There’s a line from Tim Minchin’s now-famous graduation speech that has stayed with me for years: “Be a teacher… Rejoice in what you learn, and spray it.”
But the one that stopped me in my tracks was this:
“Be hard on your opinions. Take them out onto the veranda and beat them with a cricket bat.”
Graphic? Absolutely.
Useful? Without question.
And for anyone navigating career growth, leadership transitions, or mid-life reinvention, it’s a masterclass in self-awareness.
When My Own Beliefs Went Under the Bat
There was a season when I realized the beliefs I’d inherited no longer fit. Ideas about faith, gender roles, success, and what a “good” life should look like began to feel like borrowed clothing—tailored for someone I used to be, not the person I was becoming.
Some beliefs collapsed under simple logic. Others didn’t resonate with my lived experience. A few were simply hollow. So I began the slow and sometimes painful work of dragging them out into the light. With the skepticism of a scientist and the tenderness of someone dismantling a home they’d lived in for years, I examined each one.
And yes—I beat them with the proverbial cricket bat.
The process was not tidy. Some conclusions distanced me from familiar approval. Long-held traditions didn’t all make the cut. Certain relationships shifted when I voiced what I was learning.
But here is the payoff: Self-discovery requires the courage to outgrow what once defined you.
The Fervor of Our Feelings—and the Leadership Trap
Even now, when I see myself or others swept up in the fervor of conviction, I think:
Take that belief out and give it a solid whack.
Not to destroy it. Not to shame it.
But to test it.
Can it stand once stripped of ego?
Does it hold up without fear or habit propping it up?
Does it serve the leader you are becoming—or only the one you were?
This practice is especially powerful for women in leadership and professionals navigating evolving roles. Leaders who can question their assumptions make better decisions, build stronger teams, and model healthy self-leadership.
What This Has to Do With Coaching at Wildbrush Collective
At Wildbrush Collective, this is the heart of the work. Coaching isn’t about handing you new beliefs. It’s about creating a space where you can safely examine the internal architecture of your life, career, and leadership.
Sometimes the belief stands tall after a few swings.
Sometimes the pieces scatter—and that’s when real transformation begins.
The result?
Clarity.
Confidence.
A leadership style rooted in conscious choice, not inherited expectation.
And those shifts ripple outward—into your team, organization, community, and family.
A Question for You
Which beliefs, assumptions, or long-held opinions in your life are ready for a good swing of the bat?
On the other side of that brave work is a life—and a leadership identity—that is truly your own.
