What happens when someone you trust tells you that your greatest gift is nothing more than luck and connections? In this episode of Courage is Built Here, Justine opens Pathway Three, Be Fully You, with a conversation about what it truly takes to show up as all of who you are. She is joined by Alison Niermann, Founder and Managing Partner of Tilley Workforce Solutions, for an honest and deeply encouraging conversation about reclaiming gifts, breaking old narratives, and choosing to be the lighter fluid in your own life instead of the extinguisher.
Alison shares the story that has shaped so much of her journey. At twelve years old, she stepped onto a stage in front of fifteen thousand people and came fully alive, using every ounce of her talent and ability in that moment. But after the final show, someone close to her family pulled her aside and told her she had no talent, that it was all luck and connections, and that her aspirations would end that day. She carried those words for years, allowing them to take root and reshape her belief about who she was and what she deserved to do.
Eventually, she made the courageous choice to return. She re-auditioned for plays, stepped back into film, delivered her first keynote shaking and reading from a binder, and slowly began to trust the spark that never fully went out. She talks about finding a coach, surrounding herself with people who saw her gifts without strings attached, and learning to believe their voices over the ones that had told her she was not enough.
Together, Justine and Alison explore what it means to stop letting someone else control your light switch. They talk about the mindset shift from fear to authenticity, why wholly and wonderfully made means all of you and not just the parts that feel safe, and how showing up fully creates a ripple effect in your relationships, your leadership, and everyone watching you do the scary thing. They close with Alison’s powerful hike story and the reminder that courage is not always about jumping to the top of the mountain. Sometimes it is about taking one more step, letting someone walk beside you, and trusting that you have done hard things before.
Key Takeaways
- Pathway Three, Be Fully You, is about the work of vulnerability and self-compassion and showing up authentically as who you were created to be.
- Alison performed on stage in front of fifteen thousand people at age twelve and was told afterward by someone close to her family that she had no talent, words she carried for years.
- You have a choice to be lighter fluid or an extinguisher for your own dreams and talents, and for the people around you.
- Reclaiming your gifts takes courage, but that inner spark of what you are meant to do does not go away just because someone tried to extinguish it.
- Surrounding yourself with people who see your gifts without strings or ulterior motives is a critical part of stepping back into who you were made to be.
- Courage sometimes looks like letting other people pour into you and choosing to believe their voices over the ones that said you were not enough.
- Showing up fully as yourself releases the inner struggle and creates a ripple effect at home, at work, and in every space you walk into.
- Accepting encouragement without deflecting it is its own form of courage and an important part of walking in authenticity.
- You are wholly and wonderfully made, and that includes your quirks, your gifts, and the purpose you are meant to live out.
- Momentum is built step by step, not by jumping to the top of the mountain, and sometimes all you need is someone beside you saying you can take one more step.
About the guest
Alison Niermann is the Founder and Managing Partner of Tilley Workforce Solutions, helping organizations drive profitability and culture through strategic, purpose-aligned hiring. With over twenty years of leadership in recruitment and talent development, she is the creator of Hiring to Thrive and the PATH Framework, and a sought-after speaker, author, and mentor. Alison’s background also spans media and entertainment as a digital publisher, film actor, and producer, fueling her passion for storytelling, strategy, and impact.
Connect with Alison
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alisonniermann/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonniermann/
