A note on this piece: I wrote the original version of The Outer Wave in late 2025. The core of it hasn’t changed — but the research behind it, and my thinking about how to talk about this work, have sharpened since. This is that update.
I’ve walked a path near my home 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.
Real impact rarely comes from a bold declaration or sudden reinvention. It comes from presence, repetition, and the simple decision to keep showing up in small, human ways.
This is the Outer Wave: the stage where inner growth and connection begin to express themselves outward, 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 first response wasn’t certainty. It was intrigue.
As this person shared more about his vision for serving professionals navigating major life transitions, my readiness grew alongside the idea 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 grounded. In my conversations with the team, I saw integrity and servant leadership. I saw people building something meant to serve others, not themselves.
When I joined, no one asked me to reinvent myself. They invited me to bring what I already carried: my years of coaching experience and three decades of leadership in corporate marketing. That combination let me contribute not only as a coach but as a thought partner in rebranding, marketing strategy, and coach engagement. That early yes eventually grew into what Jerry and I are building together now with Betweenward.
That’s often how the Outer Wave 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 major initiative.
After exploring the idea further, she decided to start small. She agreed to meet a former colleague for coffee, just to listen, and shared one story about a hard-earned lesson she’d learned years earlier.
Her colleague later told her, “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, and connected.
That’s the Outer Wave in motion.
Sharing experience vs. mentoring
This distinction matters.
Sharing experience sounds like “here’s what I learned,” or “this is what surprised me,” or “if it helps, this is how it unfolded for me.” It invites reflection.
Mentoring or advising carries more responsibility: offering guidance, suggesting direction, or helping someone navigate a decision. Both have a place in the Outer Wave, but they call for different levels of energy, commitment, and consent.
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 you’ve already integrated. A few gentle ways to let your experience serve:
1. Notice where people already come to you. That’s often a clue to your natural impact.
2. Offer presence before advice. Listening is its own form of contribution.
3. Test contribution in low-stakes ways. A conversation. A story. A question.
4. Choose resonance over obligation. Say yes where the energy flows.
5. Let impact be cumulative. Paths form through repetition, not urgency.
What making a difference actually requires
Impact requires presence, and grows through honesty. And you often don’t see it in the moment. You see it later, 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?
Client stories are composites drawn from patterns across my coaching work, unless otherwise noted.
María Tomás-Keegan is a career and leadership coach, award-winning author, and trusted guide for people moving through meaningful change in work and life. Through her coaching, writing, and speaking, she helps people 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 transforming work and life, and co-founded Betweenward™ with Jerry W. Washington, Ed.D.
If this story resonated, join us at Betweenward™, where we share stories, insights, and community conversations. It’s where the real ripples happen.