Embracing the in-between.
There’s a moment in every leader’s journey when you find yourself at a crossroads.
The familiar path stretches behind you, comfortable yet stagnant. Ahead, the terrain is unknown, filled with both possibility and risk.
As Alan Cohen wisely said, “It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no security in what is no longer meaningful.”
It’s in this space between what was and what could be that we encounter the concept of liminality.
Liminality, by definition, is that in-between state. It’s the threshold you cross when you leave the familiar behind but haven’t fully entered the new.
It’s uncomfortable.
It feels uncertain.
It’s the space between the known and the unknown.
And yet, this is where transformation happens.
The thing about liminality is that it’s where we’re neither here nor there, and that’s exactly where real growth occurs.
The courageous act of releasing the familiar—whether it’s an old mindset, a limiting job, or even a broken relationship—means entering this liminal space. Liminality is a time of suspension, of ambiguity, where the old ways no longer work but the new ways haven’t fully taken shape.
And that can feel unsettling.
But let’s revisit Cohen’s wisdom: “There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life...and in change there is power.”
When you step into this liminal space, it’s not about finding immediate security.
Nope.
It’s about trusting that in the process of movement, of change, you’re tapping into something far greater. Because the perceived security of holding onto what’s familiar is an illusion.
What’s truly secure is your ability to move forward, to evolve.
There is immense power in navigating the liminal because it’s a place of potential. It’s where you’re untethered from what no longer serves you, and free to explore what could be.
In leadership and in life, we often resist this in-between phase because it feels like losing control. We want answers now, solutions yesterday, and clarity that wraps everything up neatly.
But liminality doesn’t work like that.
It’s messy.
It’s challenging.
And yet, it’s where the seeds of real transformation are planted.
It’s where you confront your fears, your doubts, and the old narratives that have kept you stuck. And in doing so, you release them.
What I’ve seen time and time again, both in myself and in others, is that the leaders who embrace liminality—who step into the unknown and trust the process—are the ones who come out stronger, more resilient, and more in tune with their purpose.
We have to remember that security isn’t found in standing still. The world moves, circumstances change, and the only constant is this: in movement, there is life.
And, when we release the need for immediate answers and instead embrace the power of liminality, we find that the unknown becomes not a threat, but an opportunity.
It’s in this space of not knowing that we discover our deepest creativity, resilience, and adaptability.
So, here’s the real question:
Are you willing to embrace the in-between? To dig deep and find the willingness to step into that liminal space, and trust that on the other side lies real growth, transformation, and possibility?
Letting go of the familiar takes courage. Hutzpah. Chops.
Because there is no life, no power, in clinging to what no longer serves you.
So embrace the adventure. Lean into the liminal. Because that’s where you’ll find your true self and a future worth fighting for.
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Steve Knox | Washington, DC
\\\ Thanks as always for reading. Please forward this out into your orbit. It’s a conversation worth having. Until next week, be honest. Be you. Much love.