The Flourishing Introvert Talks

Hosted by Joanna Rawbone

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Episodes

339

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

Even though around half of any population identify as introverts, this is one aspect of diversity and inclusion that is often overlooked. Every Thursday join flourishing introvert and TEDx speaker Joanna Rawbone MSc, as she explores the costly challenges that introverts face on a regular basis. With her typically pragmatic approach, Joanna's show includes a mix of 10-minute topics, interviews with inspirational introverts and episodes on how to get the best from introverts. If you are an introvert who is ready to begin or continue flourishing, a manager looking to access the potential of the introverts in your team or the loved one of an introvert wanting to understand how to improve your relationship, this is the podcast you've been waiting for.

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60 recent

August 20, 2026Episode 33811 min

Ep 338 The Reliability Trap

Being reliable is one of those qualities we introverts are often praised for, and there is plenty to admire about being our word. But when being the dependable one becomes the role everyone expects us to play, it can cast a rather long shadow over what else we might be capable of. I have found myself questioning whether some of the work I was so reliably doing was actually my great work, or whether I was simply feathering somebody else's nest. That is where reliability becomes a trap. So in this episode, I am rattling a few bars of that cage and asking what it would look like to remain trustworthy while also becoming more dependable to ourselves and the work that matters to us. Key Points 🔑 When reliability becomes identity 🔑 Your great work matters 🔑 Trust needs more than reliability #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #Reliability 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode: https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-338-the-reliability-trap 🔗 Resources Visit https://hub.flourishingintroverts.com/resourcesp for tools and resources mentioned during the podcast. CREDITS: Brought to you by - ‪ Flourishing Introverts Produced by - ‪‪ Intntnlty Copyright: Flourishing Introverts

August 13, 2026Episode 33712 min

Ep 337 The One-Way Street

I have been thinking about the one way streets we introverts can find ourselves travelling along without ever realising that we are on one. The signs are rarely visible, yet somehow we are expected to know the rules, follow the flow and adapt ourselves accordingly. I have accumulated a fair few points on my business licence over the years, simply for being true to my quiet nature, and I suspect I am not alone. The big dawning for me was recognising that constant adaptation without reciprocity is not a particularly healthy two way street. So perhaps it is time we stopped blindly complying with the expected norm and started asking which streets in our lives need making two way. Key Points 🔑 Collecting fines unknowingly 🔑 Visibility without credibility 🔑 Where is the reciprocity? #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #ExtraversionBias 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode: https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-337-the-one-way-street 🔗 Resources Visit https://hub.flourishingintroverts.com/resourcesp for tools and resources mentioned during the podcast. CREDITS: Brought to you by - ‪ Flourishing Introverts Produced by - ‪‪ Intntnlty Copyright: Flourishing Introverts

August 6, 2026Episode 33611 min

Ep 336 The Identities We Weave

I have worn more labels than I care to admit, some earned, many borrowed, and a fair few accepted far too readily. Looking back, I can see they only became powerful because I wove their meaning into the fabric of who I believed myself to be. That quiet habit can keep we introverts living inside identities that expired years ago. This episode explores why letting go is rarely about denying the past and much more about making room for the person you have already become. After all, there is little sense squeezing into a version of yourself that no longer fits. Key Points 🔑 Labels become identities 🔑 Unstitch expired stories 🔑 Choose your next iteration #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #IdentityShift 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode on YouTube - or here: https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-336-the-identities-we-weave 🔗 Resources Visit https://hub.flourishingintroverts.com/resourcesp for tools and resources mentioned during the podcast. For Edition 54 of 'The Flourishing Nudge' - click here. For Premiere Edition of 'Beyond the Nudge' - click here. CREDITS: Brought to you by - ‪ Flourishing Introverts Produced by - ‪‪ Intntnlty Copyright: Flourishing Introverts

July 30, 2026Episode 33512 min

Ep 335 Possibilities Know No Bounds

Last week I asked whether we had written ourselves off. This week I want to take that conversation one step further because I wonder how often we have quietly allowed other people's words to shrink what we believe is possible. We introverts are often encouraged to be realistic long before we are encouraged to be expansive, and I am no longer convinced that realism deserves quite the pedestal we place it on. If one tiny word can diminish an idea, a dream or even our identity, perhaps it is time to choose our words far more carefully. Your possibilities may have limits, but I suspect the greatest ones are the boundaries you have accepted rather than the ones life has imposed. Key Points 🔑 Language shapes possibility 🔑 Dreaming needs practice 🔑 Choose conscious action #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #InfinitePossibilities 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode - https://youtu.be/qKgsI9gsBh0 or here: https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-335-possibilities-know-no-bounds 🔗 Resources Visit https://hub.flourishingintroverts.com/resourcesp for tools and resources mentioned during the podcast. CREDITS: Brought to you by - ‪ @flourishingintrovertsmedia | Produced by - ‪‪ @intntnlty | Copyright: @FlourishingIntroverts

July 23, 2026Episode 33412 min

Ep 334 Have You Written Yourself Off

A few struggling sweet peas reminded me how quickly we can decide something has reached the end of its usefulness. I was convinced mine had given their last flowers, yet with a little care they surprised me all over again. It made me wonder how often we do exactly the same thing with ourselves. We compare, we judge, we absorb labels that were never ours to begin with, and before long we start believing there is little point trying. In this episode I explore why difference deserves understanding rather than comparison, why we must stop handing our power to other people's opinions, and why now is exactly the time to refuse to write ourselves off. Key Points 🔑 Challenge inherited stories 🔑 Comparison-itis clouds judgement 🔑 Refuse to write yourself off #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #WriteYourselfBackIn 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode : https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-334-have-you-written-yourself-off 🔗 Resources Visit https://hub.flourishingintroverts.com/resourcesp for tools and resources mentioned during the podcast. CREDITS: Brought to you by - ‪ Flourishing Introverts Produced by - ‪‪ Intntnlty Copyright: Flourishing Introverts

July 16, 2026Episode 33316 min

Ep 333 Facing Your Frustrations

There was a time when frustration was something I quietly packed away because it felt easier than dealing with it. After all, many of us were brought up to be strong, be nice, keep the peace and certainly not inconvenience anyone with uncomfortable emotions. Yet I have come to realise that frustration is one of our valid feelings, and denying it rarely makes it disappear. In this episode I reflect on what frustration may really be trying to tell us, why we introverts often soften or dismiss it, and how learning to investigate it with honesty and sensitivity may just become the catalyst for something far more useful. Key Points 🔑 Valid feelings matter 🔑 Investigate frustration 🔑 Choose useful ripples #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #FrustratedToFlourishing 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode : https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-333-facing-your-frustrations 🔗 Resources Visit https://hub.flourishingintroverts.com/resourcesp for tools and resources mentioned during the podcast. CREDITS: Brought to you by - ‪ Flourishing Introverts Produced by - ‪‪ Intntnlty Copyright: Flourishing Introverts

July 9, 2026Episode 33216 min

Ep 332 Mind the Perception Gap

Perception has a habit of masquerading as truth, particularly in the workplace where people make sense of us through remarkably little evidence. We introverts often leave gaps that others are only too happy to fill with their own assumptions, and that can quietly shape our reputation long before we enter the room. In this episode, I explore where perception becomes useful data rather than a personal attack, how Byron Katie's liberating questions can stop us disappearing down defensive rabbit holes, and why managing our impact is not about performance but about quiet leadership. Perhaps the real work is not convincing everyone who we are. Perhaps it is becoming clearer about what is genuinely our business. Key points 🔑 Their perception is not our reality 🔑 Reputation travels first 🔑 Lead with intention #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #QuietLeadership 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode : https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-332-mind-the-perception-gap 🔗 Resources Visit https://hub.flourishingintroverts.com/resourcesp for tools and resources mentioned during the podcast. CREDITS: Brought to you by - ‪ Flourishing Introverts Produced by - ‪‪ Intntnlty Copyright: Flourishing Introverts #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #QuietLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerGrowth #PersonalReputation #Influence #WorkplacePsychology #SelfLeadership

July 2, 2026Episode 33113 min

Ep 331 Why is Trust so Difficult?

After talking about respect, I realised trust deserved a conversation of its own because without it, very little flourishes for long. I explore why we introverts may unintentionally give the impression that we do not trust others, even when that is far from the truth, and why trust deserves more thoughtful attention than it often receives. Instead of treating trust as something we either have or do not have, I invite you to consider it as a living assessment that changes with experience. You may discover that trusting someone does not require handing them everything, only recognising what they have genuinely earned. Key points 🔑 Trust needs reciprocity 🔑 Listen to intuition 🔑 Trust has boundaries #FlourishingIntroverts #Trust #Introverts 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode here: https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-331-why-is-trust-so-difficult 🔗 Resources Visit https://hub.flourishingintroverts.com/resourcesp for tools and resources mentioned during the podcast. CREDITS: Brought to you by - ‪ Flourishing Introverts Produced by - ‪‪ Intntnlty Copyright: Flourishing Introverts

June 25, 2026Episode 33011 min

Ep 330 The Introvert's Route to Respect

Many of us were taught that being good meant being compliant, agreeable, and easy to manage. The trouble is those same lessons can quietly erode our self-respect in adulthood. In this episode, I unpack why respect begins with how we treat ourselves, especially when workplace bias leaves us feeling vulnerable for simply being who we are. We explore self-advocacy, boundaries, values, and the courage to stop relying on external validation. Because when we learn to honour our own worth, respecting others becomes less transactional and far more human. Key Points 🔑 Respect begins with Self 🔑 Stop abandoning yourself 🔑 Challenge old rules #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #SelfRespect 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode here: https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-330-the-introverts-route-to-respect 🔗 Resources Visit https://hub.flourishingintroverts.com/resourcesp for tools and resources mentioned during the podcast. CREDITS: Brought to you by - ‪ Flourishing Introverts Produced by - ‪‪ Intntnlty Copyright: Flourishing Introverts

June 18, 2026Episode 32913 min

Ep 329 Vulnerability hangover? What will people think!

We introverts often wear our independence like a badge of honour, convincing ourselves that figuring everything out alone is somehow noble. Yet beneath the resourcefulness can sit something far less comfortable: a fear of what happens after we ask for help, share honestly, or allow ourselves to be seen. In this episode, I explore the vulnerability hangover that can follow moments of openness, along with the stories we tell ourselves about weakness, credibility and judgement. I share a very recent experience that left me replaying every detail and questioning everything. The real question is not whether vulnerability is risky. It is whether keeping everything bottled up is costing us far more than we realise. Key Points 🔑 Vulnerability is not weakness 🔑 The hangover is real 🔑 Privacy needs discernment #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #VulnerabilityHangover 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode : https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-329-vulnerability-hangover-what-will-people-think 🔗 Resources Visit https://hub.flourishingintroverts.com/resourcesp for tools and resources mentioned during the podcast. CREDITS: Brought to you by - ‪ Flourishing Introverts Produced by - ‪‪ Intntnlty Copyright: Flourishing Introverts