The Generalist Path (Or Why I'm Still Figuring It All Out)
I've been dabbling on Substack lately (if you don't know it, you should definitely check it out you might even want to connect on my account, and this week I stumbled across a newsletter from Anna Mackenzie that hit me like a ton of bricks.
It was about building a personal brand as a generalist, and honestly, it felt like she had been watching my life for the past few years and decided to write about it.
The topic? How to build an authentic online presence when you're interested in literally everything and refuse to pick just one lane.
Sound familiar? Yeah, thought so.
I've been overthinking this for way too long. Everyone tells you to "find your niche" and "go deep on one thing." But what if your thing is... multiple things? What if you're genuinely passionate about video editing, CrossFit, financial education, content creation, and you're still exploring dancing on the side?
Apparently, there's actually a method to this madness.
The Tree Approach (And Why It Makes Perfect Sense)
The newsletter introduced this concept called the "Tree Approach" which basically goes: go broad to explore, narrow to anchor, then broad again to become.
© Anna Mack
Think about it like a tree. First, you establish messy, sprawling roots. Then you grow a trunk that gives everything structure. Finally, you extend branches that reach in all directions but are supported by that solid foundation.
Looking back at my journey, I realize I've been unconsciously following this approach without even knowing it.
My Messy Root System
For the longest time, I felt like I was all over the place. I made this crazy pivot from engineering to video editing (which honestly felt like betting my entire future on something completely different). I got obsessed with CrossFit. I dove deep into financial education, learning about investing, saving and Bitcoin. I started writing newsletters about everything from character building, my first tattoo and finding the sweet spots in life.
It felt chaotic.
Friends would ask "what exactly do you do?" and instead of being honest, I'd give them the answer I thought they wanted to hear, whatever sounded most conventional and respectable.
"I'm studying chemical engineering"
"I'm an engineer"
or
I'm a video editor at Red Bull."
Clean, simple, socially acceptable answers.
But here's what I didn't realize: I was building my foundation. All those seemingly unconnected interests? They were my roots, spreading out and gathering nutrients from different areas of life.
While everyone else was busy picking their lane and staying in it, I was unconsciously building something way more interesting.
Starting to Find My Trunk
Here's where I think I am now: starting to enter the trunk phase.
I'm beginning to see how everything I do somehow connects to this broader theme of "building a creative, sustainable life on your own terms."
The video editing? It's creative work that I actually enjoy. The financial education? It's about building the freedom to choose my work. The CrossFit? It keeps me healthy so I can sustain everything else. The newsletters? They're about sharing what I learn as I figure this stuff out.
Even my current setup as 75% employee, 25% entrepreneur fits this narrative. I'm not ready to go full freelance, but I'm also not content to stay in the corporate world forever. I'm building something sustainable.
The connections aren't always obvious at first, but they're there. And when you start seeing them, the whole thing becomes more than the sum of its parts.
The Branches (Not There Yet)
I'm nowhere near the branches stage where you have enough presence to basically talk about anything. I'm still figuring out my sweet spots in content creation. I'm still exploring new territories like dancing (don't ask me how that fits the narrative yet).
But the tree approach gives me permission to be where I am without feeling like I need to have it all figured out. The messy exploration phase? That's not a bug, it's a feature.
Why the Generalist Path Is Actually Smart
Here's what I'm learning: in a world where everyone's trying to specialize, being a generalist might actually be an advantage.
Everything connects in unexpected ways. My video editing skills help me create better content. My fitness routine gives me energy for creative work. My financial education helps me make smarter business decisions. And my newsletter writing? It's helping me clarify my thoughts about all of it.
If You're Also "All Over the Place"
Maybe you're where I was a few years ago: interested in multiple things, feeling like you should pick one, but not wanting to give up the others.
Here's what I wish someone had told me: your problem isn't a problem. That feeling of being scattered? It might just be you building your roots.
Don't rush to find your niche. Explore. Try stuff. Follow your curiosity. The trunk will emerge when it's ready, and it'll be so much more authentic than anything you could have forced.
I'm still figuring this out, but I'm starting to trust the process. And honestly? It feels pretty good to stop apologizing for being interested in multiple things and start seeing it as my strength.
Stop apologizing for being interested in multiple things. Stop trying to fit into someone else's narrow definition of what a "focused" person looks like. The cult of specialization has convinced us that exploring different interests makes you unfocused. Wrong. It makes you antifragile.
What are you exploring right now that feels "off-brand" but genuinely excites you? Maybe that's not a distraction. Maybe that's your next root.
If this resonates with you, know that you're not alone. WeWill+ is about embracing those endless possibilities instead of limiting ourselves. I'm living this journey in real-time, and I'd love for you to join me.
