Hi guys!, Welcome to Episode 627 of the wildly successful lifestyle podcast!. I’m Heidi, and if you’re new here, this is where we grow together to be the best we can be through mindset shifts and those little reminders that help us live fuller, more intentional lives. I love surrounding myself with people who have a positive energy, it’s so inspiring! Which is one of the many reasons I love my yoga place. The instructors often have little gems they throw out that get us all thinking. THe other day one of my favorite instructors started class by saying “You deserve to take up space in the world.” Not just on your mat, but everywhere. She added that one of her mentors had told her that once and she just started crying because she needed to hear it.
I feel her. I’ve talked about this before—that I am important to the overall big picture, and so are you. I hope you remember that. I hope you feel it deep in your core. Sometimes, especially as women, we try to make ourselves a little smaller, a little quieter, a little less seen. But why do we do that and how do we stop?
This all made me think of one of my all time favorite movies
The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. We watch it every year around the holidays—it’s become this cozy tradition in our house. But there’s this one scene that always sticks with me. Kate Winslet’s character is out to dinner with this wise elderly gentleman who’s a screenwriter, and he’s written some of those iconic movie lines we all quote. She’s telling him about an ex boyfriend who keeps her hanging on just enough to not let her move on, while he is engaged to someone else! He looks at her and says he can tell she’s a leading lady, but she’s been acting like the best friend. Oof, right? And her response? “You’re right. I should be the leading lady of my own life.” Yes! We all should! I love that so much. It’s like, how many times have we played the supporting role in our own stories? The one who fades into the background so everyone else can have the spotlight?
I’ve watched so many well-meaning women, including myself, trip over ourselves to make sure everyone else has everything they need. We’re the ones checking if the kids are fed, the partner is supported, the friends are okay, the work team is thriving. And in the process, we forget that we should have everything we need too. We should be thriving. It’s like we’re directing a play where everyone gets a starring role except us. But here’s the thing: the world needs your full presence. Your ideas, your voice, your energy—they’re not optional extras; they’re essential.
Think about it: when you shrink, the world misses out on you. Your unique perspective, your laughter, your strength—they add color to the big picture. And yes, it’s scary to step forward. Society has conditioned us to be polite, accommodating, invisible sometimes. But remember Kate Winslet in that movie? She decides to own her story, and everything changes. She travels, she falls in love with herself first, and magic happens. We can do that too, in our everyday lives.
I can remember vividly being in the sauna for only a couple minutes and it was really full when someone would walk in looking for somewhere to sit and I considered getting up to give them my spot and then remembering “Hey I deserve to be here too”. So I stayed put and scooted over a bit so they could sit down.
If you’re like me, you probably have a similar story and to that I want to remind you, you deserve to take up space. You’re not just a side character—you’re the star. Be the leading lady of your own life, like Kate Winslet deciding to rewrite her script. Stop tripping over yourself to please everyone else, and start thriving in your own right. I hope this episode resonatted with you, if it did, share it with people who deserve to be thriving in their own life. I love you guys! I’ll talk to you in a few days!
