I followed a signal I couldn't explain.

Back in the fall, I rebranded myself to Soulwork Strategist.

I didn’t fully understand what that meant when I chose it. And that, I’m realizing, was exactly the point.

"Career Coach" was the safe label. Clean. Marketable. “Here’s your next move.” That’s a Job title, which is what many people are chasing.

"Work Architect" was closer. It recognized that you can’t just chase the next role; you have to intentionally design work that fits the life you actually want. Systems. Structure. Strategy.

I still deeply believe in that. I still teach it.

But "Soulwork Strategist" was something else. It was a signal I couldn’t fully articulate, but couldn’t ignore either.

So I followed the signal before I could justify the business case.

We are trained to do the opposite. We want the data first. The roadmap. The guarantee of ROI. Then we act. We try to reverse-engineer our calling from market opportunities.

But that’s not how the deepest shifts happen. The real shifts—the ones that move you from a Job to your Work—start with a pull you can’t explain. A whisper that doesn’t come with a quarterly projection attached.

You follow it. And eventually, you figure out what the hell it even meant.

That is Soulwork.

It’s not a “vibe.” It’s not woo-woo intuition divorced from reality. And it is certainly not a replacement for systems (you definitely still need those).

Soulwork is the practice of closing the gap between who you claim to be and how you actually show up.

It’s trusting the internal compass when the external map runs out.

I’ll give you a real-time example:

I knew all week I needed to write this newsletter. I had the time. I had the space. Instead, I procrastinated until the last minute and turned it into a stress ritual.

Why? Not because I’m lazy. But because my old Operating System kicked in. The version of me that relies on stress to feel productive tried to override the new version of me that values flow.

That gap between the label and the lived reality? That is where the work is.

Most of us try to close that gap with hardware upgrades: new goals, new job titles, new productivity apps.

But if the internal pattern stays intact, you just rebuild the same prison with nicer furniture.

Systems are essential. But systems without soul is just sophisticated avoidance.

The Bottom Line

You don’t get to fully understand the next version of yourself before you step into it. You get a signal. A pull.

Your job isn’t to judge whether it’s practical or profitable. Your job is to follow it down the rabbit hole—and let the understanding catch up later.

So, here’s my question for you:

What signal have you been ignoring because you can’t explain it yet?

That might be exactly where your Soulwork begins.

Hit reply. I read and respond to every single one.

Tim

P.S. If you’re done trying to fix your relationship with work using nothing but willpower and spreadsheets, book a free Clarity Call. Let’s figure out what signal you’ve been overriding.

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Until next week!! Work and live well. Tim Did someone awesome forward you this email? Sign up here to ensure you get my latest content. Do you know someone who would benefit from this content? Please pass it along! ♻️ Let's fix what your job broke. If you're finally ready to take control of your work life and build something that works for you, here's exactly how to start: ​Book a Free 30-minute Clarity Call. Not sure where to start? Let's talk. We'll look at where you are, where you want to be, and whether working together makes sense. No pitch - just an honest conversation. ​Book a 90-minute Strategy Session ($175 CAD). You've got a specific problem. Let's solve it. One focused session to diagnose why you're stuck and map out your next moves.

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