Lately, I’ve been watching Frozen a lot. (Like… A LOT.) If you have a toddler, you get it. And since we’re off to Disney World this week, it’s been taken up a notch. 😂

My daughter is obsessed, which means I basically have the entire script memorized at this point. But something hit me differently the last time I watched it—something I hadn’t really processed before.

For those of you who aren’t Frozen superfans (or have blocked it out after the 1,000th viewing), let me refresh your memory:

Elsa is born with an incredible gift—the ability to create ice and snow with her hands. As a little girl, she and her sister, Anna, play with this magic joyfully, until one day, Elsa accidentally hurts Anna. Their parents take Anna to the trolls, who heal her but also erase her memory of Elsa’s magic and scare their parents by telling them that her powers are only going to get stronger with time.

Then the real damage happens:

The king and queen tell Elsa she must never use her powers again. They teach her to “conceal, don’t feel”—to suppress who she truly is. Out of fear of hurting others, she isolates herself. She spends years locked away, hiding her magic, afraid of being too much. Believing her gift is actually a curse.

And watching it this time, I realized: how often are we taught to do the exact same thing?

How many times in our lives have we been told to dim our light, quiet down, not be so sensitive, not take up so much space?

How often have we been conditioned to believe that parts of us—our emotions, our dreams, our voice, our magic—are too much for the world?

I’ll never forget when my high school boyfriend told me I was too emotional to be a psychologist. He told me I’d never be able to help people because I felt things too deeply.

For a moment, I questioned myself. Was he right? Was there something wrong with me?

Luckily, deep down, I knew better. I knew my emotions weren’t a weakness—they were my superpower. And thank goodness I trusted that truth, because if I had listened to him, I wouldn’t be here today, doing the work I do, impacting lives, and showing women how to step into their power.

But let’s be real—there have been plenty of times when I did doubt myself. When I did feel like I was too much. When I suppressed parts of myself to fit in or be more “acceptable.”

For example, I remember speaking at an event in London and asking my husband if my outfit was too much during the taxi ride to the venue.

And I know I’m not alone.

Maybe you were told as a child that you were too loud, too wild, too sensitive, too ambitious.

Maybe someone in your past made you feel like your dreams were ridiculous, your emotions were embarrassing, or your ideas were unrealistic.

Maybe you’ve been playing small your whole life because, at some point, you were made to believe that being fully yourself wasn’t safe.

But here’s what Frozen (and life) has taught me:

Suppressing your magic doesn’t protect you—it just keeps you from living.

Elsa thought keeping her power locked away would keep everyone safe, but all it did was make her miserable. It was only when she fully embraced who she was that she found freedom, joy, and connection.

And by the way… I want to make something clear.

At first, stepping into her power wasn’t Elsa’s choice—life actually did it for her.

At first, she was alone again in that castle made of glass. Things were scary. There was a monster.

But she was alone and FREE.

And in the end, everything turned out the way she wanted not because of fear—but because of love.

It wasn’t running away that saved her. It wasn’t isolating herself. It wasn’t controlling or suppressing her power.

It was love.

Love for herself. Love for her sister. Love for who she was meant to be.

So let me ask you…

How often are we allowing all of our fears, what-ifs, and doubts to keep us from stepping into our own version of freedom?

How often do we stay in situations, relationships, or identities that no longer serve us just because they feel safer than the unknown?

How often do we trade true joy for familiar discomfort?

And what if—just like Elsa—you chose love over fear?

What if you chose to love yourself fully, exactly as you are?

What if you stopped hiding the parts of yourself that are meant to shine?

What if you released the belief that you have to play small to be accepted?

Because the truth is, the thing you’ve been suppressing—the thing you’ve been afraid of—is actually your greatest strength.

The world doesn’t need a watered-down version of you.

In the words of Marianne Williamson:

“Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you… As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

The world needs you in all your magic.

And if no one has told you before—if no one has given you permission to step into the fullest, most powerful version of yourself—let me be the one to say it now:

It’s time to let it go (yes, I went there).

Step into your power. Own your gifts. Stop playing small.

Because you deserve to live a life that isn’t just safe—but one that’s extraordinary.

With love and belief in you,