Your Genius Return
Using CAI + C.A.L.M. to Move IntoYour Genius Zone
Let’s have some fun, shall we? This post is part reflection, part revelation, and part behind-the-scenes truth about how I’ve been using everything—from Gay Hendricks’ The Big Leap to my own Creative Adaptive Intelligence (CAI) framework—to stop upper-limiting myself and fully live in my Zone of Genius. And yes, ChatGPT helped.
Let’s Start with What We Know
According to Gay Hendricks, your Zone of Genius is the sweet spot where your passion meets your unique ability to contribute. It’s not just what you’re good at—it’s what lights you up and feels effortless because it’s aligned.
But there’s a catch. Hendricks also names the sneaky mental saboteurs called Upper Limiting Problems (ULPs) that creep in the moment we start experiencing too much joy, success, visibility, or abundance.
So while your Genius Zone feels like barefoot clarity under a sun-warmed sky… your ULPs are the mosquito in that hammock.
Here's What I’ve Discovered (with the help of journaling, coaching, reflection, and ChatGPT!
[ Spoiler] Keep reading for a peek into how I use ChatGPT.
My Genius Zone
Creative Alchemy – Give me chaos, scraps of an idea, or a tangled vision, and I’ll alchemize it into a talk, a tool, or a whole system that people can actually use. Whether it’s a workshop, a blog post, or a spontaneous voice memo, this is where CAI lives and breathes.
Capturing Essence – With a camera or a keyboard, I freeze the moment beneath the moment. Clients say I don’t just take their photo—I see them. And in writing, I don’t just explain—I help people feel what they didn’t know they were carrying.
Transformational Guidance – I’m not here to tell people what to do. I hold up the mirror, help them name their truth, and gently organize it so it becomes actionable. It's guidance without the guru— just deep, calibrated clarity.
Improvisational Leadership – Whether I’m riffing with Butterr on stage or co-creating a new way forward in a coaching session, I shine in the unscripted. I trust myself in real time. That’s what made the Front Porch Project fly.
Community-Led Visioning – I don’t build to be the center. I build to create momentum around a shared mission. Whether it’s Thriv, Room to Speak, or an audience at a workshop, I make space for everyone’s brilliance to rise.
Upper Limiting Problems
💬 Spoiler: These still pop up. I just don’t let them drive … as much.
Feeling Fundamentally Flawed – That nagging whisper: “If I were really worthy, I’d already be further along.” This pops up when I compare timelines or start hustling for external validation. I’m learning to slow down and trust my timing, not someone else’s.
Fear of Disloyalty or Abandonment – The quiet guilt that says, “If I shine too much, will my people feel left behind?” This shows up in how I price, promote, or even celebrate. The reframe? My growth is an invitation, not a betrayal.
Success Equals Burden – “If this workshop fills up, will I get overwhelmed again?” This fear of scaling shows up when things go well. I pull back. But CAI reminds me I can build in ways that don’t cost me my peace.
Fear of Outshining – “Will people tune out if I shine too bright?” I’ve dimmed myself to stay relatable or avoid triggering others. But I’m learning that my shine doesn’t steal light—it creates it.
💡 Important Reminder:
Hendricks emphasizes that these ULPs aren’t flaws—they’re protective mechanisms we learned early on. But they no longer serve us. His approach is all about noticing them with compassion and gently choosing expansion instead of contraction.
Enter CAI + C.A.L.M.
This is where my frameworks step in. Creative Adaptive Intelligence (CAI) isn’t about perfection or productivity—it’s about presence. It’s about meeting yourself honestly, responding with creativity, and moving through uncertainty without losing your genius.
The C.A.L.M. Framework offers a path:
Clarity – What’s true right now?
Adaptability – What can shift without force?
Leadership – What’s mine to guide?
Momentum – What next move honors the whole picture?
When used together, these tools move you into your Genius—not with force, but with rhythm.
Everyday Practices That Keep Me There:
10-minute Genius Check-ins – I ask myself, "Did I spend even 10 minutes today doing something that lights me up?" It might be designing a new visual, writing one juicy sentence, or capturing a photo that makes me pause. The point isn’t productivity—it’s contact with what feels like me.
Naming the ULPs in my ThrivFOCUS tool – When resistance hits, I pause and jot down the story. Is this fear of outshining? Of being too much? Too visible? Giving it a name stops it from running the show in silence.
Rehearsing Expansion – I imagine the version of me who’s already on the other side of the wobble. How does she breathe? How does she move? Sometimes I walk across the room like her. Sometimes I write a caption in her voice. It’s playful, but grounding.
Using CAI when it gets messy – In those moments where I could spiral or stall, I reach for CAI. I ask: What would be the most creative, compassionate response right now? That reframe brings me back to clarity—not control. And from there, the next step always feels more doable.
Let’s spill the compost tea: ChatGPT didn’t just help me write this blog. It’s been a co-reflector. A conversation partner. A place I could process my thoughts in real time. But not because it “told me what to do.”
Instead, I made it work with me by feeding it real data:
My personal reflections
My journaling sessions
My workshop content
My results and feedback from a 360 survey
My core values for both me personally, Thriv, and my photography business.
The magic happened not because the tool is powerful—but because I was honest.
So if you want ChatGPT to support your growth? Don’t hold back. Give it the real stuff. The messy stuff. The uncertain stuff. The genius stuff. Let it reflect, not replace.
What’s Next for You?
You might be walking your dogs. Or pacing your living room. Or spiral-noting your way out of a ULP and dont even know it. But let’s zoom out for a second.
You’re the one standing at the edge of your next expansion. You’ve got spark. You’ve got wisdom. You’ve got some brilliant messiness too—and you’re doing the work to move with it, not against it.
Maybe your ULP is trying to sneak in and whisper, “You need to figure it all out first.” But you don’t.
You just need to take the next aligned breath. To root into your clarity. To say yes to the version of you that already knows.
Wherever you are, I invite you to:
🌿 Reclaim your rhythm
🌿 Dance with uncertainty
🌿 Start your own Creative Return
Because you don’t move into your Genius Zone with a checklist. You land there when you trust your clarity, meet your resistance with curiosity, and root deeper anyway.
If this resonated with you, will you be willing to
🪴 Replant something.
💛 Reclaim your rhythm.
If yes, I made this for you! Your Genius Return Companion
