Please Advise: Do You Actually Have the Talent, or Just the Interest?

Jes is 27, works in the nonprofit sector, and has a not-so-secret dream: she wants to be a writer. The problem, as she sees it, is a values conflict — she wants her work to be seen, but she doesn't want to be famous, and she wants to make money, but writing doesn't pay unless you're willing to put your whole life on display. This week on Please Advise, Suzy starts down that path with Jes, but the conversation doesn't stay there. Underneath the values question is a harder one nobody had asked yet: does Jes actually have the aptitude to be a writer, or does she just love the idea of it? Suzy calls in some radical candor to find out. What emerges isn't "don't chase the dream." There’s a sharper, more useful answer, and Suzy helps Jes map out a path that actually aligns. It's a conversation about ambition, honesty, and the difference between an interest and an aptitude. As Suzy puts it, an interest without the aptitude to back it up has another name: a hobby. Have a question for Please Advise? Submit it here. As a Becoming You podcast listener, use code PODCAST for 50% off The Values Bridge. You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the ⁠Becoming You newsletter⁠ for fresh new content in one tidy package. Want more Becoming You? Check out the ⁠Becoming You book⁠. You can follow and tag Suzy on: • Instagram: ⁠@suzywelch⁠ • Linkedin: ⁠@suzywelch⁠ • TikTok: ⁠@suzywelch⁠ • YouTube: ⁠@suzywelch_⁠ • X: ⁠@SuzyWelch⁠