Why You Feel Something's Missing with Dr. Robin | Ep 226

This week’s “How She Finds Purpose” insight comes from my own journey -

“Sometimes it's a whisper to change how you work or how you live. It's not like ambition or ego or what the world tells us we should want. The purpose impulse is something deeper. It's innate. It's the voice of your spirit calling you back into alignment with who you really are. And while it may be quiet at first, it's persistent. If you ignore it, it doesn't disappear. It waits. It returns. It taps you on your shoulder, so to speak, whispering, this isn't it. There's something more.”

You know that moment when everything on paper looks great - your career, your accomplishments, your life - and yet something inside still feels off? In this solo episode, I’m naming that feeling.

I call it the purpose impulse, and I share my own story of how it showed up for me years ago while working in child protective services. It was quiet at first, but eventually, it became impossible to ignore. I’ll walk you through what it feels like, why it matters, and how it could be guiding you toward something deeply real and meaningful in your own life.

I also share a powerful moment that changed everything for me - a moment that helped me recognize that the path I was on no longer fit, even though it looked right from the outside. If you’ve ever felt like you’re going through the motions, even while succeeding, this conversation is for you.

Here are 3 reasons why you should listen to this episode:

• You’ll learn how to recognize the subtle signs that you’re out of alignment, even when everything looks “fine.”
• You’ll hear a deeply personal story that helps explain what the purpose impulse really feels like, and why it matters.
• You’ll get a simple, reflective question to help you reconnect with what your inner voice has been trying to tell you.

Connect with Robin on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinlowensphd/

Would you prefer to watch or listen to the podcast on YouTube?
Head on over to https://www.youtube.com/@leadershippurposepodcast

 

Want to connect? Connect with Dr. Robin on 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinlowensphd/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robinlowensphd

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/robinlowensphd/

Email: [e-mail]

 

Thank you for listening! Rate, review, & follow on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast player. Talk to you soon!

 

This episode was produced by Lynda, Podcast Manager for GenX Creative Entrepreneurs at https://www.ljscreativeservices.co.nz

 

 

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Welcome to the Leadership Purpose with Dr Robin podcast.
I'm your host, Robin L Owens, PhD. I'm a college
professor. And when I'm not doing that, I am teaching others
how to find and stay in alignment with their true purpose.
And this is where we talk with women who've made bold career
transitions in search for more meaning and purpose in

(00:24):
their work. So if you're feeling that pull toward more meaning and purpose in
your work or just curious about what's possible when you
pursue purpose over position, then these
conversations are here to encourage, inspire,
and guide you. Okay. Let's get started.
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Leadership Purpose

(00:47):
with Dr. Robin podcast. So glad you're here and that you take
time to listen to the podcast. I say it all the time and I will
continue to say it. I really appreciate you. And because you
have been such a faithful listener, you helped the podcast get
ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts
globally according to Listen Notes. So thank you so much for listening

(01:10):
in. And if you would go ahead and rate, review, subscribe to the
podcast, and share it with a friend who you feel may be
inspired by our conversations here. All right,
so now today I am sharing with you
a solo episode. And this episode is
for you. If you've ever looked around at your life,

(01:32):
your career, your success, and thought, why
do I feel like something's missing when everything
looks good? You've done all the things. You've checked the
boxes, maybe even exceeded expectations,
but lately you feel off. Not broken
just off like you're out of sync with yourself. You're not

(01:56):
in crisis but you're not feeling fulfilled
either. Maybe you feel a little numb,
a little tired in a way that rest doesn't fix
or like you're living on autopilot doing what's
expected, but feeling deeply unfulfilled,
although everything looks good on the outside.

(02:19):
So now let's talk about that feeling. Let's name it,
and let's explore what it's actually
trying to tell you because that feeling
is the beginning of something that I believe is sacred.
It's not failure. It's not confusion. It's a signal,
a nudge. What I call the purpose impulse.

(02:43):
So you might say, well, what is the purpose impulse? It is a
quiet, persistent energy that rises from
within it's like your soul gently tapping on your
shoulder saying this isn't it there's
more it doesn't shout it doesn't rush
it's subtle but unmistakable

(03:06):
And it's not coming from your ego or from
hustle culture or some ought to or should
do voice in your head. It's deeper than
that. It's the spirit speaking to you in the
language only your spirit understands.
Sometimes it shows up as a whisper or an

(03:28):
idea you can't shake. Sometimes it shows
up as a gut feeling or it shows up
as a quiet longing for something you can't
quite name or put your finger on yet.
I had this experience years ago and it
started quietly. At first, I was just

(03:50):
a little more tired than usual, a little less inspired.
I had been working for child protective services
for over five years doing work that I felt
had impact and that mattered, but something in me
was shifting. Slowly, I began to feel
disconnected from myself and from the work. I mean,

(04:13):
I was showing up doing the job, but I felt like I was moving on
autopilot. Then one day, everything
shifted. As a part of my job, I
had to take two children from their
home because they were being neglected.
And, I mean, they were just the cutest little

(04:34):
kids. Two little girls, blonde hair, blue
eyes. One was about two years old and the
other just under a year old, and
I feel like they knew somehow. I I think kids have a
way of knowing when they're leaving home, and they know something's
wrong. So they say goodbye to their mother, and I put them in the

(04:57):
car in the back seat, and
you know, they had time to say goodbye to the mother, and
she had given one of the the older
girls a necklace and put it around her neck. It
was like a lollipop looking necklace.
And when the girls were in the back seat, we were going

(05:19):
along and they were just
out of sorts. They were just sitting there like they were numb.
And oftentimes if they're distraught, it
helps them to have a little something. So we stopped, drove through
McDonald's to give them something, and the older one was just
holding the hamburger in her hand, just

(05:43):
looking straight and stiff and not even acknowledging that
she had the burger in her hand, like she was just distraught. And
then the little one began to
cry. I mean like sob, like she was
in pain, and she was a bit fussy.
So the older sister took off her necklace.

(06:06):
It was a lollipop, but it was in the shape of a pacifier.
So it was candy, but in the shape of a pacifier. So she took it
off and she put it over to her sister, the little one's
mouth. And now I'm watching this from the rearview mirror.
And suddenly tears start rolling down my cheeks.
The pain in those girls' eyes and what

(06:29):
they were doing and how they were doing it was
just too much for me to bear. So the tears are rolling
down my face, and for the first time, after all I had
experienced on that job, I suddenly knew
this is too much. I knew that I could not do
this work much longer. I just knew

(06:51):
something deep down in me knew that I had to
go. I had to do something different.
That moment opened something in me. I knew I had to do
something different, but I didn't know what that was right away.
But I knew it had to be something different. And now
looking back all these years later, I now

(07:14):
know that what that was, that feeling in me
was what I now call the purpose impulse, and
it was rising from deep down within me,
trying to get my attention, trying to lead me to
myself. The nature of the purpose impulse
is this. It's not a one time sort of lightning

(07:37):
strike thing. It comes and it goes throughout your life
because it grows as you grow. It
evolves as you evolve. And it doesn't always ask
for a total life overhaul. Sometimes
it's a whisper to change how you work or how you
live. It's not like ambition

(08:00):
or ego or what the world tells us we should
want. The purpose impulse is something deeper.
It's innate. It's the voice of your spirit
calling you back into alignment with who you really
are. And while it may be quiet at
first, it's persistent. If you ignore

(08:23):
it, it doesn't disappear. It waits. It returns.
It taps you on your shoulder, so to speak,
whispering, this isn't it. There's
something more. For me, the
emotional clues were subtle at first, that in between
feeling. I wasn't falling apart or having a crisis.

(08:46):
In fact, from the outside, everything looked fine.
But inside, I felt something was yearning to be
expressed, but I couldn't quite understand it. I was out
of alignment with my true purpose, and the
purpose impulse was nudging me toward
the next right step to walk

(09:09):
in my true purpose. When I didn't take a step,
it would nudge again. Not in a punishing way,
just in that quiet, persistent way that lets
you know you're not supposed to stay here. And
that happened to me long before that incident in the
car. But then that incident in the car got

(09:32):
my attention. So I know this impulse is
something that a lot of high achieving women experience,
especially those I've spoken to. They built the
success. They followed the plan, got the promotion,
checked the boxes, but something is missing.
And they're wanting more, not in a striving

(09:53):
sense, but in a true sense. They want
more alignment with who they are. This is the purpose
impulse. So you're being called to
who you are today to walk in your true purpose
Because you are made for more than just achievement. Nothing wrong with achievement,
but you are made for more. You are made for more alignment. You are

(10:16):
made to be more of your authentic self and to live in your
true purpose. And so this episode is to
inspire you if you're feeling that to start walking in
that direction. And here is
a point of reflection that you could use to think
about and help you get going in the

(10:38):
right direction. Over the next week take
some time for reflection and ask yourself this

question (10:46):
what is something deep down within me
or one whisper I've been hearing over and over
that I've been too busy or too afraid
or too practical to trust? Just ask yourself
that question. What's something deep down within me to be feeling

(11:06):
like a whisper you've been hearing over and over or something that you
feel deep down within you? So what is that something
that say ask yourself that I've been too busy,
too afraid, or too practical to trust.
And just, you know, give give it some real serious

(11:26):
thought and see what bubbles up. And
if this episode spoke to something in you,
I encourage you to come on over and get more conversation
like this, tools, stories, insights,
inspirations, and by connecting with me on
LinkedIn at Robin l Owens PhD,

(11:49):
at Robin l Owens PhD. You'll get more like
this, and I'd love to hear your response to this episode.
And if you would, share it with a friend. In the
meantime, this is Dr. Robin.
Thank you for tuning into this episode of the Leadership Purpose
with Dr. Robin podcast. If you enjoyed it, head on

(12:11):
over and rate and subscribe so you never miss an
episode. New episodes drop every week and I
can't wait to hang out with you again soon.
Meanwhile, this is Dr Robin
signing off. See you next time.