Together, Betsy Wills and Alex Ellison have spent decades helping people unlock their potential and align their work with their natural strengths. Betsy is the founder of YouScience, a groundbreaking online aptitude assessment tool, and Alex is an expert in guiding individuals toward fulfilling careers.
What’s the big idea?
Aptitudes are the permanent, reliable guide to how every person can uniquely flourish, thrive, and achieve their potential. Traditional career advice places too much emphasis on skills and interests—two things that change over time. The core strengths that define you are the key to a fulfilling life, no matter what chapter you’re experiencing.
Below, co-authors Betsy and Alex share five key insights from their new book, Your Hidden Genius: The Science-Backed Strategy to Uncovering and Harnessing Your Innate Talents. Listen to the audio version—read by Alex—in the Next Big Idea App.
1. Discovering your hidden genius.
Your natural aptitudes are the blueprint for your most fulfilling life. These aren’t just mental abilities like reasoning. They include physical coordination, creative instincts, and how you naturally interact with the world. From spatial awareness to artistic expression, from athletic prowess to intuitive problem-solving, these talents are woven into who you are. Unlike fleeting interests or learned skills, your aptitudes are a consistent and reliable foundation for your greatest potential.
Traditional career advice has overlooked these innate gifts, focusing instead on passions or personality, which can change with time and circumstances. Whether you’re 17 and just starting to explore your path, or 57 and looking to realign your life with what truly matters, this book is your guide to uncovering the abilities you were born with. It’s about discovering the roles and pursuits where you’ll thrive naturally and feel most alive.
2. A roadmap for career wellness in every stage of life.
The days of sticking to one career for life are gone. Today’s world demands adaptability, and finding fulfillment requires more than a job: it requires a strategy for continuous growth and realignment. Career wellness is about how your work aligns with your values, strengths, and evolving goals.
“These side pursuits, whether creative hobbies, sports, or personal projects, are essential to preventing burnout and maintaining long-term resilience.”
Through stories from over 80 individuals, Your Hidden Genius demonstrates how aligning your work with your aptitudes creates a life of balance and satisfaction. It also highlights the importance of integrating your passions (what we call avocations). These side pursuits, whether creative hobbies, sports, or personal projects, are essential to preventing burnout and maintaining long-term resilience. The book isn’t just for those at a career crossroads—it’s for anyone seeking to infuse their life with meaning and joy at any stage.
3. The power of exploration.
At 17—or at any age—we often don’t know enough to make lasting decisions about our future. Interests are shaped by our environment and experiences, which means they can shift as we’re exposed to new ideas and opportunities. While interests are valuable, they’re often a starting point. The key to finding fulfillment lies in uncovering your natural aptitudes.
Your aptitudes are the enduring abilities that define how you’re wired to thrive. Whether it’s a knack for working with your hands, an intuitive sense of spatial design, or an ability to connect with others, these strengths are with you for life. Your Hidden Genius helps you look beyond surface-level interests to identify the deeper, stable traits that set you up for success.
4. Your natural strengths offer a shortcut to success.
We’ve all heard the advice: “Work hard, and you’ll achieve anything.” But what if you’re working hard in the wrong direction? True success doesn’t come from forcing yourself into a mold that doesn’t fit—it comes from leaning into the abilities that come naturally to you.
“When you focus on these strengths, life feels less like a grind and more like a flow.”
Natural aptitudes—whether physical, creative, interpersonal, or technical—are your superpowers. They’re the things you excel at without even trying, the traits that make you unique. When you focus on these strengths, life feels less like a grind and more like a flow. Careers can be transformed by embracing what one is naturally great at. Stop working against the grain and start thriving by playing to your strengths.
5. Unlock connection, equity, and potential through aptitude awareness.
Understanding and valuing natural aptitudes transforms how teams, organizations, and communities work together. Traditional systems favor certain skills or personalities, overlooking hidden strengths. Aptitude awareness fosters equity by allowing everyone to shine in roles that match their abilities.
Beyond the workplace, recognizing and honoring aptitudes strengthens relationships, helping people connect on a deeper level. With the book’s emphasis on avocations, you’ll learn how to create a holistic, fulfilling life that balances ambition with joy.
It’s time to discover your true self, unlock the genius you were born with, and live a life that feels authentic and alive. Whether you’re uncovering your gifts for the first time or reigniting long-forgotten passions, Your Hidden Genius is the spark that will set your journey in motion.
To listen to the audio version read by co-author Alex Ellison, download the Next Big Idea App today:
