when the noise stops, what do you hear

After I lost my job, the noise disappeared. The emails stopped. The meetings vanished. My calendar, once filled to the edges, was suddenly blank.

At first, the quiet was deafening. I paced. I scrolled. I tried to stay busy. I thought the silence would drive me crazy.

But eventually, it did something else, it drove me inward.

Without a title to defend or a to-do list to distract me, I was left with myself. I began to see how some of my identity had been tied to performance. My sense of worth had been built on doing, not being.

In that stillness, things started to surface: decisions I now second-guessed, conversations I wished I’d handled differently, and decisions that now seemed clear in hindsight. I wasn’t just reviewing what happened, I was learning who I really was beneath the layers of leadership.

The silence became a mirror. And while it wasn’t always flattering, it was deeply necessary.

So, if you’re in a season where the noise has died down, don’t run from it. That silence may be the space you need for the transformation you never had time for.

Here are three ways to lean into it:

1.    Create Space Without Filling It – Put your phone down. Turn off the podcast. Resist the urge to multitask. Set aside just 15 minutes a day to sit in quiet—no agenda, no noise. Let the silence speak before you try to answer it.

2.    Ask Yourself the Questions You Avoid – Silence often reveals what we’ve been suppressing. Use a journal to ask:

a.    What am I afraid will happen if I stop achieving?

b.    Where do I feel most uncertain right now?

c.     What do I miss, and what don’t I?

You don’t need answers right away. The power is in the asking.

3.    Notice What You Notice – In the absence of distractions, pay attention to what surfaces. What patterns, memories, or emotions repeat themselves? What do you keep circling back to? These are clues to areas that need attention, healing, or change. Write them down and get them off the hamster wheel of your brain.

If you’re honest, how do you usually respond to silence? Do you fill it as quickly as possible, or do you let it do its work? Take a moment to pause. Find a quiet space—just five minutes.

Silence can feel uncomfortable, but it’s often where the most important truths about ourselves begin to surface.

What might your silence be trying to tell you?