For years, I thought I was being strategic.
Polite.
Patient.
Wise.
But the truth?
I was just scared.
Scared to outgrow people I had already outpaced.
Scared to lead without hiding behind someone else’s influence.
Scared to succeed in a way that made others uncomfortable.
So I played small.
Smaller than I ever should have.
I Confused Approval With Alignment
Let me be clear: people-pleasing doesn’t look like weakness when you’re smart.
It looks like supporting the team.
It looks like being considerate.
It looks like staying humble while others talk over you in meetings you created.
But behind the scenes?
I was over-functioning to keep others comfortable.
Dimming my light so no one felt overshadowed.
Swallowing ideas that would’ve scaled us because someone “wasn’t ready for that kind of growth.”
And the worst part?
I told myself it was loyalty.
That I was being a “good boss.”
A “good partner.”
A “good woman.”
No.
I was being an obedient version of myself.
Not the powerful one.
I Let Employee Mindsets Run the Room
I wasn’t building companies – I was babysitting egos.
Every time I had to convince someone to follow a smart move, I gave away my edge.
Every time I delayed bold action to “get buy-in,” I lost money.
And every time I asked myself, “Will they like this?” instead of “Does this move the mission?” – I buried the CEO in me under layers of noise.
You can’t scale on consensus.
You scale by clarity.
And clarity doesn’t beg for approval.
The Man Was Never My Protection
Let’s talk about this straight.
I thought my man was my shield.
My safe zone.
The one I could lean on while I built my empire.
But what looked like protection was just another layer of limitation.
His energy was dragging me.
His presence made me shrink – politely, but undeniably.
And I stayed. For years. Not because I didn’t see it, but because I didn’t yet trust my power without a fallback.
Here’s the bitter truth:
If someone’s not cheering for your growth, they’re silently voting for your stagnation.
It Wasn’t Strategy. It Was Maturity.
I used to think the only thing standing between me and 7 figures was a better funnel. A sharper pitch. A smarter team.
But no.
The missing piece was me – with my full voice, full power, and zero apologies.
Once I stopped filtering myself to keep others happy, everything moved.
No permission.
No play-it-safe plans.
Just ownership.
Ownership of my voice.
My standards.
My zone of genius.
My non-negotiables.
The Numbers Follow the Energy
I didn’t hit 7 figures because I worked harder. I was always working.
I hit it because I finally stopped playing the game by someone else’s rules.
People felt it.
Clients showed up.
Sales aligned.
Respect multiplied.
And the best part? I didn’t lose anyone I wasn’t meant to lose.
Only the ones who were draining me to begin with.
If You’re Still Playing Small to Keep the Peace…
Let me give it to you straight:
Your next level won’t come by being nice.
It comes when you stop begging for permission and start owning the f*ck out of your vision.
You don’t need to be louder.
You need to be clearer.
You don’t need more approval.
You need to stop fearing what happens when you finally get seen.
Because when you do?
They’ll either follow – or fall off.
And either way, you win.
“This was one piece of my becoming. If you’re building something that demands your full truth, you might want to stay close.”