In one recent coaching conversation, a powerful theme emerged: how much our early beliefs can silently shape our adult lives.
The belief in question was simple—“Don’t talk to strangers.” It was taught with love, meant to protect. But decades later, it was still doing its job a little too well: keeping someone from asking questions, networking, applying for jobs, or even making small talk in a waiting room.
What struck me most was how this belief didn’t just limit social interaction—it limited access to opportunity, belonging, and self-expression.
We often underestimate how foundational these early messages are. They live beneath the surface, wrapped in emotion, reinforced by years of repetition. But when they go unquestioned, they can quietly define the edges of our lives.
We explored what it might mean to update that belief. Not to throw it away completely, but to give it nuance.
“Talking to strangers can be unsafe” became “Talking to strangers, with awareness, can open doors.”
- In our conversation, this shift touched so many themes:
- Confidence in communication
- Job-seeking and self-promotion when you’re not used to speaking about yourself
- Unlearning inherited narratives
- Social anxiety, especially in public spaces
- Finding one’s voice after years of silence
- Practicing small conversations as a form of emotional strength-building
What stayed with me was the simplicity of the insight: that everyday conversations—on the bus, at a shop, in line at a pharmacy—can become moments of reclaiming agency.
Sometimes, real change begins with a hello.
