The Six Core Human Needs
These six needs explain why we do what we do. Every habit, reaction, and pattern is driven by the need for certainty, variety, significance, love & connection, growth, or contribution. When these needs are met in healthy, aligned ways, life feels balanced and powerful. When they’re not, life feels chaotic, stuck, or out of control. Understanding your needs shows you where you’re meeting life at a high level — and where you’re just getting by. This is the foundation of transformation for you and the women you coach
Certainty/Comfort: The need for safety, stability, predictability, and control
ACertainty is the part of you that craves comfort, security, and knowing you’re okay. It’s the need for stability — the routines, habits, and environments that help you feel grounded and in control. When this need is met, you feel safe, supported, and confident in your ability to handle life. When it’s not, stress rises, fear increases, and you may cling to old patterns just to feel steady again. Certainty is the foundation that allows you to grow, stretch, and take aligned risks without feeling overwhelmed.
Uncertainty/variety: The need for change, excitement, challenge, and new experiences
Variety is the part of you that craves freshness, movement, and something different from the everyday routine. Without it, life becomes predictable and dull. Variety brings energy, creativity, and excitement — it’s what keeps you engaged and growing. Even though uncertainty can feel uncomfortable, it’s also what builds confidence. The more you trust your ability to handle change, the more variety you can welcome into your life, and the more alive you feel.
Significance: The need to feel valued, important, and uniquely you
We all want to feel like we matter. We want to feel seen, needed, appreciated, and unique in our own way. Significance is the need to feel special — to know your presence makes an impact. People will go to great lengths to feel significant, because when this need isn’t met, life feels small, unnoticed, or unimportant. When it is met in healthy ways, it fuels confidence, purpose, and powerful identity.
Love & Connections: The need for belonging, closeness, intimacy, and meaningful relationships
Love & Connection is the need to feel understood, supported, and deeply connected to others. It’s about belonging, emotional closeness, and relationships that feel safe and meaningful. When this need is met in healthy ways, you feel grounded, seen, and supported. When it’s not, life can feel isolating or disconnected. This need shapes how you bond, communicate, and build relationships in every area of your life.
Growth: The need to expand, evolve, learn, and improve
Growth is the part of you that refuses to stay the same. It’s the need to stretch beyond your comfort zone, learn new skills, elevate your mindset, and become a stronger, more aligned version of yourself. When this need is met, you feel progress, momentum, and purpose. Without growth, life feels stagnant, repetitive, and unfulfilling. Growth is where transformation begins — for you and for the women you lead.
Contribution: The need to give beyond yourself and make an impact
Contribution is the desire to pour into others, to serve, to uplift, and to make a meaningful difference. It’s the need to know your life matters beyond your own goals — that your gifts, your growth, and your experiences create impact. When this need is met, you feel purposeful, fulfilled, and connected to something bigger than yourself. Contribution is where your transformation becomes someone else’s breakthrough.
How to Meet Your Core Needs in a Healthy Way
1.Certainty/Comfort
You meet this need in a healthy way by creating simple, consistent routines that anchor your day — habits that help you feel grounded no matter what’s happening around you. You can also build certainty through supportive relationships and community, surrounding yourself with people who show up, encourage you, and remind you that you’re not navigating life alone. These healthy anchors give you a sense of control and calm, helping you stay steady even when life feels unpredictable.
2. Variety / Uncertainty
Explore new hobbies, switch up your workout routine, travel to new places, or set spontaneous goals that stretch you. These intentional shifts bring excitement and momentum into your life, helping you grow while keeping things interesting.
3. Significance
You meet this need in a healthy way by owning your strengths, celebrating your wins, and showing up in spaces where your voice and presence matter. Instead of seeking validation through comparison or approval, you build significance by contributing your gifts, honoring your identity, and recognizing the impact you already make. Healthy significance feels grounded — it strengthens your confidence without needing external praise.
4. Love & Connections
You meet this need in a healthy way by nurturing relationships that feel safe, supportive, and reciprocal. This looks like spending quality time with people who uplift you, communicating openly, and allowing yourself to be seen and understood. You can also build connection through community, shared experiences, and acts of kindness. Healthy connection strengthens your emotional foundation and reminds you that you’re not meant to navigate life alone.
5. Growth
Growth is your need to evolve — mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and professionally. You meet this need in a healthy way by consistently challenging yourself to become better than you were yesterday. That might look like learning new skills, reading books that stretch your thinking, investing in coaching, or stepping into environments that push you outside your comfort zone. Healthy growth feels intentional and aligned. It builds confidence, expands your capacity, and keeps you moving forward instead of staying stuck in old patterns.
6. Contribution
You meet this need in a healthy way by sharing your gifts, your knowledge, your time, and your energy in ways that genuinely support others. This might look like mentoring someone, volunteering, creating value through your work, or simply showing up with kindness and intention. Healthy contribution doesn’t drain you; it expands you. It reminds you that your life, your growth, and your experiences matter — not just to you, but to the people you touch.