Last week, I walked by a little market in our neighborhood and saw big, bright bunches of sunflowers out front.
I’ve never met a sunflower I didn’t love, so of course I bought some.
As I carried them home, I noticed something:
Some were fully open, radiant and vibrant.
Others were still closed, waiting for their moment to bloom.
And I thought: Isn’t this the perfect metaphor for being human?
A sunflower’s purpose is so beautifully simple: to blossom into its fullest expression.
Isn’t that our purpose as humans, too?
In the past few weeks, I’ve spoken with so many accomplished women — leaders, mothers, creators — who’ve said almost the same thing:
“I’ve built a great career. I’ve taken care of my family. But I know there’s more for me and of me. I’m afraid I’m not living the full life I’m meant to live.”
If you’ve felt this, please know that you’re not alone.
And you’re not broken or doing something wrong.
This feeling is not a flaw. It’s a sign that you’re ready for more.
What you’re feeling are your unopened petals calling to you. Asking you to open, to blossom into the bold, vibrant version of yourself you haven’t fully expressed yet.
Pause for a moment and imagine yourself as a sunflower.
Each petal is an aspect of you.
What are some of your petals?
Leader.
Parent.
Friend.
Creator.
Teacher.
(Keep going... add as many as you can think of.)
Some petals are already open. You've given them expression in your life.
Others are still closed, waiting.
Maybe you have an idea of what they are because they've called to you before. Maybe it was just a whisper.
I ignored one of my petals for years: my voice as a speaker.
Twenty years ago, I spoke on stage for the first time. I was working for a venture capital fund at the time and was invited to give a keynote at an event for women entrepreneurs in Syracuse.
It felt incredible. I felt so alive on stage. And the response was amazing.
But I dismissed it as a "fluke", telling myself it wasn’t part of the path I “should” take.
When I finally allowed that petal to open and began giving it expression, everything shifted. Speaking became not just part of my work, but a source of energy and impact that transformed my career and my life.
It's one of my favorite ways to serve people!
This is what growth and reinvention really are:
Not blowing up your life or becoming some new version of yourself.
But becoming more of who you already are and stepping bolding into who you are meant to be.
Reinvention is about opening up all of your petals, uncovering your many dimensions and expressing them in ways that light you up inside.
When you open your other petals that have been waiting, you step into the deepest aliveness and fulfillment because you’re growing into your fullest expression.
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