In The Permission Mission, you encourage readers to stop seeking approval for the life they want to live and grant themselves permission to make their own choices. Why was this an important book for you to write?

This book was important for me to write because I kept seeing the same pattern in so many capable, talented people, especially women. These women are smart, accomplished, yet they were still waiting for someone else to say, “You’re ready,” or “You deserve this.” They were waiting for permission to speak up, ask for more, try something new, or even sometimes trust their own instincts.

At some point, I realized just how deep that pattern runs.

Many of us (especially women) were raised to follow the rules, be agreeable, and not rock the boat. Those lessons may have served us at one point, but they tend to stay with us and can quietly hold us back later in life. So, I wanted to write a book that helps people recognize those invisible limits. I wanted to help people realize that the permission they’re waiting for isn’t coming from outside of them. It’s something they already have. Once you realize that, it changes the way you move through your life.

What made you decide to frame the journey toward confidence as a “mission” rather than simply personal growth?

A mission requires action. Personal growth can sometimes sound passive, as if it happens over time if we read enough books or listen to enough podcasts. But reclaiming your voice doesn’t happen by accident; it requires decisions, courage, and taking a few uncomfortable steps forward.

That is why I chose to call it a “mission” because this journey asks something of us. It asks us to question old beliefs, challenge the voices in our heads, and sometimes step outside the expectations that have shaped us for years.

But the beautiful thing about a mission is that it unfolds one step at a time. One decision at a time, one foot in front of the other. You just have to choose to trust yourself a little more than you did yesterday.

You identify those who tend to stifle our progress as “backup singers.” What is the first step we can take to recognize when they are running the show?

The first step is simply awareness. Most of the time, “backup singers,” those voices in the back of our minds that seem to echo lessons from the past, feel so familiar that we think they’re our own thoughts. But when you pause and listen closely, you start to recognize them.

Maybe it’s a parent’s voice saying, “Don’t get too big for your britches.” Maybe it’s a teacher who once told you that you weren’t ready. Maybe it’s a cultural message about what someone like you is supposed to do.

When you hear yourself thinking things like “I shouldn’t say that,” “Someone else is probably more qualified,” or “I don’t want to make waves,” that’s often a backup singer stepping forward.

Once you notice that voice, you can ask a powerful question: Is this belief still true for me today? That moment of awareness is where the shift begins.

If readers remember just one idea from The Permission Mission, what do you hope it will be?

I hope they remember this: The only permission you need is your own. And you already have that. You just need to realize it.

So many people spend years holding themselves back because they believe they need approval from a boss, a family member, a mentor, or society before they can move forward. But the truth is that most of the time, no one is standing in your way.

When you give yourself permission: to try, to speak, to lead, to change your mind, to go after what you want, you step into a different relationship with your life. You stop standing in the background. You start trusting your own voice.
That single shift can change everything.

Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Book Website | YouTube | Amazon