Living with Integrity: Are You All In?

Introduction: The Courage to Show Up Fully Living with integrity isn't just a lofty ideal or a feel-good buzzword. As explored in the latest episode of Show Me Your Nuts , integrity is a nuanced, sometimes challenging journey of aligning our actions, values, and sense of self—whether we're coordinating our personal goals, showing up authentically in relationships, or navigating the unpredictability of life's roller coaster. This episode, hosted by Scotty McBee, Stacy Braiuca , and guest Jessica Dugas, founder of the Breakthrough Show Network , goes beyond surface-level discussions, unraveling what it really means to be "all in" for ourselves and our communities. In coaching psychology, integrity represents both a professional standard and a personal quality—the ability to live congruently with our deepest values even when circumstances challenge us (Kernis & Goldman, 2006). This article explores the practical wisdom from the 🐿️ Show Me Your Nuts 🥜 conversation alongside evidence-based insights on authenticity, values alignment, and the courage required to live with integrity. What Does It Mean to Be "All In"? "Are you all in?" This question, as Stacy brings forward in the episode , isn't as simple as it appears. It's a litmus test for our engagement and commitment—not just in the big life decisions but in everyday relationships, work projects, and even social responsibilities. To be "all in" is to make conscious choices that reflect who we truly are, while also taking the time to contemplate what being authentic really means for us. As Jessica Dugas shares during the conversation, sometimes being "all in" can feel overwhelming, but it's also an invitation to reevaluate where and how we devote our energy. This aligns with what coaching research tells us: life coaches help clients identify what truly matters by facilitating values clarification exercises that serve as the foundation for meaningful change. According to self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), our psychological well-being depends on satisfying three fundamental needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Being "all in" requires us to honor these needs by choosing commitments that align with our authentic selves rather than external pressures or expectations. The Fluid Nature of Values and Alignment Values aren't set in stone. Through honest self-reflection, Stacy encourages listeners to rate their own alignment with their values—how often do we pause to check if our current actions match what's most important to us? Whether it's family, creativity, respect, or "doing no harm," our alignment fluctuates with daily demands and life's stresses. This "wobbliness" of alignment isn't a flaw; it's human. Some days we're an "eight," others closer to a "seven," and that's okay. What matters is the ongoing journey towards self-awareness, honesty, and alignment. Research in positive psychology confirms that values-based living contributes significantly to life satisfaction (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), but the key is recognizing that values work is never "finished"—it's a continuous practice of recalibration. The conversation on Show Me Your Nuts emphasizes this reality: our capacity to live in integrity shifts with context, energy levels, and life circumstances. What remains constant is our commitment to checking in with ourselves and making adjustments when we notice misalignment. This is the vital checkpoint and flashpoint towards future growth we get to experience. Authenticity, Integrity, and the Masks We Wear Jessica Dugas challenges the common notion that authenticity simply means "being yourself." Sometimes, authenticity is messy—it can include wearing masks or playing roles that fit the situation, but what matters most is whether these choices align with our deeper values. This nuanced view of authenticity resonates with contemporary research. Kernis and Goldman's (2006) multicomponent model suggests that authenticity includes awareness of one's true self, unbiased processing of self-relevant information, authentic behavior, and relational authenticity. In other words, being authentic doesn't mean sharing everything with everyone—it means making conscious choices about how we show up in different contexts while maintaining integrity with our core values. Integrity is what bridges that gap: it's the consistent effort to walk our talk, to do what we say we'll do, and to act out our values, even when circumstances shift. As Jessica vulnerably admits during the episode, life's unpredictability sometimes forces us to reevaluate our commitments, but real integrity is about how we respond when things don't go as planned. Professional coaches understand that integrity-based interventions can enhance decision-making under pressure by reducing cognitive dissonance—the psychological discomfort we feel when our actions don't match our beliefs (Festinger, 1957). When we act with integrity, we experience greater internal coherence a