"You're not leadership material."
Told
Someone handed it to you directly, and you kept it.
Belief Interrogation™ by Deondriea Cantrice
Your beliefs have been running your life without a background check.
Belief Interrogation™ is the method for questioning what you've been told, tracing where it came from, and deciding whether it deserves the authority you've been giving it. Move your cursor. Every belief in this room is waiting to be examined.
The contrary truth
Forget everything you've heard about "limiting beliefs."
For years, you've been told to hunt down your negative beliefs and swap them for positive ones. But replacing one unexamined belief with another unexamined belief isn't freedom. It's just a new set of instructions you didn't write.
And here's what no one tells you: some of your most dangerous beliefs sound empowering.
"I can handle anything.""Strong women don't need help.""If I work hard enough, they'll notice."
Positive thinking asks
Is this belief good or bad?
Belief Interrogation asks
Is this belief true, who gave it to me, and has it earned its authority?
A belief does not deserve authority simply because you believe it.
Familiarity is not evidence.
Where did your beliefs come from?
Almost none of them arrived by choice. Every belief you hold came to you in one of four ways, and once you can name the source, you can finally question it.
"Successful people are always busy."
Taught
No one said it out loud. Your environment showed you the rule until you followed it.
"I wasn't promoted, so I'm not good enough."
Translated
Something happened, and you decided what it meant about you. The event was real. The meaning was a choice.
"I always make bad decisions."
Rehearsed
You repeated it until it sounded like the truth.
Sometimes the answer to "who told you that?" is "I did."
TOLD • TAUGHT • TRANSLATED • REHEARSED™
The method
The I.D.E.A.L. Interrogation™
Five steps that move a belief from unconscious habit to conscious decision. Not positive thinking. A trial, with evidence.
- Identify
Name the belief in one plain sentence. Said out loud, it usually sounds like a fact. That's exactly why it's been allowed to make decisions unquestioned.
- Deconstruct
Trace it to its source. Was it told, taught, translated, or rehearsed? Who first said it, and did they have the authority to decide that for you?
- Examine
Put it under examination. What's the evidence? Where hasn't it been true? Is it a fact, an interpretation, a prediction, or a fear? What has believing it cost you?
- Authorize
Deliver the verdict. Retain it if it's earned its place. Revise it if it's half true. Release it if it can't survive the questions.
- Live
Beliefs change when behavior changes. Take one proof action that a person who chose this belief on purpose would take.
Put a belief on trial.
Bring one belief you've never questioned. Answer five questions honestly, and watch the evidence decide. Nothing you type is saved.
SoundsToldTaughtTranslatedRehearsed
Would it hold up as a fact, not an interpretation, prediction, or fear?
Has it been true every single time?
Did you choose it, rather than inherit it from someone else?
Would you hand this belief to someone you love?
Has believing it made your life bigger, not smaller?
Answer the questions to weigh the evidence.
The goal isn't positive thinking. It's Belief Sovereignty™.
The ability to look at any belief, yours or anyone else's, and decide for yourself what deserves your trust. Once you have it, no one gets to install a rule in your life without your permission again.
Four ways to experience Belief Interrogation™
Start here, free
The Belief Audit
Find out which beliefs are making your decisions right now.
Take the audit Private 1:1RIVET™ Advisory
Interrogate the beliefs beneath your doubt, fear, and imposter syndrome with Deondriea.
Explore RIVET For your audienceThe Keynote
Who Told You That?™ brings the method to conferences and organizations.
See the keynote January 2027The Book
Who Told You That? The lies you call truth and how to interrogate what you believe.
Join the launch list
The creator
She built this method because she needed it first.
Deondriea Cantrice became a mother as a teenager, earned her degree as an adult, and rose to lead global technology programs. At every turn, someone had already decided what was possible for a woman like her. She learned to ask who said so, and then to decide for herself.
As a Prosci-certified change practitioner, she knew behavior doesn't change until the belief beneath it does. Belief Interrogation™ is what happened when her life and her profession asked the same question.
Read her storyQuestions about Belief Interrogation™
What is Belief Interrogation™?
Belief Interrogation™ is a method created by Deondriea Cantrice for questioning what you've been told, tracing where a belief came from, and deciding whether it deserves the authority you've been giving it. Instead of labeling beliefs as positive or negative, it asks whether a belief is true, who gave it to you, and whether it has earned a say in your decisions.
How is Belief Interrogation different from working on limiting beliefs?
Limiting-belief work usually replaces negative beliefs with positive ones. Belief Interrogation doesn't swap one unexamined belief for another. It examines any belief, including ones that sound empowering, and decides on evidence whether to retain it, revise it, or release it.
What are the four sources of belief?
Told, Taught, Translated, and Rehearsed™. A belief is told when someone hands it to you directly, taught when your environment models it, translated when you assign meaning to something that happened, and rehearsed when you repeat it until it sounds true.
What is the I.D.E.A.L. Interrogation™?
A five-step process: Identify the belief, Deconstruct where it came from, Examine the evidence, Authorize a verdict to retain, revise, or release it, and Live it through one proof action.
What is Belief Sovereignty™?
Belief Sovereignty™ is the outcome of Belief Interrogation: the ability to look at any belief and consciously decide what deserves your trust, rather than living by rules you inherited without question.
Is Belief Interrogation therapy?
No. Belief Interrogation is an educational and coaching method. It isn't therapy, counseling, or a substitute for mental health care.
How can I start using Belief Interrogation?
Start with the free Belief Audit at deondriea.com/belief-audit. You can also work with Deondriea privately through RIVET™, bring her keynote Who Told You That?™ to your organization, or read her book Who Told You That?, coming January 2027.
Somebody wrote the rules you're living by. It's time to find out who.
Question what you've been told. Choose what you believe.™