodies who the child authentically is, it is not accepted. The child chooses acceptance and pushes down authenticity for purely survival and to be there in that energy to have someone provide for them that the child cannot provide for themselves. So that's something that is really true here when we look back at familiar patterns and where this all came from. So are you shrinking? Are you shrinking yourself, whether it may be work, relationships anywhere in your life, to not fully embody who you are? And are you staying quiet about what you really want?

Speaker 1: 8:11

Another reflection question Are you staying quiet about what you really want? Do you even know what you really want? You know we move so fast in life and we move quickly and we are going from place to place, thing to thing, filling the airwaves with everything from A to Z. Do you know what you want? You might want to consider having some quiet time to really paint a picture of what it is you want. And when you start to do this uncovering and this self-reflection, start to realize that some of the things you wanted might have been something that were, you know, societal norms or things that you actually don't feel lit up in your soul to actually do. What is it that you feel lit up in your soul to actually do? So, removing that gunk to really know what you really want and then speak it and then move forward with it. So that's a way to show who you are, show who you truly are at your core essence. That authentic piece that we talked about is what the universe wants you to do, just wants you to get back to who you are authentically as a person. So let's reflect on why we hide. You know I've talked about Joe Dispenza, talked about Gabor Mate.

Speaker 1: 9:27

There are a lot of teachers out there. Wayne Dyer is another great teacher, talks about a lot of subjects relating to this. So you know there's a fear of rejection, and that's not just you, it goes across the board, a fear of rejection that is really across society. You know it can stem from childhood, from classrooms, from being humiliated. It can, you know, come from anywhere, but a fear of rejection from classrooms, from being humiliated, it can come from anywhere, but a fear of rejection. And with that, these spiritual teachers that speak about fear of rejection.

Speaker 1: 10:05

Rejection is one of the emotions that we incarnated here on earth to experience. We came here to experience the array, the vastness of emotions, from the top top to the low, low. That's why we are here on earth. Yes, the good feels amazing and the bad does not feel that great. We need the balance. We need that balance and that's why we are here on earth at this time, before we move as a society and as a species and earth, etc. Into this 5D light where we are moving from having that deep, deep, deep polarity that's everywhere. So we're moving into more of that age of Aquarius, transparency, love, et cetera. But this has been really our bootcamp for so long to get there for millions and millions and millions and millions of years and eons and everything that goes along with it. So how amazing is it to be here on earth at this time, at this tipping point, that we are moving forward. It's been written in all kinds of texts of this time on our planet that we are moving forward.

Speaker 1: 11:08

So rejection, if we can reframe it, is just another emotion. You know, fear of rejection is another emotion that we can hide from so that we don't feel it. But that rejection, that rejection emotion when we feel it, how beautiful it is that we can actually feel these feelings and feel this energy inside of us to then know what acceptance feels like, to then know what ecstasy feels like, what empowerment feels like, but then also to learn from rejection, but then also to have compassion for other people around you who might experience rejection. See, there's all kinds of reasons why we experience these lower emotions. So fear of rejection can be a reason why we hide Along with that can also be old patterns of people-pleasing.

Speaker 1: 11:58

You know wanting to make sure everyone around you is happy and that their happiness as a people-pleaser you feel vastly responsible for. So you feel almost you have to mold yourself to create the personality, the responses, communication style etc to people please someone. And then you know, as a people pleaser you might find there are some people you can never people please because they are just in an energy that they are not going to be happy with whatever is going on. And that can be hard for people pleasers because you really are finding your almost your self-worth on how many people around you are happy. And we're not meant to get along with everyone. We're not meant to agree with everyone. We're meant to respectfully disagree. That is absolutely fine to say. That's what you think. This is what I think Great, pass the salt. We don't need to fight to the death on every single thing, little tiny thing that comes up absolutely not.

Speaker 1: 13:01

And releasing old patterns of people-pleasing is really going back to some of those first things we talked about of being strong in your foundation, your authenticity, stating your voice. Even if it's something that no one else in the room believes, you believe it and that's okay. And to not feel that energy of oh, I'm definitely disappointing someone because I'm making them upset. You know, if you try to please, if you try to people, please everyone and make everyone happy, your whole life is about just exterior and not about you, and it really removes you from getting back to that authentic place with your soul so that you can feel that energy and then actually serve more people. Yes, we want to serve people, we want to use our gifts to help others. But if we're hiding our gifts and we're not actually looking at them and we're just people pleasing to make other people happy, we're not doing anyone a service, big disservice in that way.

Speaker 1: 13:55

Other ways could be trauma or internalized conditioning, another thing that Gabor Mate talks about. He has a lot of talks on this that you can find. You know, when you're working with trauma work always great to work with a practitioner or someone that can really walk you through it. There could be things that you know aren't uncovered yet and having someone that you can walk through side by side while you might be peeling the onion and learning things, can definitely have that array of emotions that we talked about. And having support with that whether it be a friend, family or healthcare professional is someone that's definitely going to help you along that way so that you can grow and evolve and be able to heal that trauma.

Speaker 1: 14:40

And not only are you healing trauma right now, in the here and now, for you to grow forward, you're healing generations before and after you. So when you heal trauma, not only are you healing the here and now in you, you're healing so much in your lineage and there's so much to be said with that. Because healing trauma can feel very, very heavy and very powerful and it can also feel like something you want to completely avoid and not uncover because it is so so much to deal with and look at, etc. And when you do, the amount of lightness that comes from it to be able to heal your family and your lineage is absolutely incredible. So only the strong came here at this time on planet Earth to be able to work through trauma and heal it and heal these patterns of lineage. You volunteered to be here. You raised your hand. You said I'll go down and I'll help the family with this pattern that they haven't been able to fix for 600 years. You are here for that.

Speaker 1: 15:49

So working with someone for trauma, realizing the patterns, self-discovery as well, is great, and having someone to help you along the way whether it's a life coach or anyone like that would really really benefit you as well. And you know another thing, for you know why you're hiding is that, that familiar pattern, that feeling that false sense of safety in your invisibility, like you're invisible, you're behind the scenes or you aren't contributing with your gifts that you feel you have inside of you, like you don't want to die with. The song inside of you has been inching to get out for 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years. You want to step into that fully, gangbusters, go forward, have judgment happen and just keep moving forward, keep the energy moving forward, because when you feel that false sense of safety in your invisibility, it's not serving anyone, like we talked about. It's not serving those that would be helped when you step into your gifts and your purpose, and it's not helping yourself align with your soul or anything in that regard. So let's look at this also from that reframe I talked about before.

Speaker 1: 17:07

Hiding doesn't mean that you failed, it doesn't. This is our coping mechanism, this is our safety net, this is our survival technique. This is what we've done for so many years because we have been trying to survive as a species and we need to know when there is threat, when there is not. And a lot of that comes from this vulnerability piece. The vulnerability piece of putting yourself out there, whether it's going hunting or whether it's, you know, sending an email, like the energy inside of you from your ancestors to now, can be completely the same, with that energy of the threat and the intimidation for making that step to go forward. So it doesn't mean that you failed. We've all been there. We've all done this. We've all seen areas and patterns where we are hiding and where we know we can take those big leaps, those big steps, those calculated risks, those big risks, everything that we need to step into our light, deep down. We really know what that is and we can be pushing it down. And pushing it down and procrastinating and staying in our bubble. And this isn't about, you know, performing in a certain way or like pushing yourself. It's about gently stepping out of your cave and into the light. You don't have to. Like I said before, gangbusters, yeah sure, go forward, move, move, go, go, go. That to me is the way that I move forward with energy, because I need to rip the bandaid off and go, otherwise it'll be like a thousand paper cuts and I am taking forever to do something and I'm procrastinating because I'm living in that fear. So only you know what energy you have. Are you the rip the band-aid off person or are you the small step? Step out of the cave into the light person, gently.

Speaker 1: 18:58

So let's look at some journal prompts. If you want to grab your journal, you can journal now or you can jot these down to journal later. So a first journal prompt what part of me is ready to be seen? What part of me is ready to be seen? Another journal prompt what would it feel like to be fully visible and fully safe? So when you first write that, what would it feel like to be fully visible, see how it feels in your body and finish the sentence. And fully safe and see how that feels. And the third journal prompt what's one small way I can stop hiding today? What is one small way I can stop hiding today?

Speaker 1: 19:54

So you don't need to wait for the perfect moment to show up. You don't need to wait for the stars to align. You know what they're never going to align. Nothing's ever going to be perfect, and that's the beauty in being here on earth as a human at this time. Everything's going to always be chaotic and messy, or it can be light and airy. It's all based on your perspective. You know the Einstein quote. Your biggest decision every day is are you going to live? Choose to live in a hostile or a peaceful universe.

Speaker 1: 20:22

So what is it that you can do today? Just to show up. You know you don't need to be perfect. You're already now, exactly as you are, and you can start to, as I call it, shake the tree and start to move the energy. Because when you move one step forward, the universe moves 10 steps forward. So if you've been hanging out in the shadows one step forward, the universe moves 10 step forward. So if you've been hanging out in the shadows, avoiding doing that post, avoiding sending that email, avoiding making that call, avoiding making that business introduction, avoiding, you know, reaching out to someone, you know, whatever it is that you're avoiding being seen, when you finally make that step it could even be sending that quick email or making a quick phone call or doing whatever it is that's something that would move the energy forward the universe starts to see it as oh okay, we're moving, let's go, and there's 10 steps that go along with it. So I call it shaking the tree. You're just doing something different. You're getting out of that autopilot, you're doing something different throughout your day and that's helping to show that you are moving into that new energy. So I am so happy that you are listening to this today that you stayed till the end.

Speaker 1: 21:30

This is a subject that's been very near and dear to my heart since I left corporate and being seen and also uncovering who am I authentically, removing the layers of people pleasing and finding my authentic self, which is a journey every single day, finding who that is and being unapologetically that person when I show up wherever I am each day.

Speaker 1: 21:51

So if something stirred you in this episode, you know, take it to your journal or have a conversation with someone that you know you love, that you trust, let it breathe, breathe through it, talk through it and allow whatever questions and answers come through to completely flow. And if you're there to step more, you know invisibility, if you're ready to step more into visibility and more truth and more alignment, we're right here with you, we're walking with you, we've done it, and you would be surprised at how many people around you are at the tipping point to do it too, but have just been procrastinating and been waiting and waiting and waiting and haven't done it. So you, moving that energy forward actually inspires others around you to take risks or to move forward to share their light, to share their truth and to state their voice and to feel that authentic self within. Until next time, keep trusting who you are inside and know that it's safe to be seen. We'll catch you next time. Thank you for listening. Shine your light, your truth, and have a wonderful day.

Speaker 2: 23:08

Thank you so much for joining us today on the Modern Zen Collective podcast. If this episode resonated with you, we'd love for you to share it with a friend and leave a review. It helps more conscious women like you find our community, and if you're craving a deeper connection to your practice, we've created something just for you the Modern Zen Collective app a sanctuary in your pocket. Inside, you'll find guided meditations, soulful workshops, energy updates and intuitive channeling, all curated to support your spiritual and holistic wellness. Plus, for just $3.99 a month, you'll receive timely push notifications with astrological insights and gentle reminders to realign with your highest self. It's rooted in ritual, made for modern life and always within reach. Just head to the App Store or Google Play and search Modern Zen Collective to download the app and begin your journey with us today. And, as always, any links or resources we mentioned in this episode can be found in the show notes. Until next time, keep trusting your path and honoring your unfolding.