What’s Your Superpower Word?
I recently welcomed T.H. Irwin to my Breaking Beliefs podcast. As CEO of T.H. Experiences and creator of signature events like Women for Women Today and The Night Market, T.H. creates meaningful connections for thousands of attendees. During our conversation, she shared her journey to identify what she calls her "superpower word."
Finding Your Core Gift
"What's your superpower word?" T.H. asked me. "It cannot be mother or organizer. It can't have anything to do with who you serve. It has to do with what you do for yourself."
Her question made me pause. As professionals, we typically define ourselves through roles or service: leader, accountant, advisor, parent. T.H. wanted something more fundamental—the essential quality driving our actions.
"I create because it fills my cup," she explained. "As I've gone through my journey, I've always been a creator, but now I own it."
Identifying our core gift—the natural ability that energizes rather than depletes us—gives us direction for career decisions, relationships, and life changes. It becomes our internal compass.
A Winding Path to Self-Discovery
T.H.'s journey to identify her superpower included unexpected turns. Her early career provided essential groundwork, similar to how rhythm sections create the foundation in music before solos can shine.
"My starting out in marketing research was a great foundation for everything I do now," she explained. "When I do an event and an experience, is it the right market? Is it the right time? Who is my audience? What do they read? What do they watch?"
Her early career analyzing data in Wichita, Kansas and checking product placement taught fundamentals that later supported her creative vision. Her personal experiences through a difficult marriage and divorce shaped her equally.
"When you're in a bad, toxic relationship, it will suck everything out of you," T.H. shared. Years of negative messaging created beliefs she had to systematically unlearn. "I became less and less of myself."
I've observed similar patterns in leadership environments. Often our biggest obstacles come from internalized limiting beliefs about our worth and capabilities rather than external circumstances.
The Value of Slowing Down
T.H.'s experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro highlighted an unexpected challenge. She had physically trained, secured proper equipment, and prepared for tangible obstacles. The mental component caught her off guard—specifically the challenge of slowing down and sitting with her thoughts.
"The climb was for me to be comfortable being alone and be comfortable in the quiet," she explained. "When you climb a mountain that's over 19,000 feet, you are taking painfully slow steps... pole pole. One pole, and then one pebble."
Her experience connects directly to what I call "taking a beat"—intentional moments to pause, breathe, and reconnect with priorities. Musicians understand that rests carry as much power as notes. Leaders create their greatest impact during thoughtful pauses between actions.
T.H. now integrates intentional pauses through practices like yoga at a space called Immerse, where mirrors are absent and LED screens display natural environments. "Not everything in my life is fast-paced," she noted. "Spiritually, it's slowing down."
Tools for Reclaiming Your Narrative
Throughout our conversation, T.H. shared practical approaches she used to rebuild her confidence and reconnect with her authentic self:
1. Strategic Journaling
Rather than facing the intimidation of a blank page, T.H. uses the five-minute journal format with guided prompts: things that would make today great, daily affirmations, and reflections on what could have been better.
"I had written in my nighttime what could have been better is that my son was home all day, and I didn't spend time with him," she shared. "The next day, I said to my son, 'Jay, what do you want to do today?' and made a point of that."
This simple practice creates accountability without self-judgment—a balance that many high-achieving professionals struggle to maintain.
2. Finding Safe Spaces to Share
"The more time I was able to tell my story and talk through it, I felt like a lot of those times were therapy sessions," T.H. explained. Through her divorce podcast and speaking engagements, each retelling strengthened her narrative and reclaimed her power.
This echoes what I've seen with leadership teams implementing the B³ Method®. When we create environments where people can speak their truth without fear, both individual confidence and collective trust flourish.
3. Celebrating Small Wins
"When I go for a walk, I'm taking pictures of a flower, or I'm recording a waterfall so I can have that peaceful sound," T.H. shared. These moments of presence and gratitude counterbalance the tendency to focus only on what's going wrong.
As I tell my clients, sustainable success isn't built on grand gestures but on the daily rhythms that either nourish or deplete us. By intentionally noting and celebrating small wins, we shift our attention from scarcity to abundance.
Achieving Work-Life Harmony® Through Your Superpower
These insights connect directly to Work-Life Harmony. When you discover your superpower and align your work with it, you transcend traditional work-life balance concepts. You create sustainable integration between career achievement and personal satisfaction.
T.H.'s story demonstrates this principle. After working in conventional roles, she discovered her zone of genius in creating experiences that connect people. "I felt like I was arriving," she said about finding her path. "It filled me up with so much excitement that I had to jump on it."
This extends beyond enjoying your work—it means recognizing your unique contribution approach. When work aligns with your superpower, the separation between professional and personal life naturally diminishes. This happens not through overworking, but through engaging with what genuinely energizes you.
Your Turn: Discovering Your Superpower
As you reflect on your own career journey, consider these questions:
What activities make you lose track of time?
When do you feel most energized and alive?
What quality have others consistently recognized in you, even when you were young?
What do you do naturally that others find challenging?
Your superpower might be connection, curiosity, creativity, or something entirely unique to you. The key is recognizing it not as something you do, but as something you are.
As T.H. challenged me during our conversation: "What is unique about you or self-doubting? We all have that superpower inside of us. It's whether we're willing to unlock what that is and do the work to uncover that for ourselves."
I'd love to hear what you discover. What's your superpower word?
Remember, the energy we create internally is contagious. When we align our work with our core gifts, we not only transform our own experience but elevate everyone around us. That's the true power of Work-Life Harmony.
If you enjoyed this conversation, listen to the full episode with T.H. Irwin on the Breaking Beliefs podcast. And if you're ready to discover your own superpower and create more harmony in your work and life.