The other day I took my two youngest to see the live-action Moana. My girls are 16 and 13 now, sharing popcorn and mouthing along to songs they’ve known since they were tiny. And somewhere around “I Am Moana,” I remembered that I wrote an article about this exact song nine years ago. The four-year-old who used to beg for that soundtrack on repeat in the backseat is now 13, rolling her eyes at me for crying in a theater. Again.

I went home and reread what I wrote back then, and it seems every word still holds. But I’ve spent nine years since then deep in Human Design and subconscious reprogramming work, and I can’t reread that piece anymore without seeing exactly what I was pointing at without having the language for it yet. Back then I called it “choosing the empowering side of fear.” Now I’d call it what it actually is: refusing to let conditioning run your life.

Here’s what I know now that I didn’t then: Every one of us gets handed a strategy for how we’re “supposed” to move through the world, long before we’re old enough to question it. Work hard. Wait to be asked. Don’t brag. Don’t talk too much. Don’t say too little. Perform for approval. Follow the traditional path, and you’ll be safe. I’m a 1/3 Splenic Projector with an undefined Sacral center, which means my body was never built to grind, hustle, or generate energy on demand. But for most of my life I attempted to do it anyway, because the conditioning was louder than my design. A Manifesting Generator gets told to slow down and wait her turn when her whole nature is built to move fast and try new things. A Reflector gets told to decide quickly when she needs a full lunar cycle to know what’s true. Different designs, same story: shrink so that you fit a mold that was never built for you.

And refusing to do this, it turns out, is what makes a woman radical. Not the loud, showy kind of rebellion. The quiet, terrifying kind where you actually listen to the voice underneath the conditioning and let it lead. Mona’s amazing grandmother said it best. “Nothing on earth can silence the quiet voice still inside you.” Now I know it’s literally true on a nervous system level. That voice doesn’t get silenced. It gets buried under subconscious programming until you do the work to clear it out and hear it again.

And here’s the part I didn’t understand nine years ago: being radical isn’t just about trusting yourself. It’s about what you do once you’re standing in that trust. I’ve built a whole career and a whole life around helping other women and queer folks find that same voice in themselves, because a woman who reclaims her own authority and then keeps that discovery to herself is only doing half the work. The radical thing isn’t just walking off the traditional path. It’s turning around and showing other people the door.

So here’s the original piece, word for word, exactly as I wrote it nine years ago. Read it as the woman I was becoming. Then ask yourself the same question I asked back then, because it still matters just as much now.

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As the mother of a newly minted four-year-old, I have been overexposed to the new Disney princess, Moana. I will admit, this does not really trouble me because the movie is smart, female-centered, and empowering for young women everywhere, and the music was written by my favorite musical genius, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Each morning, after we have dropped her sisters off at school and are on our way to daycare, Scarlett requests the Moana soundtrack. I get to listen to Lin rap, and that makes me happy, so I say yes. But inevitably my favorite moment is when the song “I am Moana” comes on. The song opens with Moana’s grandmother singing and encouraging her to step into who she truly is. The lyrics move me to tears nearly every day. I am moved to share these lyrics with you today and ask … Do you know who you are?

I have listened to these lyrics over and over. I have written them down and said them out loud. They connect deeply with me because there is always the potential for our journeys to leave a scar, and we cannot know the future in front of us — yet we must still soldier on.

I am reminded of my personal transformation. The journey was terrifying. I was unsure who would support me or if I was making the right decisions. I knew it would be difficult and painful, not just for me but for those I loved. Throughout it all, however, I truly and deeply believed that what was on the other side was worth it. I chose the empowering side of fear. It’s true that everything we really want is just on the other side of uncomfortable and, let’s face it, fear is extremely uncomfortable. So I embraced the fear and pushed forward. And yes, the journey left scars.

Over time, those scars have begun to heal, and now I reveal them to you all a tiny bit each day, one by one. They are my personal map. They mark my life experiences, the lessons I’ve learned, the things that did not go well, and those things that were brave and exciting. When I speak to you, it is from a place of total truth and honesty. The journey has not always been easy — it often still isn’t — but is has been so very worth it!

“The things you have learned will guide you, and nothing on earth can silence the quiet voice still inside you.” Listen to that voice. Let it take you to places unknown. How can you ever truly know your limitations if you never try new things? Fear not what the scars will look like; they are just a byproduct of a fulfilling life.

What new journey are you hoping to take? Share in the comments below and let’s support one another. Everything is more achievable when you have a cheering section behind you. I see you. I see your scars, and I admire you for them.

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Whether you grab one of my free resources or just pop into a live show to say hi, I’d love to support you in finding your own version of success with ease. See what resonates and join us whenever you’re ready.