Midlife MavericksI almost didn’t do it.
Four or five months ago, I was invited onto the Odds on Open podcast. Finance. Public. Recorded. Permanent.
My instinct wasn’t excitement.
I hesitated, delayed, then delayed again. I gave myself every “rational” reason not to say yes.
The fear wasn’t one thing. It was being judged by peers, saying something imprecise, not saying everything I could say, being misunderstood, being seen. All of it, landing at once.
If you’re a quiet expert, you’ll recognise this immediately.
You fear visibility because you have a lot to lose.
The Moment After “Stop Recording”
When we hit stop in January, I felt… off.
I had prepared. Deeply.
And yet my brain immediately went into review mode.
You could’ve said more.
You should’ve framed that better.
Did you underperform?
That post-performance spiral?
It’s brutal and familiar.
So I did what I always do when my head starts lying to me: I called a friend.
He’s a work friend.
He also hosts his own podcast.
And he didn’t soothe me. He didn’t coach me.
He went straight for the truth.
“You realise you can review the recording before anything goes live, right? You can edit. You can pull it. You can change things. There’s literally nothing to be afraid of.”
Not comforting.
But clarifying.
When the recording came through, I listened, braced for impact.
There was nothing I wanted to edit.
Yes, there were things I could have said.
But there was nothing I regretted saying.
My perception of how I’d shown up and the reality of how I’d shown up were not the same thing. When you avoid visibility, you’re usually reacting to a distorted preview in your own head, not the real-world outcome.
So I gave the green light.
And Then It Went Live Without Me Noticing
A few days later, emails started coming in.
Then DMs, then connection requests from people I didn’t know. Strangers on the internet.
The episode had gone live on YouTube.
Then Spotify.
Then Apple.
And when Ethan shared it on LinkedIn?
Everything exploded.
Hundreds of new followers. Messages from founders, operators, investors. People asking to work with me.
And the most consistent feedback?
“You said things no one else is saying.”
“This articulated what I’ve felt but couldn’t name.”
“This should be mandatory listening.”
One investor — someone who allocates billions in this space — said exactly that.
I’m sharing the screenshot here (name removed).
It forced me to confront something uncomfortable:
What feels obvious to you…
might be transformational to someone else.
The ugly truth
On the podcast, Ethan and I had a very honest conversation about what it actually takes to make it in this business.
No hype.
No shortcuts.
No pretending it’s easy.
Just reality.
What stood out:
I didn’t say anything new.
I said things plainly.
Most quiet experts don’t lack insight. They lack permission, especially permission to say the unvarnished version.
And Then There Was the Hate Comment
Alongside the praise… there was one comment.
One.
I’m sharing it here as a screenshot.
It attacked:
- My competence
- My tone
- My authority
I skimmed past dozens of thoughtful messages.
I absorbed genuine gratitude.
I acknowledged serious professional interest.
And then I spent ten full minutes rereading that one comment.
I’m not particularly fragile but I’m human after all. And negativity is sticky. Your brain is wired to treat threat as signal.
But the reality is, that comment only existed because I showed up.
No visibility = no criticism.
But also… no impact.
What I Was Wrong About
I owe you this sentence, clearly stated:
I was wrong about social media.
I thought:
- It rewarded noise over substance
- It punished nuance
- It wasn’t a place for serious operators
What I missed is this:
Social platforms don’t punish clarity.
They punish vagueness.
And they reward conviction, especially when it comes from someone who’s actually done the work.
If you’re a quiet expert avoiding visibility because you think:
- “This isn’t for people like me”
- “I don’t want attention”
- “I’ll be misunderstood”
Ask yourself this instead:
What’s the cost of staying invisible?
The Real Risk No One Talks About
The real danger isn’t criticism. It’s:
- Staying hidden while less qualified voices shape the narrative
- Letting fear edit your contribution out of the conversation
- Waiting for “perfect” while relevance passes you by
Fear of being seen doesn’t protect you.
It shrinks your surface area for opportunity.
And once I saw the response to this podcast, I couldn’t unsee it.
Own It
If I hadn’t said yes:
- Those conversations wouldn’t exist
- Those connections wouldn’t exist
- Those opportunities wouldn’t exist
And none of that came from performance.
It came from presence.
So if you’re sitting on insight…
experience…
clarity…
and telling yourself “now isn’t the time” —
This is your nudge.
Not to be louder.
Not to be everywhere.
But to be visible enough for the right people to find you.
Listen to the Episode
This is the podcast that started everything I described above.
If you want to hear the full conversation, the unfiltered takes, the stuff I couldn’t fit in this email, it’s all there.
And if you do listen, I’d genuinely love to know what lands for you.
Hit reply. Tell me what stood out. Or what you disagreed with.
I read every response.
Quote of the Week
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.”
Suzy Kassem
Now if you’ll excuse me, my coffee’s gone cold while I wrote this.
Again.
