Have you ever sensed that subtle, undermining voice in your head that hinders your success and keeps you from pursuing what you truly desire in life?

It’s a sneaky voice.

Often operating in the background without our conscious awareness.

Recognizing and understanding this inner saboteur is a crucial step toward reclaiming our authentic self.

Let me tell you a quick story about a time when… Well, I just felt like something needed to change in my life.

That’s how I found myself signing up for a Leadership retreat.

Before I knew it, I was sitting in a circle with 20 strangers from Colombia, Dubai, South Africa, you name it… In a house in the middle of the beautiful Redwoods in Northern California.

We were told to ditch the whole professional and rank spiel to do our intros. None of that CEO stuff. We were instructed to keep it simple: “Hey, I’m [Your Name] from [Your Hometown], and maybe “I’m here for [This Reason]” And that’s how we got to know each other—no titles, just people connecting from all walks of life.

Back then I had zero awareness of this sneaky little voice messing with my head. I’m talking about the kind of voice that’s always there, stirring up doubts like, “You don’t belong here” or “Who do you think you are?” “You are not as valuable as they are!”

Sharing stories one night, one of these newfound friends casually dropped this on me:

“Hey, why do you keep feeding that black wolf of yours?”

Hmm? “Black Wolf”? What are you talking about?

Turns out, that “black wolf” is my saboteur, tearing down my self-worth every chance it gets. And I was totally clueless until that moment.

It’s wild how sometimes you can be your own worst enemy without even realizing it.

And even weirder was the fact that a total stranger ended up uncovering the enemy lurking within me!

This revelation prompted me to reflect on how I consistently fed power to this negative voice, undermining my self-worth at every turn.

Even today, as I write this post, I recognize its presence.

Taming the Black Wolf

The truth is, this inner critic may never fully disappear.

In fact, you need it, as it serves a purpose in protecting us from perceived threats and risks.

However, the key lies in spotting it and reclaiming power from its grip.

We all harbor an inner critic, a saboteur, a gremlin whose job is to shield us from exposure and risk. Yet, this voice doesn’t always discern when the change, risk, or exposure we seek is essential for our growth and reaching our highest potential.

Exercise

I want to give you a practical tool to spot and confront this inner critic.

The goal is to get to know your saboteur, the way a sports team analyzes its next opponent in order to defeat it.

I want you to pay close attention to your own saboteur over the next week.

You will feel a different energy in its presence. There’s dissonance, you feel heavy, full of doubt, and maybe even a little blue or down.

Be aware and observe it

Ask yourself the following 3 questions:

• How do you recognize when the saboteur is present?
• What are some common habits of your saboteur?
• When, where, or how does your saboteur tend to become noisy or reveal itself?

Getting to know your saboteur will provide you with the necessary tools to become more powerful and be able to control it.

But also to use your saboteur to YOUR advantage.

Is there a White Wolf then?

That retreat wasn’t just a battleground against my saboteur; it was also the place where I discovered a powerful ally within me.

Another voice, often ignored, that now works as my hype squad, always inspiring, always pushing me, reminding me of the real powerhouse I am.

And that is how I was introduced to the White Wolf inside me.

We all have this voice.

This voice has a vibe of its own that syncs up with your dreams, dances to the beat of your ideas and resonates with your values.

And that is the only wolf you need to nurture, keep close, and have weird conversations in your head with. 😉

The black wolf?

Well, it is still around, but now it feels more like a lazy roommate.

Image by: La Miko