I was on the phone with a new client. Anyone who meets this woman would think, “Whoa. Now THAT is a powerful woman.”

She’s got it all. The successful business. The gorgeous website. The confident, cool personality. She has worked hard for everything she’s got. She’s proud of what she’s built. And she’s happy with her life. Genuinely happy.

And yet…

“Sometimes, even today, I still feel like I am ‘hiding’,” she told me.

“Hiding? Like how?” I asked.

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She explained that—even though most people would consider her to be very “brave” and “public” and “visible” (she’s active on social media, she’s a frequent guest on podcast shows)—sometimes, she feels like she is hiding. Like she’s not being completely authentic, not being completely frank about her opinions, or not playing as big and deep as she could be.

“It’s like I am hiding in plain sight,” she explained.

Her words really landed with me. Sometimes, I feel the same way. I think many people do.

Maybe you post cheerful recipes on your blog. People love what you post. You enjoy it, too. But you feel like you’re hiding because the truth is, at this point, muffin recipes feel “easy” and “safe” for you. You wish you could find the courage to write about politics, racism, divorce, and your personal experiences with adoption…

Or maybe you run a hot podcast. Top of the charts on iTunes. But you feel like you’re hiding because the truth is, audio is a very comfortable medium for you. Video is much scarier. Because you’ve still got those unresolved body-image issues and you hate being on-camera…

When you look at your life and your career, how are you showing up bravely? And how are you still hiding?

We all have areas where we’re showing up fully—and areas where we’re still holding back.

What are yours?

What if you take down the shield and let a little more of your light pour out?

What’s the worst that could happen?

Also: what’s the best that could happen?

PS. I have just TWO spots left for my upcoming BARE Coach Training. It’s happening November 12th-17th in Savannah, GA. After the 5 day all-inclusive in person training (just get yourself there) we meet for 6 more live video classes to get you all set to help women STOP HIDING with the signature BARE process. If you want to help women in a big way…check out this link for more details about the BARE process and then apply here!