When Your Light Triggers Others

When you choose courage, not everyone will applaud.

I received an email recently, on the back of a radio interview.

It was a hostile, personal attack that I will give no more energy or airtime to here, but it got me thinking.

Sometimes we dim our light; not because we don’t believe in ourselves, but because we have to actively work so hard on self belief.

And there are times when our courage & confidence might make someone else squirm, even lash out with personal attacks instead of doing their own work.

But why is their comfort more important than your joy?
Why should their resentment get more space than your sovereignty?

Someone else's bitter interpretation of you is not proof that you’re whatever bad actor they’ve pinned you as.

It’s evidence that you struck a nerve they haven’t looked at yet.

You chose courage.

They could have chosen curiosity and in the process, uncovered something tender, waiting to be healed.

But instead, they lashed out, hurled their stones & indulged in cruelty & hate.

Visibility can feel dangerous.
Being seen invites judgment.
So we stay quiet, small, agreeable… safe.

But at what cost?

This is a reminder, as much for me as it is for you:

Don’t make yourself less visible just to keep someone else comfortable.

Because this, right here, is one of the ways we defer happiness.

We stop ourselves from showing up.
From standing tall.
From loving our lives out loud.

We become afraid our joy, our courage, our strength will be a target. And it will.

But is that a good enough reason to live small?

So here’s what I want to say to today…

Your voice is not too loud; it’s resonant.
Your light is not too much; it’s necessary.
And your courage is not a threat; it’s permission.

Your happiness is your gift to the world.

There will always be those who can’t receive it.

Don’t take that as your burden to carry.

Feel the fear & be brave anyway.

✨ Do the Work (Paid Subscribers Only)

I love this song as an affirmation of this.

So many of us have lived entire lives bottling up our truth because we learned early on that honesty could cost us connection.

That being brave could come with backlash. That our words were either too much or not enough.

But what if telling the truth, isn’t dangerous?
What if it’s the beginning of freedom?

That’s what the lyrics to Brave remind us:

Your silence may have protected you once.
But your voice can heal you now.

If this resonates, I’ve created an inner work exercise to help you explore where fear has silenced you and how to start reclaiming your voice.

🔒 Inside today’s paid section:

✔️ Naming What You’re Afraid to Say: Identify the truths you’ve been holding in & why.

✔️ The Silence Inventory: A gentle exercise to spot where self-protection has cost you connection.

✔️ 3 Steps to Speak with Courage: Practical guidance for finding your voice without apology or self-abandonment.

You don’t need to be loud. You just need to be honest. Let’s begin.