Stop code-switching in business
Hiding your full self in business feels safe—until you realize it’s just tethering you to a limiting belief.
One of the journaling exercises I give my clients is deceptively simple:
“Who do you believe you are right now?”
The follow-ups dig even deeper:
What are you capable of?
What do you believe you’re not capable of?
What would you like to be capable of?
This morning, one of my clients sent me back her answers. We’d previously joked about how neither of us is capable of bungee jumping (absolutely not — hard pass for both of us). But this time, she went deeper.
She admitted she didn’t feel capable of putting herself out there in business. Selling her services felt intimidating. Networking felt insincere. And when she did show up authentically, she worried people saw her as… weird.
Then, in the second section, she examined who she desired to be - her highest self:
“Work is easy and feels aligned to who I am to my core. What I want, I can have- easily. I walk and talk confidently, and am certain of myself. Shoulders back, not hurried. In flow and with ease.
I speak with a natural and confident tone, not code-switching to appease a certain audience."
That line stopped me.
Because code-switching has real cultural weight. Most often, it refers to the way Black people (especially speakers of AAVE) shift language, tone, or expression to be seen as “acceptable” or “professional” in predominantly white spaces. For many, it’s a survival strategy. And it’s also deeply draining, forcing people into performance just to belong.
In this case, my client was talking about communication in her business. About how she hides her spiritual side to fit in.
And I knew exactly what she meant. Because I used to do it too.
I tucked away my intuition, my mysticism, my “woo” side, every time I walked into a corporate room. I thought success meant being palatable, polished, and not too much. When people asked me what I did, I was a Coach with a capital C - oh, and if you want, I can read your chart hehehe.
And yes, it worked well enough. But living that way felt exactly like standing on the edge of a bungee-jump platform. My body screaming, don’t do it. My fear saying, you won’t survive if you leap.
So, I decided to cut the cord. Instead of jumping, I took a trust fall. Because I didn’t want to suffer whiplash - and I knew I could manifest a safety net.
Without fail, it appeared. Instead of rejection or ridicule, I was met with curiosity and admiration- even envy. People didn’t back away—they leaned in. I started hearing: “Wow, I wish I could do that too… can you teach me how?”
(Side effects also include people looking to me as an authority in my “niche” and having my most successful year yet.)
That’s the truth about authenticity: it feels terrifying, unnatural, like hurling yourself into thin air… until you realize you’re not falling. You’re diving into your truest self.
So I’ll leave you with the same questions I ask my clients:
Who do you believe you are right now?
What do you believe you’re not capable of?
And if you stopped code-switching—whether in language, identity, or soul—what would you finally allow yourself to be?
Tell me in the comments what your life would look like if you also took the leap.
Cheering you on,
Brett