She Short: The Story I’m Telling Myself

Our brains love a complete story. Beginning, middle, end — filed away as truth. The trouble is, not every story our mind constructs is actually true. We fill in gaps, make assumptions, and before we know it, we’re responding to a version of events we’ve partly invented. In this She Short, Rachel Russell of Quiet Frankly Coaching shares a powerful question that can interrupt that cycle — one that creates space between what we think is happening and what’s actually going on. It’s a small pause with the potential to change the way we navigate every relationship in our lives.

In This Short
Rachel explores:

•       How our brains default to creating complete narratives — and why those stories aren’t always grounded in fact

•       The way assumptions and assertions can build quietly, especially when we’re confused by someone’s behaviour or trying to make sense of a situation

•       A clarifying question to ask yourself before reacting: the story I am telling myself is… — and how naming the story opens the door to finding the facts

Quotable Moment

“Our brains by default love a story — they love beginning, middle, end, and file it away as truth. Unfortunately, not all the stories our brains create are actually true.” — Rachel Russell

Something to Try

Next time you notice yourself building a narrative about someone’s behaviour — a partner, a colleague, a friend — pause before you respond and say to yourself: the story I am telling myself is… Then finish the sentence. See what comes up. You might find that what you’ve been treating as fact is actually assumption. And from there, you have a choice: you can check in, ask the question, or simply hold the story a little more lightly.

About Rachel

Rachel Russell is the founder of Quiet Frankly Coaching, based in Bunbury, Western Australia.

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A Note on Wellbeing

She Speaks is dedicated to amplifying women’s voices on self-care and wellbeing. While we share personal experiences and lived wisdom, please remember that this podcast is not a substitute for professional mental health support. If themes in this episode resonate or you are finding things difficult, we encourage you to reach out to a registered mental health practitioner, counsellor or psychologist.

She Speaks is proudly supported by the Western Australian Government and Department of Communities Women’s Grants for a Stronger Future Grants Program.