There’s a path near my home that I’ve walked for years.
It wasn’t designed or planned, and it didn’t appear overnight.
It formed because people kept choosing it — step by step, season after season. Over time, the grass gave way. The ground softened. And what began as a faint trace became a clear way forward.
That’s how we create meaningful impact.
Not through a bold declaration or a sudden reinvention, but through presence. Through repetition. Through choosing, again and again, to show up in small, human ways.
This is the Outer Wave — the stage where inner growth and connection begin to express themselves outwardly, shaping something that lasts.
When impact found me
I didn’t go looking for my Outer Wave.
It began with a simple LinkedIn message. I don’t remember the exact words that caught my attention — only that they sparked curiosity. At the time, it was still an emerging idea, and my initial response wasn’t certainty; it was intrigue.
As this person shared more about his vision for serving professionals in the encore stage, my readiness grew alongside the concept itself. What drew me in first was the mission — a genuine commitment to honoring people’s experience and helping them shape what comes next with dignity and intention.
What ultimately solidified my yes, though, was something more profound.
In my conversations with the co-founders, I saw integrity and servant leadership. I saw people building something to serve others.
When I decided to join in, they didn’t ask me to reinvent myself. They invited me to bring what I already carried — my years of coaching experience and my three decades of leadership in corporate marketing. That combination allowed me to contribute not only as a coach but as a thought partner in rebranding, marketing strategy, and coach engagement.
That’s how the Outer Wave often works.
Impact doesn’t always come from creating something new. Sometimes it comes from being recognized for who you already are, and choosing to offer that experience where it can do the most good.
A small act, a wider reach
One of my clients told me she felt pressure to “do something meaningful” after leaving her corporate role, as if purpose required a title or a significant initiative.
After exploring the idea further, she decided to start small.
She agreed to meet a former colleague for coffee, to just listen. She shared one story about a hard-earned lesson she’d learned years earlier.
Her colleague later revealed, “That conversation changed how I see my own situation.”
What surprised my client most wasn’t the impact on the other person; it was how the exchange reawakened something in her. She felt useful again. Relevant. Connected.
That’s the Outer Wave in motion.
Sharing experience vs. mentoring
This distinction matters.
Sharing experience sounds like:
“Here’s what I learned.”
“This is what surprised me.”
“If it helps, this is how it unfolded for me.”
It invites reflection, not compliance.
Mentoring or advising, on the other hand, carries more responsibility:
offering guidance
suggesting direction
helping someone navigate decisions
Both have a place in the Outer Wave, but they require different levels of energy, commitment, and consent.
I’ve learned that many people rediscover impact simply by sharing experience, without taking on the weight of being “the expert.”
That, too, makes a difference.
What the Outer Wave asks of you
The Outer Wave isn’t about doing more.
It’s about expressing what’s already been integrated.
Here are a few gentle ways to let your experience serve:
Notice where people already come to you. That’s often a clue to your natural impact.
Offer presence before advice. Listening is a form of contribution.
Test contribution in low-stakes ways. A conversation. A story. A question.
Choose resonance over obligation. Say yes where energy flows.
Let impact be cumulative. Paths form through repetition, not urgency.
A quiet truth about making a difference
Impact doesn’t require a platform.
It requires presence.
It doesn’t demand certainty.
It grows through honesty.
And it rarely announces itself in the moment.
You often see it only when you look back and realize:
A path has formed here.
Reflection
Where am I already making a difference, even in small ways?
How might I share my experience without feeling responsible for outcomes?
What kind of contribution feels life-giving in this season?
The Outer Wave doesn’t ask you to do more or be louder. It simply invites you to walk the path already forming beneath your feet — offering your experience where it’s welcomed, and trusting that even the smallest acts of presence can shape something lasting.
María Tomás-Keegan is a career and leadership coach, award-winning author, and trusted guide for women moving through meaningful change in work and life. Through her coaching, writing, and speaking, she helps women reconnect with who they are now, trust the wisdom they’ve earned, and lead forward with clarity, courage, and alignment. She created The Ripple Journey™, a framework for work and life transformation.
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