I Might Be an Otrovert. (Yes, That’s a Thing.)

Lately I’ve been side-eyeing my own personality like it owes me money… and I think I’m an otrovert. 

If you haven’t heard the term, you’re not behind — it’s newer in the cultural bloodstream. It’s basically for people who don’t fully fit the introvert/extrovert binary. Not “shy,” not “life of the party,” not “I need 72 hours alone to recover.” More like: I energize through my own thinking + deep, meaningful interaction. 

So yeah — I recharge by having a real conversation with one person… not by working the room like I’m running for office, and not by disappearing into a cave for a weekend. 

Some of you who know me are already laughing. 

“Hugo? The man who can talk to a lamp post and walk away with a new best friend?” 

Fair. 

But here’s what I’ve learned (the hard way, like most things): how you recharge is not the same as how you perform. I can be social. I can work a crowd. I can turn it on. 

That doesn’t mean it’s what fills the tank. 

And this is why any of this matters: understanding how you operate is how you unlock how you impact. 

If you don’t know what gives you energy — you’ll keep building your life like a phone with 18 apps running in the background. You might be “productive,” but you’ll also be drained, foggy, and one mildly annoying email away from quitting society. 

When you do know what makes you tick? You stop trying to copy someone else’s operating system. You choose the rooms, rhythms, and relationships that make your work land with more force. 

So here’s a quick gut-check:

• What kind of interaction actually restores you?

• What kind of noise depletes you?

• What kind of people make you sharper… not smaller?


Because self-awareness isn’t self-help fluff. 

It’s creative strategy. 
It’s leadership hygiene. 
It’s how you stay energized enough to do the work that actually matters.