What if they Booked the Wrong Person?

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I’ll never forget standing backstage before one of my first big keynotes — mic on, ready to go, heart racing — when a single thought hit me:

“What if they booked the wrong person?”

That moment cracked something open.
Because up until then, I had been obsessed with proving I belonged.
I didn’t fully believe it — but I wanted everyone else to.

This episode is about what happened next — the moment fear made me let go of performance and choose truth instead.

It wasn’t by doing it right.
It was by doing it real.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re one mistake away from being found out, this one’s for you.
It’s about what happens when you stop performing, start believing, and finally decide to be fully you.

🔥 The life you want isn’t waiting for more effort.
 It’s waiting for more belief — and the courage to live like you already have it.

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Episode Transcript

Kim Bolourtchi (00:01):
This is Kim Bolourtchi, and you're listening
to get unruly, short, honestconversations about what it
really takes to live and leadwith clarity, courage and your
whole self. This week, I want tostart with something a little
brutally honest. You're not justbeing held back by a lack of
effort or talent or access,you're being held back,

(00:24):
oftentimes, most of all, by alack of belief in yourself. And
I don't just mean the surfacelevel kind. I mean the deep,
Quiet Kind, the belief thatshapes how visible you'll let
yourself be. Most of us thinkour struggle is about doing
more, working harder, learningfaster, pushing further. But

(00:48):
underneath all that effort sitsone quiet question we rarely
admit. Do I really believe it'spossible for me? And this is the
question that keeps peoplereally stuck. It's what makes
you over prepare, edit yourselfsmaller and keep waiting to be
ready. I'll never forget one ofmy first big keynotes. It was a

(01:14):
huge stage, the kind ofopportunity I had dreamed about.
I was standing backstage, Mikeclipped on, heart pounding,
ready to go. And then my mindstarted whispering, what if I'm
not the Kim they thought theybooked like actually, I had that
thought. And then it spiraled,what if they really meant

(01:35):
another Kim? What if they mixedup names and I'm about to walk
out there and disappoint allthese people, what if they're
expecting someone moreaccomplished, more famous, more
serious, like, what if thiswhole thing is a mistake? I know
it sounds absurd, but in thatmoment, it felt completely
rational, like I was protectingeveryone from discovering that I

(02:00):
didn't really belong there, andthe truth is, up until that
keynote, I had been obsessedwith proving I belonged. I
actually didn't believe it,clearly not deep down, but I
desperately wanted everyone elseto something changed that day.

(02:20):
Maybe it was the fear, maybe itwas the exhaustion from trying
to hold it all together. Maybeit was the thought that they
booked the wrong person. I don'tknow, and I figured, well, fuck
it. I'm just gonna be me. Idon't even exactly know what
shifted, but that was the firsttime I stopped performing and
decided to just be completely,genuinely, wholly me. I took a

(02:44):
breath, looked out at the crowdand let them see me, not the
polished expert, not the brand,just me. And that moment changed
everything. It was like the airshifted. The audience leaned in
and that that talk was thebeginning of when I started to

(03:06):
actually believe it wasn't bydoing it right? It wasn't by
following a perfect framework ormemorizing the speech. I didn't
do any of it actually. It was bydoing it real, and that is what
we're all missing so much of thetime we chase the version of
ourselves we think people willrespect when what they're really

(03:27):
waiting for is the versionthat's the truest version of
you. Belief is the architectureof absolutely everything, if
it's built on not enough. Youcan decorate the structure all
you want, and it will stillcollapse under its own weight.
Seeing the belief that isholding you back, the belief of

(03:52):
I'm not ready, I'm not enough, Idon't know enough, I'm not good
enough. That belief is criticalto being able to challenge it,
but acting in spite of it, thatis where your real power comes
from. And listen, it's not aboutbeing fearless. It's just about
letting truth matter more thanthe fear. You probably have.

(04:15):
Your own version of that voice,and maybe it says something like
success has to be hard. Maybeit's I can't outshine people I
love. Maybe it's if I slow down,I'll lose my edge. Maybe it's I
have to be better and better andbetter to be worthy of being

(04:35):
seen. Whatever it whispers it isrunning the show, until you
decide otherwise, and no matterhow hard you work for the thing
you say you want, until you dealwith that belief, it's going to
be very, very difficult for youto achieve and accomplish your
heart's biggest desires. So thisweek, I want you to notice it.

(04:58):
Catch the moments you. Startrehearsing, hiding, apologizing,
and instead of listening to thevoice, pay attention to what
it's telling you and then actanyway, because every single
time you act in defiance ofdisbelief, you build new
evidence that freedom ispossible. The life you want
isn't waiting for more effort.
It does not come from workingharder. It's waiting for more

(05:19):
belief and the courage to livelike you've got it, the version
of you underneath all thatproving is just waiting for more
belief. Thanks for listening toget unruly. If this hit you,
tell me about it. I would loveto know share it with someone
who's working hard but stillquestioning if they deserve

(05:43):
what's next. You can always findme at Kim bolourchi.com and
we've got some really coolthings coming up. Check out the
show notes until next time,friends stay unruly. You.