Every accomplishment
disappeared into a black hole.
Until I realized
the hole was a portal.
For decades I reached for the next achievement, thinking maybe that one would finally fill what was missing. Titles, power, and money never did.
What I found on the other side was a way of being I didn't know existed. Where my standards stay high. Where my drive flows freely.
Where the relationship with myself becomes whole.
And it starts with stepping inside what looks like a hole.
I wrote this poem about the time when I was frustrated that all the effort I'd been exerting wasn't producing the results I expected. I wasn't used to that.
Normally if I encountered a hurdle toward something I really wanted to achieve, I'd double down and figure something out. In this case, everything that had worked in the past wasn't working like it had before.
Over the course of nine months, I tried everything imaginable to hit the target I'd set. No doors were opening, at least not the ones I was looking at.
BREAK TO AWAKE
when powering through
like you've done a million times before
to break through the next level
doesn't work its magic anymore
a piece of you breaks into a whisper
could there be another way?
whisper wells not weakness
but deepest power waking
— Elizabeth Onyeabor (2025)
Now, I do this work with others
INNERGENUITY
The Paradigm Partnership and The Leadership Landscape
Executive coaching and leadership advisory for CEOs, founders, and leadership teams.
NEWSLETTER
Excellence Reclaimed
For CEOs & Founders who want to embody the natural excellence of their highest leadership.