When her carefully curated life imploded, Stephanie VanZytveld could no longer pretend everything was fine. Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and control had been critical to her success. How would she function without them? Using mindfulness to quiet her ego and “unlearn” fear-based coping mechanisms, she now operates from her authentic self, following her inner compass to make decisions and be comfortable in her own skin. Even though each of us has this innate ability to get where we’re going, we don’t talk about it because: We don’t know/trust/use it ourselves Topics involving mystery can be uncomfortable to discuss, and are often dismissed as too “woo-woo” or fringe Then you don’t need the latest product/service/quick fix In these pages, you’ll learn how: To quiet the ego to help your authentic self shine more brightly To turn down the volume on your Inner Critic To differentiate between intuition and ego (especially when the stakes are high) Increasingly, conventional wisdom in academics and business runs counter to what truly makes us effective. VanZytveld weaves science and stories—others’ as well as her own—into an honest and pragmatic guide to get people started on their own journey toward a quieter ego and a more authentic life.