Last week, I flew to Chicago to speak at the Women in Chemicals Conference. My session was called Own Your Image, a room full of smart, ambitious professionals learning how to define their personal brand and show up with more clarity, presence, and power.
It was a beautiful, bold moment.
The room was full. I had a photographer, videographer, and a camera crew capturing every angle. Afterward, people stopped me in the hallway to share what landed. I led the room with strength and strategy. I felt seen. Alive. Aligned.
And then I came home.
The laundry was piled high. The fridge was empty. Mail was stacked on the counter. My youngest hadn’t paid his car payment, again, so I had to remind him what happens to your credit score when you’re late. My oldest is working long hours, taking 18 units, and skipping meals because there just isn’t enough time.
My husband helps, yes. But I’m the one who tracks it all. The logistics. The emotions. The little things that no one sees, but everyone feels if they’re missing.
It’s not that I’m not loved. I am.
It’s not that I’m not valued. I know I am.
But I can still disappear.
Behind the busyness. Behind being the glue. Behind being the Chief Everything Officer of the home.
And that’s the thing.
You can be visible on a stage and invisible in your own life.
You can be admired at work and erased by the weight of the roles you carry.
You can teach others to own their image and still catch yourself shrinking when no one’s watching.
This is what I know from years of working with women (and from living it myself):
If you don’t claim your image, your essence, your presence, it gets chosen for you.
By your inbox.
By your calendar.
By the habits you never meant to keep.
So if any part of this feels familiar, here’s what I want you to do:
Recognize. Reclaim. Reinforce.
Recognize where you’ve gone quiet.
Reclaim one moment this week that belongs only to you—your words, your desires, your voice.
Reinforce your value. Say it out loud. Don’t wait for someone else to give you permission.
Because here’s the truth:
You don’t have to do more.
You just have to be more you.
