Recently, I was in Sedona on a visionary integrator retreat with my COO Julia. The whole point of the trip was to take a pause, think big, and get aligned. In the development of Beauty Culture and what it may become, we’ve tossed around a lot of different ideas.

Julia loves the mountains, and with her encouragement, we decided to go on the Devil’s Bridge hike while we were there. We finally made it to the bridge, which is majestic, Instagram worthy, and totally narrow. There was a line to take photos, and at one point these older women had their turn, but they were holding up the line.

Someone across the canyon yells “hurry up,” and one of the women turns around and says “I was once where you are—across the bridge—and now I’m here! So shut the F up!” Part of me was embarrassed for her, but the other part of me was obsessed with the audacity she had to take up space.

As women, we are conditioned to apologize for our success, shrink when we’re shining, and to snap the picture and get out of the way. We don’t want to inconvenience anyone else. But if you’ve put in the work, you’ve earned the photo. You didn’t climb this far to rush the moment.

When you meet a goal, take a moment of reverence and honor the mountain you’ve just climbed. You don’t owe anyone speed (even when your people-pleasing tendencies sneak up on you). Reclaiming space is about unlearning the narrative that you should just be small. You deserve the spotlight.

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