What’s a multipotentialite?
Emilie Wapnick TED talk
[Updated August 1, 2026]
What if your many interests aren't a distraction, but a way of seeing the world?
After listening to Emilie Wapnick’s TED talk on “Why some of us don't have one true calling,” she introduced me to the term: multipotentialite.
“Multipotentialite: someone with many interests and creative pursuits. It stems from the word multipotentiality–a psychological and educational term used to describe people who display aptitudes across multiple disciplines.”
My multipotentialite or polymath brain likes to deep dive into many topics — and over the years I’ve enjoyed writing on a variety of topics. I’m following my curiosities rather than rigidly sticking to a focused list of topics, that I felt I should — in order to build authority or mastery — before I could share what I’d learnt with others.
In the process, I’ve discovered that asking questions and following where they lead uncovers more about the world around me, and is infinitely more enjoyable, satisfying.
It’s hard not to look back and see where I once settled into a perspective, made assumptions, and was really chasing after searching for satisfaction through certainty.
I lived on the surface of life by trying to hone in and focus on a single career. Or a single business idea to start.
“You change positions or projects when you’re board.”
It took me decades to — acknowledge — the reason I changed positions/projects every two years — was in an effort to satisfy my yearning to learn new things.
Restless, is the best way to describe what I felt inside.
And as soon as I changed my circumstances, I felt better. Meeting new people, learning something new, having a challenge — new environments were invigorating. I learned that part of the secret, for me, was learning something new.
Then I realized I could do that at a current job by introducing something new, or introducing something new somewhere else in my life too.
And now that I’m “retired from corporate,” I have more freedom to channel that energy. Like — into writing, publishing a poetry chapbook, starting a podcast and blog, becoming a certified vegan chef, creating YouTube shorts, and working on a memoir.
For me, journaling has become a way to capture what my inner voices are nudging me to do… next.
What about you?
What areas of your life do you want to experiment in? Where do you wish you could spend more time? How can you re-channel the energy you have in the form of angst about not having a singular focus for your career or interests to master? Let me know in the comments below.
What if the things that make you different are also the things that help you see connections others miss?