Have you ever felt like the way you show up in the world doesn’t truly reflect who you
are inside? Like there’s more of you—something deeper, more authentic—that doesn’t
always get expressed? If so, you're not alone. In my recent webinar, we explored a simple yet powerful framework that helps explain this disconnect and offers a way to come back home to yourself. It’s called the Core, Crud, and Crust model, and it's all about understanding your inner world so you can live more fully, more freely, and more authentically—from the inside out.
Doing this transformational coaching work has helped me to dig more deeply into my own stories, recognising and understanding the crust I present is protection that developed from an unconscious belief I had held before I could even speak!!!
What a wonderful revelation.
❤️ This was me: The Cost of Feeling Unseen
In some areas of my life I had been living from an unspoken belief that seeking attention even in the form of needing it as a baby was wrong.
I didn't realise my feeling alone in a crowd and coming away with a feeling of disconnection rather than the community I desired was a direct result of my unconscious beliefs and not having my needs met —but through inner work, I traced it all the way back to early childhood.
As a baby, I must have internalized the message that if I cried or reached out, it was somehow manipulative or attention-seeking. That belief became part of my crud, and it shaped the crust I wore for years.
Under pressure, I my crust defaulted to being the caretaker—always helping, always giving—and at the same time, I often felt like a lone wolf, separate from others, emotionally disconnected, and still somehow unseen.
Through deep inner work and transformational coaching, I came to a powerful realization:
My core truth is not that attention-seeking is wrong.
My truth is that I am worthy, and that it’s safe to be seen.
That moment changed everything. It didn’t erase the past, and it didn’t eliminate all pain —but I gave me space to see and know that truth. To rewrite old beliefs. To accept my crud and allow that it no longer serves me. I can live with more freedom, selfcompassion, and emotional honesty.
🌟 The Core – Your Authentic Self
Your core is the real you. It's your inner essence—your values, your purpose, your
natural strengths, your heartfelt truths. It’s who you are when all the filters are stripped away. Most of us, however, don’t operate from this place consistently. Life, conditioning, and our desire to be accepted or avoid pain often lead us to build layers around this inner truth.
The core is unfiltered. It’s aligned. It’s where your truest self lives—the version of you
that doesn’t need to impress or protect, just be. Transformational coaching helps you to access your core self more fully, more often which in turn leads to more authenticity and fulfillment.
💡 Pause and ask yourself—What would I say, do, or choose if I were
completely aligned with my core right now?
🧱 The Crud – The Emotional Gunk That Covers Your Core
Then comes the crud. This is your emotional and mental clutter—your limiting beliefs,
negative self-talk, emotional wounds, societal conditioning, and the survival strategies you picked up early in life. Crud is often formed between ages 0–7, when your brain was still wiring up its responses to the world.
This is where people-pleasing, procrastination, fear of failure (or success!), and selfsabotage often take root. It's not bad. It’s protective. It's your inner child doing its best with what it had—but it’s often outdated and misaligned with who you are now.
Coaching will bring a better understanding of what stories, beliefs and patterns you are living through and how to level up into core and be authentically you.
💡 What are some protective behaviors you still carry that were helpful once, but may no longer serve you today?
🎭 The Crust – What the World Sees
Finally, we get to the crust—the outer layer, the masks you wear, the version of you that you present to the world. This is where your coping behaviors live: perfectionism,
workaholism, emotional withdrawal, over-functioning, or even the “tough persona” that hides vulnerability.
The crust isn’t inherently bad. In fact, it serves a function—especially in different social
circles. It’s okay to have boundaries about who gets access to your full self. But the
danger comes when we live only from this place and forget the core altogether.
Learning with transformational coaching how your masks appear, why and what they are protecting within you brings understanding and space to live from you core.
💡 Check in with yourself: Am I living from my core, or performing from my crust?
✨ Living Empowered, Authentic & Fulfilled = The Core Shining Through
True growth isn't about cutting out the crud or pretending the crust doesn’t exist. It’s
about understanding, awareness, gratitude, and choice.
Your crud developed to protect you.
Your crust helps you function.
But your core is where your truth lives.
Understanding your core crud and crust with transformational coaching, recognizing the layers and gently identifying them —with compassion, not judgment—you make space for your authentic self to guide your decisions, relationships, and way of being. You begin to live from the inside out..Live What Matters.
“You don’t need to delete your past. Just thank it, learn from it, and let it step back so
your present can take the lead.”
These aha moments don’t erase pain, but they allow transformation. They help us replace old beliefs to reflect our healthy values—and live with more freedom, courage, and emotional honesty.
🌱 Living From the Inside Out
When you live from your core, you:
Set healthier boundaries
Stop people-pleasing
Make aligned choices
Embrace vulnerability without fear
Feel emotionally free
Live with purpose—not protection
It’s not about being perfect. No one stays in their core 100% of the time. Life is fluid, and sometimes the crust takes over, in fact it can be a great tool. That’s okay. But with awareness, you can always come back to centre. Understanding your core crud and crust with transformational coaching so you can feel fulfilled separate from your day to day doing.
💥Want to Go Deeper, Learn More?
If this resonates, I'm offering a 6-week course called L.E.A.F. – [Loved, Empowered, Authentic, Fulfilled] understanding your core crud and crust with transformational coaching. Helping you explore your values, boundaries, and beliefs, and begin living from your core.
Following that is G.I.L.D.E.D. – Grounded, Intuitive, Living, Directional, Expanding,
Deepening, for those ready to deepen the work.
Both courses are structured to support real emotional shifts—and L.E.A.F. starts 11.11.25 running up to the holiday season, a powerful way to prepare when so many of us struggle with family triggers, loneliness, or overwhelm.
You can find more information and enrol by following the link below—Enrol in both up front and receive 15% discount!!
G.I.L.D.E.D. Gold level (available only to those who have competed L.E.A.F.) is limited to only 10 people so be quick!
💡Final Thought
This work is not linear. You’ll uncover layers you didn’t know existed. And each time,
you’ll move a little closer to your authentic self.
I hope to see you there.
Warmly,
Beth Hamill
@SpiritLigth
Transformational Coach and Healer
