What if you’ve been making yourself smaller without even realizing it?

In this episode of The BraveHearted Woman Podcast, I’m kicking off Live Out Loud October with a message I believe so many women need to hear: you were never meant to shrink.

Over the years, many of us learn to shrink our dreams, our opinions, our voices, our needs, our bodies, and even our vision for the next chapter of our lives. We do it because we want to be liked, because we’re afraid, because we’ve been hurt, or because we’ve confused humility with hiding.

But midlife is not the time to disappear. Your age is not evidence that your best contribution is behind you, and there is no expiration date on your dreams.

Today, I’ll help you recognize where you may be playing small and give you four practical steps to start shrinking less: notice where you’re making yourself small, stop asking for permission, say the thing, and take one brave action.

I’ll also give you my Live Out Loud Challenge for October: finish this sentence, “If I stopped making myself smaller, I would…” Then choose one brave step you can take.

You don’t need to become someone else. You simply need to become more fully you.

Quotations:

“Being liked is not the same as being loved.”

“There is no expiration on your dreams.”

“Sometimes the permission that you’re waiting for has to come from you.”

“Fear doesn’t get to decide the final vote. You do.”

“Confidence comes after you do the thing.”

“Stop abandoning yourself in order to keep everyone else more comfortable.”

“Stop shrinking, start speaking, take the leap, and live out loud.”

Resources:

📝 Take the BraveHearted Woman Quiz: https://www.braveheartedwoman.com/quiz

💌 Email your braveheart story to me at dawn@dawnscottdamon.com

📞 Book a FREE 15-minute strategy call with Dawn: https://www.braveheartedwoman.com/book-a-call

Connect with your BraveHeart Mentor, Dawn Damon:

💞 Email me at: dawn@braveheartmentor.com

💞 Website: https://braveheartedwoman.com/

💞 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravehearted_woman

💞 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/braveheartedwoman

💞 Podcast: https://the-bravehearted-woman.captivate.fm/listen

Download the full transcript here.