How To Share Your Best Self

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“When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or the life of another.” – Helen Keller

My 86-year-old mother recently bought an Apple watch along with the latest generation phone. She doesn’t like upgrading her technology but problems with her old phone made it necessary.

My mom is very smart but her strengths are in music and languages. As with so many of the people that I train in my job as a technology consultant, she’d rather focus her energy on what she likes doing and not have to bother with the rest. However, she is extremely independent.

She doesn’t often ask for help from me because it seems her conscientiousness about getting things done outweighs her frustration with technology. At least that’s my guess because I’m fascinated by how our mental makeup determines how we operate.

So I love this episode of the How To Share podcast with psychologist, talent agent, educator and author Dr. Albert Bramante because he speaks with Vicki Atkinson and me about some of the factors that contribute to how we approach life. He’s written a book called Rise Above the Script to help actors and performers break free of self-limiting patterns.

 His book reads like a toolkit for self-evaluation: taking a look at self-esteem, self-efficacy, and the big five personality traits (agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness).

Albert points out the many ways we self-sabotage. As he says in the podcast clip below, once we see our patterns, it’s much easier to address them.

Albert says his book (and this episode) is for “anyone feeling the friction between their ambition and their achievement.” It is a fascinating dive into the ways we can bring our best selves to our work and to the world. We know you’ll love it.

Takeaways:

  • Collaboration is key in personal and professional growth.
  • Self-evaluation is essential for breaking self-limiting patterns.
  • Lifelong learning is crucial for personal development and confidence.
  • Self-care practices significantly impact mental health and overall well-being.
  • Understanding one’s relationship with money can improve financial stability.
  • Acknowledging achievements helps combat self-doubt and insecurity.
  • The importance of developing business acumen in creative fields.
  • Taking responsibility for one’s actions is the first step to overcoming challenges.

Here’s a clip of Albert describing the power of self-awareness:

Here are some ways you can listen and watch this fantastic episode:

Please listen, watch, provide feedback and subscribe.

How Writing Helps Us Survive Chronic Illness and Loss – The Life of Try: Personal growth, one try at a time.

What does it means to keep showing up when life asks more of you than seems possible?In this episode of The Life of Try, Wynne Leon talks with Kathryn M. B. Johnson, author of Invisible, Until I’m Not, a memoir-in-essays about chronic illness, caregiving, grief, and resilience. Together, they explore what it means to live with fibromyalgia and invisible illness, how caregiving reshapes identity, and why being seen matters so deeply when pain is hard to explain. This conversation offers honest insight, emotional validation, and hope for anyone navigating chronic pain, caregiver burnout, loss, or the daily work of endurance. If you’re looking for a thoughtful podcast episode about chronic illness, caregiving, trauma, faith, and finding strength in difficult seasons, this episode is for you.In this episode, we discuss: → Chronic illness can reshape identity, relationships, and daily life in ways that are often invisible to others. → Caregiving is an act of love, but it also carries grief, exhaustion, and the need for self-compassion. → Writing can become a lifeline—a way to process pain, preserve connection, and reclaim a sense of self. → Being believed and truly seen matters deeply for people living with chronic pain or complex health conditions. → Rest is not laziness; caring for yourself is part of being able to care for others.📘 Order Invisible, Until I'm Not: https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Until-Im-Not-Illness-ebook/dp/B0GSB7QQMH/🌍 Show notes and more inspiration: https://wynneleon.com🔔 Subscribe to The Life of Try for more conversations on: personal growth, creativity, reinvention, resilience, writing, and mindset.📌 Subscribe & Stay Updated: → https://www.youtube.com/@thelifeoftry?sub_confirmation=1ABOUT ME Hi, I’m Wynne Leon — host of The Life of Try, a personal growth and self-improvement podcast exploring resilience, reinvention, uncertainty, and the courage to keep trying. Through thoughtful interviews, reflective conversations, and real-life stories, I share insights to help you navigate change, get unstuck, and move forward with more intention.🎥 Watch Next➡️ Letting Go Of Outcomes: The Mindset That Keeps You Moving➡️ 48: How to Get Unstuck: Michael Yang on Saying Yes, Resilience and Coming Alive
  1. How Writing Helps Us Survive Chronic Illness and Loss
  2. Near Death, Deep Faith, New Life | Liza Anderson’s Extraordinary Story
  3. Encouraging Effort, Not Outcome: The Secret to Helping People Keep Trying
  4. How to Celebrate the Try
  5. How to Reclaim Fun in Adult Life; Michael Rucker, PhD on Joy, Burnout, and The Fun Habit

Links for this episode:

⁠Albert Bramante⁠ website

⁠Rise Above the Script: Confronting Self-Doubt and Mastering Self Sabotage for Performing Artists ⁠on Amazon

How to Share Your Best Self transcript

From the hosts:

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: ⁠Surviving Sue⁠; Blog: ⁠https://victoriaponders.com/⁠

My book about my beloved father: ⁠Finding My Father’s Faith⁠

40 thoughts on “How To Share Your Best Self”

  1. I agree with so many points in this post Wynne.
    We must get out of our own way , and as I said in another post, we must TRY!
    No one puts the self-doubt in our minds except us.
    Okay we might get a rubbish review on a book.
    One person’s review does not mean we failed.
    BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.

    Liked by 3 people

  7. oh, boy, do I need to listen to this whole conversation. especially when you were giving the example of your mom and her relationship with new technology.) just one great example of surrendering to our own self doubt demons.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Wow, “friction between…ambition and… achievement” is so powerful! I just had a conversation with a colleague earlier and he explained the “mamba mindset” which is an idea from the late basketball star, Kobe Bryant. Basically, we should all aspire to be all-star players and aim to win at all costs. If we define “winning” as taking responsibility for our actions, I suspect there is a lot of overlap. Definitely will be checking this one out!! Thanks, Wynne.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. From what I gathered, the mamba is a fast-moving, highly venomous snake. So my guess the analogy means to set an aim and strike fast. I am totally ignorant about sports LOL but it was a really interesting discussion.

        Like

  9. I wasn’t sure how far in I would listen as its been a busy day, but Albert Bramonte was so interesting, all of a sudden it was over, haha. I love “How can you understand your own personality, your own childhood to help you understand why you do the things you do?” Unlocking that would be fascinating to me, Wynne and Vicki. Also, your conversations about sleep and also recognizing what you have accomplished vs. discounting your achievements. So good! More, please. Thanks so much for an enlightening podcast. 😊

    Liked by 2 people

    1. You’ve made my day, Melanie! What a compliment to hear this was worth sticking with in the midst of a busy day. I love the topics you highlighted – wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to unlock why we do the things we do? Thank you so much for tuning in and for the great comment!

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Great and inspiring conversation, Wynne and Vicki. What a fascinating mix of backgrounds as psychology and talent management – and I can imagine the two roles complementing and augmenting each other very well.

    The Sally Jessy Raphael callout was a blast from the past. Those 90s talk shows were something else. All I could of think was Sally in my work meeting this afternoon looking at my colleague with red glasses!

    Self sabotage can be so destructive and insidious but I can see how it’s common the creative types. Love all the tips you shared to identify patterns and overcome these self destructive tendencies, especially around self care and the importance of sleep.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Oh, I’m laughing about the colleague with the red glasses. Yes, a blast from the past!

      Identifying patterns and overcoming self-destructive tendencies. What a world this would be if we all could do that! Thank you so much for tuning in, my friend!

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I enjoyed learning about your mom. She sounds very inspiring and a quote from Keller always adds to the day. And this: “fascinated by how our mental makeup determines how we operate” 👍🏻 Thanks, Wynne.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. This is such a great podcast episode! The points of constant growth, learning what our patterns are, self-sabotage, our inner conditioning, our blindness to how we keep hurting ourselves… these are so important. I love how Dr. Albert has seen so many life truths in performers, and by extrapolation, all of our psyches. Excellent messages to share! It comes down to each of us needing to do the inner work, for no one can pour the knowledge into us, it is definitely self-applied and self-practiced so we can make it all a part of ourselves!

    Liked by 1 person

  15. yes, I understand mum’s frustration: my strength is in writing not technology: fortunately my kids help me with that ; as for that monster in the closet I am addressing that; found the podcast useful: taking responsibility —

    Liked by 1 person

  16. I love the phrase “friction between ambition and achievement.” It’s such a positive spin on being unable to do something you want to, so naturally, that appeals to the optimist in me.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. This is an important topic for personal growth. I’m intrigued by his book. I always watch podcasts before, and I admire those who do this. It’s a nice discussion.

    Liked by 1 person

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