You're Already A Leader, You Just Haven't Claimed It Yet!

You've been waiting to feel ready. For the right moment, the right plan, the right amount of certainty. But what if readiness was never a feeling — it was a decision?

In the Season 2 premiere of The Brave Shift, Anik pulls back the curtain on what's really changing with this show — and why she couldn't stay comfortable with "good enough" when her intuition was calling for depth. This isn't a rebrand announcement. It's a real-time walk through the messy middle of growth, recorded from inside it.

You'll hear why self-leadership isn't reserved for the corner office, the story of a client who doubled her salary without a single new credential, and a 3-minute micro-experience that will show you exactly where you're bracing for impact — and what shifts when you stop.

In This Episode:
- Why letting go of what's working is harder than walking away from what's broken
- The pattern of waiting for certainty that keeps leaders stuck
- Why "my little life" is quietly carrying six people — and what that means about your leadership
- Natalie's story: $20K income increase in 6 months with zero new credentials
- A somatic practice to meet the version of you who takes the lead
- The one decision between you and the leader you already are

Memorable Moments:
"Once a rubber band has been stretched, it can never go back to the smaller space it used to hold."
"You're not leading your life. You're letting life happen to you."

The Brave Shift: Conscious Leaders Go First 

Hosted by Anik Malenfant — Inner Work Strategist, Ascension Academy

→ Take the free Breakthrough Blueprint Assessment: AscensionAcademy.life/quiz

→ Book a Clarity Call: ChatWithAnik.com 

Connect with Anik: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anikmalenfant 

Instagram: @anikmalenfant 

Facebook: @anikmalenfant

Website: AscensionAcademy.life

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hey, welcome to the Brave Shift. Conscious Leaders Go First. I'm Anik Man Alphon. And if you're a leader who's done everything right and something still isn't working, at work, at home, in the mirror, you are in the right place. I spent over a decade on capital markets and the last 15 years decoding the invisible pattern, running your leadership, your relationships, and your results. This is where the inner work becomes your strategic edge to master your outer world. Let's get into it. There is something you already know you need to do. You've known it for a while, and yet you still haven't done it. This episode is for you. And honestly, it's for me too. Let's dive in together. If you've built anything, a business, a relationship, a new version of yourself, you already know what I'm about to say. The moment you create it, it starts changing you. You lean in, you commit, you show up day after day, and it stretches you like a rubber band. Once it's been stretched, you can never go back to that smaller space that it used to hold. That's why once you grow past something, something that you used to put up with all the time becomes unbearable very quickly. A new edge, a new question, a deeper conversation. The thing that you built can no longer contain. That's growth doing exactly what it's supposed to do. It happened to me every time I created something, and I know that it's happened to you too. It happened to this podcast. Five months in, top 3% globally, a thousand downloads in the first few months. By every measure, it was working. And honestly, there was a part of me that wanted to just let that be enough. It would have been so easy. And the accolades, they gave me permission to stay comfortable, to protect what was already good. But in all of the growth that I've done and all the changes that I've gone through, the hardest thing that I've ever had to do is let go of something good to make room for something great. Because walking away from that thing that's broken, well, that's a no-brainer. Letting go of what's working, letting go of something that's good, that's fine. That is the real test of growth. And you know, my intuition wouldn't let me settle. Not when I knew being in integrity with my calling meant that we needed to go deeper. Because that's what this moment is calling for. Not more information, not another framework, not another five top tips to living your best life. Because if tips worked, well, we'd all be living it by now. And what you and I really need is depth. The kind that actually changes how you lead, how you live, and how you show up for people who need you the most, including yourself. This show is going somewhere it hasn't gone before. Welcome to the Brave Shift, where conscious leaders go first. If you've been here since season one, get ready for more depth and more raw conversation as you join me moving through this transition in real time. Because it is so safe to share about change from the comfortable other side of it. But where it counts is walking you through as it happens. That's where this goes. And if you're brand new here, welcome. Season one is pretty bingeworthy and a powerful foundation. Start there after this. Conscious leaders go first. Not because they have all the answers, but because they're brave enough to reach for more, even when the path remains unclear. In their business, in their teams, in their family, in their own life. And that's the brave shift. And this right here is where it begins. Here's what I want to say about going first. Because I think the way it's actually framed sets people up for failure. Going first isn't a superpower reserved for people who have their shit together. They're making it up as they go along, too. And it's not about certainty, it's not about having the answers before you move. It's actually the opposite. Think about the last time you knew something needed to change in your business, in your relationship, in your life, and you didn't make that move. You know, instead, you opened your laptop, you started sourcing more information, maybe a better plan. You're just waiting for the right moment. Maybe you even made a color-coded spreadsheet. I know I have. Possibly downloaded a workbook that you never opened because that's what we do. We get very, very busy not doing the thing we need to be doing. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, that inner match that you've learned to push aside has been telling you exactly what to do all along. That's not a lack of strategy. That is a pattern of waiting until you feel ready. But being ready isn't a feeling, it's a decision. And everyone who's taken that leap will tell you this exact same thing. If they had kept waiting until they felt ready, they would still be standing at square one. Going first means that you stop waiting for the map before you start walking. And here's the thing about that: it sounds so simple until you're standing at that threshold that you can't turn back from. Then every instinct says, wait, prepare more, no more. What if I'm wrong? And I know that feeling intimately. And that's why the conversation I want to bring to you, the one that feels really vulnerable to share, is from inside the messy middle. Because there is so much advice from the comfortable other side of change, and so little honest conversation about what it's actually like to be knee deep in it. And that's exactly where I'm being called to take my work and this show. What this era of great change is asking of all of us is simple. To bravely lean into the uncertainty. If you've ever held back from making the move that you knew you needed to make because you weren't sure how it would land, you are running the same pattern that every leader runs. The pattern of waiting for a sense of certainty that rarely comes. But here's the truth when you avoid taking that leap. You're not leading your life, you're letting life happen to you. Before we get it any further, here is something that I want to establish right up front. Because it's the misconception that will decide what you get out of life. When most people hear the word leadership, they think CEO, corner office, they think the title, they think, well, that's not for them. That's not me. I'm just here living my little life. Right? My little life. I've heard that one before. Usually from people whose little life is actually carrying about six other people on its back. So let's talk about that. That thought right there is the pattern I want to dismantle through the gates. Because if you want a satisfying life that fills your soul, you need to lead your life. And that quality, that capacity for self-leadership, it is not reserved for the 1%, for the CEO, for the leader of an organization or government. You need to claim the role of leader. Not because of a title, because if you don't, the cost is looking back on your life in regret. To get the most out of your life, you need to confidently lead your decisions every day. Lead your relationships. Lead how you show up when things get hard. Lead by example for your kids. Lead the culture your team is needing, whether it falls under your job description or not. Self-leadership isn't a concept. It's the very foundation that you build your best life on. And when you claim it, when you stop waiting for someone else to lead and recognize yourself as the leader that you have been waiting for, I promise you, everything shifts in your business, in your home, in the way that you move through the world that honestly desperately needs people brave enough to go first. Imagine how would you feel in six months from now? And the people in your life, at work, at home, they say, I don't know what you did, but whatever it was, you're rocking it. You know, and they'd be right because you decided to claim your place as the leader of your own life. And I've watched this happen, not just in boardrooms with eight-figure budgets, but in kitchens and living rooms alike. Like that session that I had with a mom of two who had convinced herself that she needed to go back to university in order to break through her income cap. And Natalie was the kind of woman who got everyone else sorted before she let herself want anything. She had two boys in football, a calendar that belonged to everyone but her, and a dream that she had been shelving for so long, she'd almost forgotten it was hers. Natalie came to me certain that she needed a university degree to earn more than$40,000 a year, and a belief so powerful it was making decisions for her before she even tried. Because when I asked her what position she had applied for, her answer was nothing. The belief had already decided the outcome. She wasn't blocked by her qualifications, she was blocked by a story she'd accepted as fact. And within six months of doing the inner work, shifting the pattern, not adding any credentials, she increased her income by 20 grand. And within two years, she had doubled her salary. No degree, no four years of long days, and a student loan she had to repay. Just a leader who finally claimed herself as one. That's self-leadership. And it doesn't start when you get the title, it starts the moment that you decide to claim the leadership role in your life. Real quick, whether you're nodding along or pushing back right now, I want to hear it. Leave a review. Tell me how this is landing for you. What's it stirring up? What's your experience? That feedback, it really matters to me. And it helps other people who need this actually find it. All right, back to it. Here's the myth that I want to clear out. Going first doesn't mean having the answer. It means trusting yourself enough to take the leap, even when the path is still unclear and unfamiliar. And here's what I learned doing this work. No matter what season that you're in, underneath every pattern that keeps a leader stuck is the same thing. Someone waiting until it feels safe to take action. That's the through line. Now, here is something that I want you to try right now. And I mean right now, not after this episode, like pull over if you have to. Think about something that you've built or that you're building. A business, a relationship, a version of yourself. Something that you've been working towards. Now notice. Where is it stretching you right now? Where is it pulling you towards something that you haven't done yet? Feel into it. Got it? All right, hold it. Now, where in your body do you feel the resistance to going there? And where are you bracing for impact? Notice it? Yeah. Now take one deep breath and imagine that you're breathing in safety. Bring that down all the way into that place of resistance. Now take another breath. And keep bringing in that sense of safety as you notice fear losing its grip. Now one last deep breath. And as you exhale, let that fear go, knowing that you're safe. And then in fact, you always have been. Now try something. Just imagine for ten seconds that you made the move. You said the thing. You took the step. Not perfectly, but just courageously. Notice what shifts. Even a little bit. That shift is your system telling you what it already knows. What it's always done. It's just been waiting for you to take the lead. Alright, now let's go deeper. Bring your mind to the version of you who takes the lead. Not the fearless version. Not the one who's got it all figured out. Your inner leader. Alright, got it? You know the one. The one standing firmly in their power pose, shoulders back, feet grounded, ready to take decisive action. The one who says the true thing before it's comfortable. The one who claims, I am the leader here. Yeah, that one. The one who claims the leadership role in your life in this moment. Now notice how they hold themselves. And here's what I want you to take in. They're not different than you. They just decided and claimed it. That's the gap. Now breathe that in. Breathe in that version of you who is just waiting for your permission to take lead. And as you breathe, embody that version of you. That version of you who is just one brave choice ahead. Because there's only one thing between you and them. And the good news, it's completely in your control to do that right now. Make the choice. That's the assignment. And yes, immediately your mind is gonna say, but I don't know the right step and I. I have to wait until. No, no, you don't. None of those doors will ever open up for you until you do the very first thing. Decide. Decide to take that leadership role. So here's what I know about you right now. Well, first, you're still here. And sure, maybe you're rolling your eyes at me right now. Maybe you're even holding your breath a little. But you're still here because you're brave enough to look where so many would rather not. You're still here because something is ringing truth inside of you that you can't ignore any longer, just as I did. Maybe it was Natalie's story. Maybe it was that moment in the exercise when something shifted and you thought, wait, is that real? Am I raking this up in my head? No, you weren't. Your next move is simple because here's what I've learned. Every leader who is stuck, who's plateaued, who's showing up, but not quite all the way, there is one specific pattern underneath all of it. It's not a skills gap, it's not a weakness, it's a pattern. And when you see it clearly, everything shifts. So your simple step? Take the breakthrough blueprint assessment. That's where it starts. It's free, it takes two minutes, and I promise you, it's not like every other two minutes on the internet that somehow turns into 20. This one is actually two minutes. Well, 90 seconds if you're like swift on the click. And what it gives you is a map that's specific to you, to your pattern, to your ceiling, to your next step. Your powerful decision can be as simple as taking two minutes to fill it out. That's at ascensionacademy.life forward slash quiz. I'll leave that sucker in the show notes. Whether you do that today or not, here's what I want you to take with you. You don't have to have it all figured out to go first. You just have to be willing to lead from where you are. Self-leadership isn't a destination, it's the decision that only you can make to lead your life on purpose. Now, next week we go deeper into what self leadership actually looks like in the flesh. Because claiming yourself as a leader is the first move, and there are beautiful little patterns that quietly make the second move. Feel impossible. In the next episode, I will shed light on them and pull them out of the shadows. Until then, trust your intuition, take aligned action, and keep leading the soul. Thanks so much for listening. Our world is a better place because brave leaders like you are willing to go first. Now, send this to the leader who needs to hear it. You know exactly who that is. Until next time, trust your intuition, take aligned action, and keep leading with soul.