Refuel Your Brilliance Part 1: Curiosity, the Unexpected Power Move

Written By Erika Chalkley

This is the first episode of the Refuel Your Brilliance: The Summer Series, my ‘tapas menu’ of key themes I work with, sharing wisdom from my latest course, Feminine Fire: Fuel Your Brilliance.

In the first week of Feminine Fire, we explored some of the fears that hold us back, and how choosing self-honouring over self improving can be a real antidote to this. One of the key elements of this is curiosity.

Listen to my reflections on curiosity, and the impact it can have on our lives, below:

Curiosity is one of the most spiritually mature qualities we can cultivate. It's imbued with kindness, expansiveness, and wisdom. Unlike the harsh self-improvement approach our culture teaches, curiosity moves us forward without pushing or forcing.

And what’s beautiful is that it's almost impossible to be in judgment, shame, or self-criticism while genuinely curious about your experience.

When you're truly curious about something, you're not trying to fix it or change it. You're simply interested in understanding it. This creates space for wisdom to emerge.

The shift from "I need to fix myself" to "Hmm, that's interesting", changes everything.

Instead of asking:

  • "What's wrong with me?"

  • "Why can't I just get it together?"

  • "How do I become someone different?"

Curiosity invites us to ask:

  • "What's really going on here?"

  • "What might I need right now?"

  • "How can I support myself in this?"

This isn't just a mindset shift – it's a pathway to sustainable action. When we approach our challenges with curiosity rather than criticism, we move from action that leads to burnout to action that feels pleasurable, creative, and regenerative.

In your business, curiosity becomes your secret weapon against perfectionism and procrastination.

Instead of forcing yourself to follow someone else's formula, you start asking:

  • "What would feel good to create today?"

  • "What's my natural rhythm for this type of work?"

  • "What support do I need to do this sustainably?"

This is how you build trust with yourself. This is how you transform judgment into information. This is how you align your momentum with your authentic self.

What would change if you approached your business challenges with curiosity rather than criticism?

In the audio above, I share more about how curiosity naturally emerges from our deeper essence – that wiser part of ourselves that sees beyond the immediate drama of our experience.

This quality of curious, compassionate self-inquiry is woven throughout Feminine Fire. It's how we move from trying to force ourselves to be someone we're not, to discovering and supporting who we truly are.

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Exercise for the week:

Keep a journal and pay attention to what's working already - where things feel in flow, easeful, enjoyable, when you feel the spark of aliveness and a sense of quiet confidence. If you encounter something that feels sticky or difficult, can you get curious about it, rather than feeling it needs to be a certain way?

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Links:

Curiosity is also deeply entwined with creativity - here are a couple of videos/podcasts from the wonderfully wise Elizabeth Gilbert on this topic, if you fancy a deeper dive:

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I'd love to hear from you.

What are you curious about in your own business or creative journey?

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If you’ve missed an email in this series, you can catch up on the full series here.

If the themes of this email resonate with you, I’d love to invite you to join my next Community Conversation on 5th August, where we’ll be taking a deeper dive into the transformational power of curiosity, pleasure and play.
Sign up here.

If you’re enjoying this series, and would like to go deeper, my six-month mentoring programme opens again in September - join the waitlist here for early bird pricing and exclusive bonuses.

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With compassionate curiosity,

Erika x

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An invitation...

If the themes of this blog resonate with you, I’d love to invite you to join my next Community Conversation on 5th August, where we’ll be taking a deeper dive into the transformational power of curiosity, pleasure and play. Sign up here.

If you’re enjoying this series, and would like to go deeper, my six-month mentoring programme opens again in September - join the waitlist here for early bird pricing and exclusive bonuses.

Erika Chalkley