The Culture of Outsourcing: Reclaiming Our Inner Authority

We live in a society that teaches us to outsource everything.

Our health. Our knowledge. Our choices. Our instincts.

We are constantly told that the answers lie out there—with the expert, the test, the politician, the device, the institution. And while guidance and support can absolutely be helpful, something essential has been lost in the process:

Our trust in ourselves.

Maternity Care: A Clear Reflection

Nowhere is this clearer than in the world of maternity care.

We rely on a test to tell us we’re pregnant.

We rely on a machine to tell us how the baby is growing.

We rely on scans, numbers, and appointments to tell us whether everything is “normal.”

And gradually, often without even realising it we hand our power over.

We begin to believe that someone else knows more about what’s happening inside our bodies than we do.

We look outward for reassurance instead of inward for wisdom.

But What If Something Had Been Missed?

I often hear people say:

“But if the midwife hadn’t picked up on this, I wouldn’t have known me or my baby might have died.”

It’s a valid fear.

And of course, there are situations where medical intervention can save lives.

But the data tells a broader story.

When women are supported, when they are informed, when they are encouraged to trust themselves, outcomes are often better not worse.

And when interventions become routine, coercive, or fear driven, outcomes don’t necessarily improve. In fact, they often bring their own set of complications.

The issue isn’t medical care, it’s disempowerment.

We’ve been taught to doubt our bodies.

To ignore our intuition.

To silence our inner knowing and defer to authority.

And that conditioning runs deep.

A Society Built on Outsourcing

This goes far beyond birth.

We outsource our food—factory-made instead of grown or cooked by hand.

We outsource our learning—to institutions that grade us on memorisation, not curiosity.

We outsource our politics—expecting others to fix a broken system.

We outsource our emotions—to diagnoses and prescriptions.

We even outsource our spiritual lives—looking to gurus or influencers rather than sitting in the mystery ourselves.

And perhaps most heartbreakingly:

We outsource responsibility.

Because it’s easier.

Because it’s what we’ve been conditioned to do.

Because when something goes wrong, we’d rather point to someone else than sit with the discomfort of “What did I feel, but ignore?”

This isn’t about blame or shame.

This is about waking up.

The Agenda of Disempowerment

This culture of outsourcing isn’t accidental.

It’s part of a broader system that benefits when we’re disconnected, dependent, and afraid to trust ourselves.

You can see it in the language:

“Ask your doctor.”

“Don’t Google it.”

“Don’t question the science.”

“Don’t trust your feelings.”

There is an agenda here. One that says:

You are not wise. You are not capable. You are not enough.

And that narrative serves systems not people.

The Path Home: Responsibility, Not Perfection

Reclaiming your inner authority doesn’t mean you never ask for help.

It doesn’t mean you reject all science or support.

It means you come back to your body, your gut, your sense of what feels true and you make choices from there.

That’s not easy.

It takes courage.

It takes unlearning.

It takes being willing to take responsibility for your life, your healing, your path.

But it’s also the way home.

You are not too emotional.

You are not too naïve.

You are not incapable of knowing.

You have ancient intelligence in your bones.

And no test, title, or machine can replace that.