The Flourishing Introvert Talks

Hosted by Joanna Rawbone

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Episodes

341

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

September 10, 2026Episode 3419 min

Ep 341 When Guilt Can F*** Right off!

There was a time when I would quietly hunt for the nearest escape route whenever my mental, social or emotional batteries were running down, and then feel guilty as hell for needing to leave. It took me a surprisingly long time to realise that protecting my energy was not making a fuss, being boring or being weird. As a recovering people pleaser and reformed perfectionist, I had become rather good at accepting the guilty candies other people were dishing out. But what happens when the guilt being handed to us is measured against somebody else's values rather than our own? In this episode, I explore the difference between guilt and shame, why guarding what is precious to us is not something we need to apologise for, and why sometimes guilt really does need to do one. Because not everyone deserves access to our energy, our mindset or our time. Key Points 🔑 Protect your precious energy 🔑 Question whose values matter 🔑 Do not confuse guilt with shame #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #Guilt 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode: https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-341-when-guilt-can-f-right-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

September 3, 2026Episode 34013 min

Ep 340 The Strengths We Outgrow

For much of my early career, I felt like the shiny ball in a pinball machine, bouncing from role to role and team to team, trying to work out where I truly belonged. Along the way, I became very good at being flexible, adaptable and reliable, but I eventually had to ask whether those qualities were actually my real strengths, or simply what other people had learned to value about me. That distinction matters, because a strength is not simply something we are good at. It is something we are good at and enjoy, and that changes what we can sustainably bring to our work and our lives. I have learned that some strengths need developing, some need redefining, and some need to be taken out of the magic bag of tricks altogether. The question is, which of your strengths are genuinely taking you where you want to go? Key Points 🔑 When strengths become contracts 🔑 How did we get here? 🔑 Future proof your strengths #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #StrengthsWeOutgrow 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode: https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-340-the-strengths-we-outgrow 🔗 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 27, 2026Episode 33913 min

Ep 339 How Reasonable is TOO Reasonable

I am a trusting soul, so for rather too long I assumed that everyone else played by the same rules I did. The reality turned out to be a bit of a shock to the system. I have come to realise that the qualities that make we introverts thoughtful, calm, empathic and accommodating can also leave us open to being taken for mugs if we are not paying attention. The trick is not becoming less reasonable, but learning to recognise when being reasonable has tipped into being too soft. That takes discernment, boundaries and, increasingly for me, bravery. Key Points 🔑 Reasonableness has a boundary 🔑 Do not abandon yourself 🔑 Bravery builds confidence #FlourishingIntroverts #Introverts #BecomingBraver 🎧 Tune-in here for the full episode: https://sites.libsyn.com/231761/ep-339-how-reasonable-is-too-reasonable 🔗 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 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