There's a version of you that's slightly smaller than the real one.
You know the one.
The version that edits itself before speaking.
That follows someone else's template because it feels safer.
That version is exhausting.
And it's costing you more than you think.
Not just in happiness.
In connection. In impact.
In the satisfaction of feeling like
your life actually belongs to you.
There's a word for the antidote:
You-ier.
What You-ier Means.
You-ier is not about being louder.
It's not about oversharing.
It's not about being weird for the sake of being weird.
It's far simpler than that.
You-ier is the specific combo of your values, your voice, your perspective.
Your way of seeing the world. Expressed fully. Without apology.
It's what a person sounds and acts like when
they stop trying to sound and act like everyone else.
It's what a brand looks like when
it stops trying to appeal to everybody.
It's what a life feels like when you’re living true to who you are.
Meaningful. Richer. Flourishing. Fulfilling.
Many great thinkers said this. Just with different wording.
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. -Aristotle
To thine own self be true. -Shakespeare
The most common form of despair is not being who you are. - Kierkegaard
The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are. -Carl Jung
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde
As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I’m not the first to promote the perks of being you-ier.
Plus modern hospice workers have been collecting some interesting data.
Two of the most common regrets of the dying are:
I wish I had expressed myself more.
I wish I had lived truer to myself.
In other words: Nobody on their deathbeds is wishing they'd been more boring and normal.
They wished they said the thing and took the leap.
That's the data. Act accordingly.
You-ier Services:
I help people in 4 ways
I Help People Be You-ier
I work with people in midlife. Or midcareer change. Or people who want to start something new. Maybe you're in transition. A divorce, a new job, a child leaving for college. Basically, I help any human who’s ready to stop performing and start building a life that fits them.
I Help Companies & Leaders Be You-ier
Your people are not being their you-iest selves at work. They're shrinking… not stretching. And that shrinking is exhausting them. If so, I offer a range of keynotes, workshops, leadership team retreats, culture interventions, executive coaching. In-person or virtual. Customized to your industry and audience.
I Help Brands Be You-ier
I work with entrepreneurs, businesses, organizations, founders, coaches, authors. Maybe your content is getting shared less. Maybe your audience respects you… but isn't quite obsessed with you. I help you develop your you-ier verbal & visual voice so you stand out & lure in.
I Help Conversations Be You-ier
Most people are starving for deeper connection. And most conversations aren't giving it to them. I work with individuals who want more nourishing relationships & companies who want to stop turnover and disengagement. Because You-ier Conversations make people want to show up at their best.
The Person
Behind You-ier.
Hi, I’m Karen Salmansohn. Multi-bestselling author. Behavioral change expert. 2 million books sold. Columnist for Oprah & Psychology Today. 1.5 million Instagram and Facebook followers. My work has been covered by the New York Times, Business Week, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Time, Marie Claire, Fast Company, InStyle, Self, ELLE, the New Yorker, and then some.
My books have been called “self help for people who wouldn’t be caught dead doing self help” … because I deliver psychological and philosophical insights with a wink of irreverent humor.
I've always been fascinated by human behavior. I’m part research geek, part philosopher, part comedic instigator. Oh, and, I have a platonic crush on Aristotle. (So much so, I named my son "Ari" as a wink to Aristotle!)
Things that make me you-ier? I have strong opinions about:
The correct number of pillows on a bed (many, don't fight me).
Any book longer than 400 pages (sorry, got things to do).
How dogs are better than humans (obviously),.
Anyone who's "not really a coffee person" (suspicious).
Whether God is embarrassed by us (some days, yes).
Praise from Pros
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Marie Forleo | NYTimes Bestselling Author
Karen is a creative force of nature. I simply adore her.
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Kristine Carlson | NYTimes Bestselling Author
Karen Salmansohn is the first person I've ever worked with that actually improved my traffic and monetization on my website - as well as upgraded my branding. Karen can help you brand and market yourself and your business in the way you want to be seen--Park Avenue style.
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Seth Godin | NYTimes Bestselling Author
If you're not happy with what you're getting, maybe you need a whole new plan. Karen Salmansohn offers you one. Start now.
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Goldie Hawn | Award Winning Actress & Founder of The Hawn Foundation
Karen Salmansohn is a big brain in high heels.
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![Tony Hsieh | Founder of Zappos]()
Tony Hsieh | Founder of Zappos
Karen Salmansohn is wildly creative and highly innovative… a creative genius of sorts.
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Jon Stewart, Emmy Award-winning host of The Daily Show
Karen Salmansohn has the wit and sass of a stand up comedian.
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Jen Sincero, NYT bestselling author, You Are a Badass
Karen, you're brilliant and ballsy and HILARIOUS.
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Tim Ferriss, NYT bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek
Karen offers research to help you bounce back to an even higher level than your previous bests.
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Tony Robbins
Salmansohn reminds us we are in charge of our own destiny. Funny, profound and heartfelt.
After 30 years as a leading behavioral change expert, authoring bestselling books, here's what I know:
The bold opinions you hesitate to share?
Those are the ones that make people think:
“Finally, someone who gets it!”
The quirks you've been editing out of your writing and conversations?
Those are the exact things people connect with most.
So know thyself.
Think for thyself.
&
Be thy you-ier self.
One more thing:
Stop letting an AI robot flatten your writing voice.
Or act as your bossy therapist.
AI is writing A LOT of our stuff now. Our emails. Our captions. Our birthday toasts. Our apology texts. And we're all pretending we don't notice that we're slowly turning into the same monotone person.
I find this very unsettling.
After all, you were born. You lived a whole life. You have specific opinions about pizza and your mom and whether dogs should be allowed on airplanes. And now you're letting an AI robot tell you how to write, speak, make decisions, behave?! So be careful with AI. Use it to research. To draft. To edit. To save time. But do NOT use AI to think for you.