The Day I Stopped Shrinking for Everyone Else

For years, I performed the version of myself the world seemed most comfortable with: Quiet. Agreeable. Accommodating.

Especially in corporate spaces—particularly oil and gas—I learned to tone myself down. To shrink. To make myself palatable.

I watched my ideas get repackaged and repeated by others with louder voices. I held my tongue when I wanted to speak the truth. And every time, my body absorbed the weight of my silence like a sponge soaking up sorrow.

Eventually, that silence became a sickness. My gut. My hormones. My energy. My skin. All of it began to break down. And beneath it all, my spirit dimmed.

But I stayed. I stayed because I was afraid. Afraid of letting go of what I had worked so hard to build—even if it was slowly killing me.

Until one day, I couldn’t.

In a meeting, surrounded by the usual noise, I decided not to nod. I decided not to agree. I chose myself. I didn’t raise my voice. I didn’t apologize. I spoke the truth—calm, clear, and without compromise.

And I was fired not long after.

But what felt like rejection became my release.

That moment gave birth to The Metabolic Persona™. Because I finally understood:

When we betray ourselves, our body keeps the score. And when we stop shrinking, we create space for our metabolism, our spirit, and our full selves to expand.

That was the moment I remembered who I was. That was the beginning of my return.

So no, I don’t regret speaking up. I regret waiting so long.

To every woman reading this: stop waiting. Stop folding. Stop silencing your brilliance just to survive.

You are not too much. You were never too much.

You are just right. And you are right on time.