A client said something to me this week that I’ve now heard twice in the past few days:

While she kept answering, her brain started running interference:

• “Why did I pick this one?”
• “This isn’t clear.”
• “I’m rambling. They must notice.”

The moment wasn’t a meltdown. It was subtle. Controlled. But rattling enough that she walked out thinking, “I didn’t represent myself the way I wanted to.”

This happens all the time. And not because people aren’t qualified.

In fact, most of the clients I work with are experienced, high-performing professionals. They hold their own in executive meetings. They lead high-stakes conversations. They’re composed, articulate, clear. Until… they sit down for an interview.

Why?

Because interviewing is not just another meeting.
It’s a different skillset entirely.

The myth that keeps smart people stuck

Most professionals believe some version of this:

But living it and communicating it are two completely different things.

You don’t normally have to take your biggest accomplishments and shape them into a 90-second story - with a clear setup, tangible results, and a takeaway that actually lands.

You don’t normally have to talk about failure in a way that signals growth, while still protecting your credibility.

You don’t normally have to walk a stranger through your entire career arc - out loud - and help them connect the dots fast enough to make a decision.

Of course it feels awkward.
Of course it’s hard to sound clear.
Of course you second-guess your answers halfway through.

Because you haven’t been taught how to do this. And more importantly - you haven’t practiced doing it this way.

The hidden cost of “winging it”

When someone walks out of an interview feeling off, they don’t just shrug and move on. It lingers.

You second-guess your own narrative.
You lose momentum.
You start wondering if maybe you're not as strong a candidate as you thought.

But that doubt has nothing to do with your qualifications.
It has everything to do with your preparation.

What interview prep isn't

Let’s talk about what doesn’t work (but is really common).

Interview prep is not:

❌ Writing down STAR answers and hoping you remember them
❌ Memorizing "top 10 interview questions" from Google
❌ Rehearsing stories like lines in a play
❌ Reading job descriptions and trying to reverse-engineer the perfect response

These strategies sound productive. But they often backfire.

Why? Because they keep you in your head. They create pressure to say the “right” thing instead of showing up with presence and perspective.

And the moment something goes slightly off-script (which it will), your brain panics. You default to filler. You ramble. You watch yourself lose the thread and silently wonder how it got away from you.

That’s not a reflection of your capability.
That’s the result of the wrong strategy.

What great prep actually looks like

When I coach clients through interview prep, we don’t rehearse to perfection.
We build clarity, structure, and muscle memory.

Here’s what that looks like:

🔹 Learning how to translate experience into structured, high-impact narratives
🔹 Practicing decision points - when to pivot, when to pause, how to redirect
🔹 Naming your own value clearly and unapologetically
🔹 Developing fluency in your own career story, so you’re not guessing in real time

You’re not memorizing your stories. You’re mastering the patterns in your career that matter - and learning how to speak to them with intention.

For example:
One client came in with a project story she’d been using for years. It was solid, but it rambled - and she felt like she was losing people halfway through.

We worked on simplifying it, shaping the opening, and landing the insight in 90 seconds. When she practiced it back, she paused and said:

That’s the moment you know you’re ready. Not because you’ve memorized a script - but because you’re clear on what matters.

A better way to start prepping

One of the best ways to shift from rambling to clarity is to stop prepping for questions - and start prepping stories.

If you don’t know where to start, try this:

Ask yourself:
💭 “What are 3 stories I’ve lived that say something important about how I work?”

Then map out:

1. What was the challenge?
2. What role did I play?
3. What did I learn or prove?

You don’t need to script anything. You don’t need a perfect answer.

You just need to start thinking in terms of story, not job titles.
This one shift can radically change how you show up in the room.

And the more you practice this kind of storytelling out loud, the less likely you are to spiral mid-answer.

The real reason interview prep feels like a black hole

Most professionals don’t actually know how to prepare.

So they:

• wing it and hope their instincts kick in,
• hyperfocus on external research, or
• get overwhelmed by overthinking and avoid it altogether.

None of those strategies help you sound confident.
None of them build clarity.
And none of them help you own your career narrative.

Here’s the truth:

✅ Being qualified doesn’t mean you’re ready.
✅ Being articulate doesn’t mean you’ll be clear.
✅ Being successful doesn’t mean you’ll perform well under artificial pressure.

If you’ve never been taught how to prep for this format, of course you’re going to struggle.
That’s not a flaw in you. That’s a gap in your preparation.

The skill beneath the skill

When people say they want to get better at interviewing, what they usually mean is:

That’s not ego. That’s leadership.

This isn’t about being slick or overly polished.
It’s about being intentional. Being clear. Being the kind of communicator who knows what matters and knows how to say it.

And that kind of presence doesn’t come from winging it.
It comes from learning how to prep on purpose - with structure, strategy, and support.

You don’t need to sound perfect.
You need to sound like someone who knows exactly who they are, and where they’re going.

If interviews are coming up for you this fall…

Don’t let self-doubt creep in because you haven’t had the right prep.

This is a skillset you can build—with the right guidance, the right tools, and a little bit of structure.

👋 I’ve got a few spots left for free Career Strategy Calls this month (they tend to go quickly).
​Click [HERE] to grab a time and let’s talk through your goals.

You don’t need to do this alone.

Not ready to book?​
No problem. Hit reply and tell me what’s coming up for you - I read every message.

Whether it’s a specific interview challenge or just “I don’t know where to start,” I’m here for it.

—
​P.S. Even if you’re not actively job searching right now, interview skills are leadership skills.
Storytelling, executive presence, clarity under pressure - it all translates.

The earlier you learn to own your narrative, the more powerful it becomes.