To the Girl Who Had to Hide: A Letter to Myself

This week in therapy, as I began the heavy, necessary work of processing the last six months, I was asked to do something that felt terrifying: write a letter to myself.

Not the "Elizabeth" that runs a business, not the coach that leads classes, and not the woman who keeps it all together for everyone else. I had to write to the part of me that has been in hiding for far too long.

I’m sharing this not because it’s polished, but because I know so many of you have also spent years "pushing yourselves down" to make other people comfortable. If you’ve ever felt like your heart was "too much," this is for you.

Dear Elizabeth,

I promise to protect you.

I know that I have pushed you so far down, and I know that I thought it was to protect you, but in reality, I was just hiding you. I was hiding you because I was convinced that no one would love the real you. I thought I had to curate, edit, and shrink you just so you’d be "acceptable" to the world.

But that ends today.

You don’t have to hide anymore. I’ve got you. I promise to learn how to truly protect you, to keep you safe, and to honor who you are—all of you. Not just the polished parts, not just the parts that fit into the boxes other people create, but all of it.

I will no longer put you in situations where you are used or mistreated. I need you to know this: Your heart is not "too much." Who you are is not "too much."

I’ll be honest, I don’t always feel like I know you yet. We’ve been strangers for a long time. But I want to. And more than anything, I promise to be a safe place for you.

Why I’m Sharing This

For years, I thought my value as a coach was defined by my output, my aesthetic, or how much I could handle without breaking. I thought being "strong" meant being unreachable.

But true strength? True strength is admitting that you’ve been hiding, and choosing to step out into the light.

If you are reading this and feeling that same urge to shrink yourself to please an employer, a partner, or a society that doesn't see your worth—please know that you are enough, exactly as you are. You don't need to hide. And it is never, ever too late to start being a safe place for yourself.