The Soft Way
This podcast is about creating change.
Not through force, pressure, or following a long list of ‘should’s.
But through the ongoing practice of returning to yourself. Knowing yourself. And allowing more of who you are to find expression in your life.
Join Rachael, meditation teacher and coach, for insights, explorations, and moments of presence to uncover what it means to create your life The Soft Way.
The Soft Way
Learning to Trust the Quieter Voice
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Inside each of us, there are many different voices.
In this episode, we focus on two in particular — the loud, protective voice that tries to keep us safe, and the quieter, steadier voice that supports growth.
Through examples from relationships, creative work, and decision-making, we explore how these voices shape our experience — and how recognising them strengthens inner authority.
✧ We explore
– The difference between the loud, protective voice and the quieter, steady one
– How fear can disguise itself as discernment
– How listening to the quieter voice builds self-trust and forward movement
✧ A question for you
Bring to mind a situation that feels testing or unresolved.
What does the louder voice say? How does it feel in your body?
Now notice the quieter voice.
What shifts when you listen to that one instead?
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Thanks for listening!
🪞 Want to go deeper?
FREE VISUALISATION
Journey ‘Into Deep Trust’ to connect with an internal source of support and guidance as you move forward on your path. Begin here: https://rachaelebanksgold.myflodesk.com/intodeeptrust
WORKING TOGETHER
If you want a space to connect with more of who you are and move towards what lights you up, I offer 1:1 depth coaching. Find out more: https://www.rachaelebanksgold.com/working-together
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Thank you!
Your soul craves something more. Your heart wants joy, not busyness. You're done with all the shoulds and ready to reconnect with what truly nourishes you. Welcome, I'm Rachel, and this is the Soft Way Podcast. A space to quiet the noise, release the pressure, and listen to the voice within you that's always known your truth. Join me for soulful practical insights to help you ground into presence, connect with your higher self, and let this version of you lead your life with playfulness and gentle power. And without the pressure to figure it all out. Because you are supported. Life is with you. So come on home. Here we are yet again. Welcome back. I hope today brings you whatever might be beneficial for you. So before we dive in, I just want to invite you, if you're able to, to just move your body in any way that feels good to you. So it could just be a stretch, a forward fold, literally anything. And just track the sensations in your body as you do that, as you move with presence. Taking some time to come home to your body. So I've been noticing something in myself, in my own experience lately, and I thought it might be helpful to share. And essentially it's about the subtle and the less subtle voices within us and how they can influence our thoughts, our feelings, our actions, our experiences. So I've noticed that when I'm dealing with something challenging, whether that's in relationships or in creative work, or maybe moments when decisions are wanting to be made, I've noticed that there's a voice that is very prominent within me that often tries to take the lead in guiding my actions and my feelings. And it's a voice that seems to be very sure of itself and very sure of the situation. It seems to have the lay of the land, and it tends to leave me feeling uneasy or doubtful or defensive or rushed. And also interestingly, I've noticed that it's not the only voice that there is another voice within me that is less dramatic, that is more supportive, karma, and this voice is what I'm calling the quieter voice within us. And by naming this, my hope is that it becomes easier for you to notice those voices within yourself so that you can choose which one gets to guide you, which one gets to be listened to. So what do these different voices say? We've got the loud one and we've got the quieter one. Well, for me, um let's say in relationship frictions, the loud voice says things like this person isn't right for me. Or I'm too busy to deal with this. Or if I'm in the middle of creating something, it might tell me this is crap. Or when I have to make a decision, I might hear something like, You'd better get this right. So that louder voice is kind of like an older sibling who thinks that they know everything and who likes to make you feel small. So that's the louder voice. Whereas in the same situations the quieter voice might say something like stay open. Just focus on this one step for now. That's enough. Oh there's no right or wrong here. Can you feel the difference? So one voice is quite critical and speaks in more absolute terms, draws very quick conclusions about things, whereas the other, it feels softly points to helpful ways of being more than anything. And when I listen to that louder voice, I tend to feel contracted and scrunched up, not particularly motivated or safe. And when I listen to the quieter voice, there's a feeling of groundedness. So if I were to use an analogy, the louder voice feels like I've brought this really tight pair of jeans and I'm squeezing myself into them. And I can function in them, I can walk in them, but I would never wear them at home, never wear them while I'm working, because I just feel really constricted in them. Whereas the quiet voice to me feels like something that fits more comfortably. There's breathing room. I can move, I can be a real human. So I've noticed these distinct voices, and I've also noticed how they make me feel, and also the consequences beyond how I feel as well. So, for example, if I listen to the quieter voice while I'm working on something creatively, I'm more likely to keep going, you know, I'm more likely to finish what I started. In a way, the loud voice offers protection from discomfort because when it tells me that my work is crap and that I should quit, for example, it's protecting me from the discomfort of being judged or making an embarrassing mistake, but it also keeps me in the same spot if I listen to it. I think a lot of us know that feeling, don't we? Of being capable, having ideas, having motivation, but then getting stuck. And I think it's it's when we listen to that louder voice where we've are more likely to find ourselves stuck. And so the quiet voice offers steadiness and it also helps me to move forward toward like being more of the real me. So if you like, you can take a moment here to reflect. What does the louder voice, the more familiar maybe, voice, tend to say? What's their opinion? What's their take on the situation? Their reaction or maybe their advice to you. And how does that feel in your body? What about the quieter voice? What do they have to say? Louder voice is louder not because it knows more but because it's had more practice. It's the part of us that's trying to protect us from potential harm. And it's easy to just go along with it. You know, fear can disguise itself really well as discernment, as wisdom. So that louder voice can sound like the sensible one, the responsible one, the realistic one. And yet, if we slow down, there's another part of us that wants to be heard. And that voice may be less loud, but it's not less grounded in truth. Maybe as we start to listen to that voice more, perhaps it may become more prominent. And there's something else to acknowledge here as well, and that is if you can notice that both voices exist, if you can spot both voices, it's a reminder that you are beyond those voices. So they are parts of you, but they're not the whole of you. There's this overarching awareness that gets to choose what to focus on. In some moments, you're listening to the quieter voice, you're listening to the louder voice, or maybe just listening to the space that's between them, which can also be really helpful and powerful. Just giving space to space. Okay, so this isn't about always choosing the highest sort. This isn't about always following the wiser, calmer, quieter voice. We don't need to be perfect, but we can begin to notice the quieter voice. Begin to notice the awareness that's aware of both of them. And maybe let this awareness and the voice of support inside of us guide us. The invitation here is to start to practice, and as you do that, noticing what is shifting in your body, and how you feel, and when you approach certain things. Thanks again for listening and see if you can notice what might happen if I let that grounded, quieter voice within me guide me in this moment. Thank you, and have a good week.