You Don’t Have to Sell Yourself to Be the Obvious Choice.
Because you're right. Selling yourself is gross.
You Can Pitch a Pen.
You can pitch a CRM tool.
You can pitch a plane ticket.
These things fit.
We know what they are. We know how they work. We know what it costs to get one.
If we want it, we buy it. Simple.
But people? Ideas?
You can’t buy trust. You can’t buy belief.
That’s why pitching yourself, or your idea, often fails before you even start.
Problem #1: The Categorization Trap
Ever seen a leader with experience across industries get passed over because they didn’t fit a standard career path?
Ever watched a problem-solver get ignored because their solution didn’t match the usual playbook?
Ever met someone whose skills spanned multiple fields, only for hiring managers to say, “We’re looking for a specialist”?
It’s not because they don’t like it.
It’s not because they don’t need it.
It’s because they don’t know what to do with it.
Their brain is trying to find the right box to put you in.
When it can’t, it rejects.
Airbnb wasn’t a hotel. Travelers ignored it until they realized it wasn’t about rooms, but about experiences.
Peloton wasn’t just a bike. People dismissed it until a global pandemic made at-home workouts essential.
Barbie wasn’t just a toy. Hollywood didn’t believe in it until someone gave her a story bold enough for the big screen.
When something defies categorization, the default reaction is no.
Until something clicks. A need for something different. A shift in the world. A story too compelling to ignore.
A story too compelling to ignore.
Problem #2: The Transaction Myth
We buy a pen.
We understand to get a pen we have to hand over money.
At least I assume you do.
We choose people.
Put a price on friendship,
And you might not have friends.
A company hires a person not because they "bought" them but because they trust who they’ll be in the future.
An idea spreads not because it was "sold" but because people took it on as their own.
The second you pitch yourself, you make it a thing to be bought.
And when something is a thing, it can be compared. It can be replaced.
Maybe even discarded.
But people and ideas aren’t things.
They aren’t bought, they are believed in.
You don’t pitch a future colleague. You tell others how they’ll be amazing.
You don’t pitch trust. Other people give it to you.
You don’t pitch a way of seeing the world. Their eyes have to be open.
People don’t buy into potential because of a transaction.
They buy in because they feel invested. Because the decision to choose, to adopt, to advocate, is theirs.
So What Works?
Not a pitch.
Not a plea.
Not a PowerPoint.
But an invitation.
They happen all the time.
Pixar doesn't pitch their movies. They make you feel the first 10 minutes. They invite an emotion.
Patagonia doesn't pitch its products, they ask, "Are you this kind of hiker?" They invite an adventure.
TED doesn’t just sell tickets. It asks you to apply to attend because people want to be in the room. They invite you to engage with someone new.
The invitation opens the door.
You can be invitational.
But the magic happens when the other person invites you.
Sees the potential in you, or your idea, that they ask you to come in.
Come into their future with them.
And add their magic to yours.
It’s that moment they see your idea as part of their future, something changes.
They’re no longer just interested, they’re intrigued.
Now it’s their idea to bring you in.
When they do, they don’t have to be convinced.
They become your advocate.
You are a glittering unicorn of future magic.
And you can’t be categorized, you must be experienced.
You’re not transactional, you must be chosen.
Don’t sell a person.
Don’t sell an idea.
Create a moment.
A moment so intriguing that someone wants to open their door.
Open it and invite you inside.
When they do?
They don’t just support you.
They bring you into their future.
That’s the only way people and ideas move.
That’s how momentum begins.
- Joanna Bloor.
An Invitation Into the Future
Remember when I told you I was wrong? When I went on a deep dive into what I’ve really been doing? I said I’d be back with an update. So here I am.
For years, I’ve been known for two ideas.
That you need a better answer to the question, “What do you do?”
That every decision made about you and your opportunities happens in a room you’re not in.
And for some a modern Fairy Godmother. Don’t worry. She’s not gone.
But back to the ideas. Both are true. But something was missing.
People took these ideas and assumed the solution was to pitch better. To perfect their positioning. To get the words just right so others would finally get it. Ideally, get me to “transform” you with this magical thing I was able to do.
But my magic was distracting you (and me) from what was actually happening.
The transformations weren’t about crafting a perfect pitch. They were about creating the pull that makes people say yes before you even ask.
But here’s the thing. Momentum doesn’t come from pitching. It comes from being invited in.
My transformations weren’t an answer to the question “What do you do?” but an invitation to the audience to play with this amazing person in this moment.
Lots of you said yes.
People and ideas don’t move because they fit into a neat category.
They move because someone sees their potential and chooses to bring them forward.
That’s the shift I’ve been exploring. And this piece is your invitation to it.
An invitation to stop trying to force others to see your value.
And instead, create something so intriguing they can’t help but lean in.
An invitation to let go of the need to be categorized.
And instead, allow others to experience your magic for themselves.
An invitation into a future where you don’t have to pitch, plead, or persuade.
Because when people see what you bring, they choose to pull you into what’s next.
I shift how others talk about you. Not how you talk about you.
Creating momentum that moves through them in your favor.
It’s not about the perfect pitch or the right words.
It’s about designing the conditions where the room wants to invite you in.
That's why I always ask. As your Potentialist and Fairy Godmother.
What if your future already had momentum?
Because the future isn’t forced. It’s invited. It’s recognized. It’s already in motion.
