Welcome to Finding Your Joy Spot. I'm Leona deVinne, author, coach, and guide for people who wanna live and lead from a place of authenticity and joy. This is a space where we talk about what it really means to be human, the beautiful, messy, and sometimes funny parts of finding our voice and owning our worth. Today's episode begins with something I think we all know too well. That moment after you've done something brave and you wake up thinking, oh no, what have I done? So let's talk about it.
I woke up in the morning. With a full blown vulnerability hangover. My mind was spiraling and I, I thought, I don't wanna do this. I don't wanna put myself out there. I don't wanna make fool of myself. Before I even made the bed with my husband, I told him, I think I'm gonna throw in the towel. This is too hard. He didn't even know what I was talking about. And then like a voiceover in a documentary about my personal growth, my coach's words floated into my mind.
The first season of this will be a stretch and you're not going to like it. It's a stretch that's uncomfortable. Don't take it as a message to stop. I could practically hear her tone and she was right that morning. I wanted to stop. I did wanna throw in a towel. I was hosting an invite only event for women leaders, terrified the room would be half empty, and I had a retreat coming up that wasn't full and someone had just asked for a refund. My inner critic was having a heyday.
Thankfully my body remembered what my mind had forgotten, and I went to my yoga mat as usual that morning, not because I wanted to, but because skipping it would feel like forgetting to brush my teeth. As I moved, my thoughts started to unclench. The pain I felt started to get a little bit better. After yoga, I laid down for a meditation and I turned on one of my own recordings. One I'd actually made for others called Grace.
I'll share it in the show notes and that morning, that's what I needed most, was Grace. Grace to stop beating myself up. Grace, to remember that being in the stretch, being brave doesn't mean that I'm failing. And as soon as I closed my eyes, I heard a single word. Remember, and stay with me here because a scene from the Lion King popped into my head. I smiled because apparently my subconscious, my inner guide, has a sense of humor.
Maybe you know that scene, Simba's runaway and his dad appears in the sky, big majestic lion head floating in the clouds and says, remember who you are. Simba as up this morning goes, remember who you are. Leona. Interestingly enough, my name does mean lioness and even Mufasa was giving me some coaching that morning, but honestly, it landed because the message was clear.
Remember who you are and why you're doing this, Leona, and I thought of a poem I'd written earlier that had surprised me by how sure it had sounded. I talked about, I'm here to liberate people. I'm here to empower people. I'm here to equip people with what they need to be wholeheartedly themselves so that they can own their worth and bring what they're meant to into the world. And it's not easy work, it's brave work, but it's the most important work any of us can do to be wholly who we are.
When I opened my eyes for my meditation, I felt steadier still stretched, still a bit uncomfortable, but clear on my why. It's not always a hundred percent or even 20% comfortable, but I'm not leaving anything behind in this precious life. I am here to help people become wholeheartedly themselves, to love who they are, and to help them bring their magic to the world, and that's what joy means to me. Just own you. Later that day, a line from an old song kept looping in my head.
We're not gonna take it anymore. I think it's Twisted Sister. It made me laugh. Still does, because that's exactly how I feel about when I think about me shrinking or you shrinking. I'm not gonna play small. I'm not gonna back down even when I want to, even when I wanna throw in the towel. And that's my wish for you as you listen, that you know who you are. You embrace who you are and you remember why you're here and you live that out every single day in your own brave and beautiful way.
And if you'd like to reflect for a few minutes after listening, here are some prompts. Where in your life are you playing small? Where are you willing to be more brave? How can you offer yourself more grace instead of criticism? And what would just owning you in this season look like? Especially as we come into the New Year. Thank you for joining me in this episode of Finding Your Joy Spot.
If this reflection has resonated, share it with someone who might need a reminder that bravery often feels nothing like confidence. It usually feels like stretching or fear, and you can find more reflections, information on retreats, working with me in ways to stay connection connected, pardon me at leonadevinne.com. And until next time, keep coming home to yourself because the world doesn't need another polished version of you. It. Needs. You. Exactly as you are.