Stop Auditioning for Your Own Life: Why We Play Small

In my coaching practice, I constantly meet brilliant, high-achieving women who are terrified to express their truth—whether to a boss, a partner, or even to themselves.

Feelings of shame and fear show up because, deep down, they believe they are "too much" or "not enough."

I know this terrain well because I lived there for a long time. Despite my titles and external success, I was insecure about everything inside of me. I felt anxious speaking up in meetings and paralyzed at social gatherings, convinced that if people looked closely enough, they would "discover who I really am"—a fraud.

The "Good Girl" Script After intense healing and growth, I realized these weren't just "feelings." They were a program.

Much like my clients, I learned early in childhood that it wasn't safe to be fully authentic. To be loud, to be messy, or to make mistakes was "bad." To survive, we adopted the script of the "Good Girl." We learned to edit ourselves to fit into the boxes our families, teachers, and communities built for us.

We learned to hide, play small, and allow other people’s voices to be louder than our own.

The Cost of Safety The tragedy is that while this kept us "safe," it also suffocated us. We ended up drowning in the safety we created—drowning in unfulfilling jobs, heartbreaking relationships, and lives that looked good on paper but felt empty inside.

Taking the Director’s Chair Eventually, the pain of hiding became greater than the fear of being seen. That is when the shift happens.

Through my commitment to somatic healing and spiritual work, a different voice began to emerge. It wasn't the frantic voice of the "inner critic." It was the voice of my Inner Sovereign.

The voice of truth, love, and authority.

When you stop auditioning for approval and start listening to this voice, everything changes. You stop asking for permission to exist. You find the strength to speak your truth, live your heart’s dreams, and finally take the Director’s chair of your own life.

Our Deepest Fear As Marianne Williamson so powerfully wrote:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world... As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Are you ready to stop hiding? Your playing small does not serve the world, and it certainly doesn't serve you.

If you are ready to liberate yourself from fear and find your true voice, let’s talk.