Authenticity, Visibility & Trauma

Episode aired: Monday, March 10, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Suze Maclaine and her husband Jakko discuss the deep connection between authenticity, visibility, and trauma. They explore what it means to truly show up as yourself in both business and life, without seeking external validation or what Suze calls “karma cookies.”

Key Topics Covered
Redefining Success

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• Moving beyond traditional metrics of success like finances or public perception
  
• Measuring success by how authentically you express your unique gifts
  
• The freedom that comes when you stop measuring success by external validation
  

Understanding Authenticity

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• Why everything you do is technically “authentic” – even masks are part of you
  
• The difference between strategic authenticity and true sharing
  
• How trauma blocks our ability to show up fully as ourselves
  

The “Karma Cookie” Factory

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• Definition: seeking attention, approval, and validation from others
  
• Two sides of the same coin: vulnerability-as-performance and ego-driven success stories
  
• Finding freedom by sharing without needing others to respond a certain way
  

Expanding Your Window of Tolerance

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• How broadening your emotional capacity creates richer relationships
  
• Not taking things personally as a pathway to curiosity
  
• Loving all parts of yourself so others don’t have to do it for you
  

Presence vs. Strategy

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• Being fully present with one person vs. scattered across platforms
  
• Why authentic presence attracts the right people naturally
  
• Not adding to the noise of endless marketing and content
  

Memorable Quotes

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• “The minute I started to measure success not by anything showing up in my life, but by looking at, ‘am I showing up the way I truly, fully choose and want to without needing any what I call karma cookies to get there’, things really started to change.”
  
• “Can you be you without constantly needing the other person to feel a certain way, without it needing to have a certain effect, without it needing to grab attention?”
  
• “We need to share ourselves because we love ourselves, and not out of fear that others won’t love us.”
  
• “If the sound you’re about to make isn’t more beautiful than silence, then stop making it.”
  
• “The daffodils are fighting their way through a layer of shit in order to pop out of the ground… it’s showing all of its colors.”
  

Looking Forward

Suze announced an upcoming live tour throughout the Netherlands, with two-hour workshops in The Hague, Antwerp, Maastricht, and Amsterdam, with plans to expand to Germany and Belgium. Stay tuned for dates!

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