Bodyset for the Next Generation: What You Need Beyond Your Degree
You might be feeling like you’re doing everything right.
Showing up to class on time. Hitting the deadlines. Building the resume. Getting the grades. Networking. Learning the skills that are supposed to matter.
And yet.
There’s this feeling you can’t quite get rid of. This voice that says, “But is it enough? Am I enough?”
Does this sound familiar?
1. You have ideas in class discussions that you don’t share because you wonder if they’re good enough.
2. You know the answer but second-guess yourself.
3. You’ve edited your social media caption seventeen times because you question your own voice.
I Was You
I struggled with my worthiness for almost 2 decades. It wasn’t until my late 20’s when I started to do the repair work.
From the outside, everything looked great! I graduated from NYU. I had really good grades and I was doing what I loved.
Inside? I was struggling. Holding my breath through every presentation. Exhausted from my own inner critic. Doubting. Questioning my abilities.
I thought I needed more skills or more credentials.
Turns out, I needed to stop abandoning myself and learn about who I was.
Your Body Knows
We spend a lot of time in college training our brain. Theories, papers, exams. As a result, our brain seems ready.
But the body, it’s got critical information that it’s been trying to communicate; we just haven’t been listening because we haven’t been taught.
- That knot in your stomach before you present
- The tightness in your chest when you hit “send”
- The exhaustion coffee can’t fix
- The procrastination that shows up when stakes are high
This isn’t anxiety you need to fix. This is information you’re ignoring.
What Happens When You Graduate Still Disconnected
You get the job. You’re doing all the things.
But you’re also second-guessing everything. Feeling like an imposter. Saying yes when you mean no. Comparing yourself to everyone on LinkedIn. Successful on paper, empty inside.
How to avoid this reality.
AI can write your papers, analyze your data, probably do your job in five years BUT it can never take away your innate wisdom.
What’s that? I’ll go into that in my next blog post but to summarize it’s:
Your intuition. Your ability to read a room. Your unique perspective. Your resilience when things fall apart.
And they come from being connected to your body—your internal GPS that tells you when something’s off, when to speak up, when to rest, what’s actually you versus what you think you should be.
This is body intelligence AND, it’s your competitive edge.
Bodyset vs. Mindset
You have a mindset—how you think, your beliefs, your mental game.
But you also have a bodyset—how your nervous system responds to stress, what your body believes is safe, how you show up in space.
It is impossible to have the clarity you need to write the curriculum, newsletter, debate or have a clear, strategic conversation with your body which is hijacked by anxiety, doubt or fear.
Start Here
Before your next presentation, interview, or big decision:
- Pause and feel your feet on the ground
- Place your hand on your heart and say: “I’m here. I’m safe. I’ve got this.”
- Take 3 deep breaths
- Stand tall. Shoulders back. Arms open to the side (if you feel comfortable in public or find a private space)
- Hold for 10 seconds. Feel yourself take up space.
- Notice the shift.
I would love to hear from you. Remember, I was there. I get it! Please respond to me with any thoughts. I’m here to support you through one of the most important chapters of your life.
-Jen
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