What Will You Do With What You Know?

Last week, I wrote about a question I often ask women I coach:

What does this reveal about who I am?

Because our accomplishments aren't just proof of what we've done.

They're clues to who we are.

But recognizing what's true about yourself is only part of the work.

Eventually, that knowledge asks something of you.

You know you're a woman who can navigate difficult conversations.

Will you have this one?

You know you're a woman who advocates for what matters.

Will you speak up now?

You know you're a woman who can make hard decisions.

Will you make this one?

You know you've navigated uncertainty before.

Will you trust yourself enough to move forward without having every answer?

This is where self-trust becomes more than something we feel.

It becomes something we practice.

And there's a word for that:

Agency.

Agency can sound abstract, but I think of it very simply:

Agency is trusting yourself enough to act on what you know to be true.

To speak.

To choose.

To ask.

To set the boundary.

To pursue the opportunity.

To change direction.

To say no.

To say yes.

Not because you know exactly how everything will turn out.

But because you trust yourself enough to take the next step.

Maybe that's why confidence can be so elusive when we chase it directly.

We wait to feel confident before we act.

But what if we have it backward?

What if we look at the evidence, recognize what it reveals about us, trust what we know—and act from there?

Because every time we do, we create new evidence.

Evidence reveals identity.

Identity restores agency.

Agency changes the narrative.

And perhaps confidence?

Confidence follows.

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