Crowned in Quiet

Another Virgo week sweeps by and a happy full second week of September!

Confession: I had to double-check my calendar because, whew, this Midwest heat had me lost in the sauce 🥵. And let me be real with you — I caught myself wishing my days away just to fast-forward into cooler fall weather 🍂.

Yes, me. The same woman who preaches don’t wish your life away and be present. And yet, here I was, secretly praying for pumpkin-spice breezes ☕🍁 while sweating through late-summer chaos. Why? Because my air conditioner was broken!

When the weather cooled off for a week in late August, silly me thought summer had finally packed her bags. Oh, how wrong I was.  The heat came back like an uninvited ex, loud & annoying, and I was over it.

But now that my air conditioner is officially back in cool mode,  I’m back to being present. No more skipping over Virgo season — even though Libra season is around the corner (fair warning: I will not shut up about it ♎).

And with this cool air flowing, September holds another milestone for me: three years in business! 🎉.

Three Years, Three Very Different Lessons

Let me break it down:

Year One: adrenaline + excitement! Everyone’s curious, cheering, watching 👀.

Year Two: reality sets in. The noise quiets. The validation slows.

Year Three: the applause doesn’t sustain you.  Discipline and belief in yourself do.

Here’s the truth nobody glamorizes: silence is the real test.  Can you keep showing up when nobody’s watching? 

What I Thought vs. What Really Happened

When I launched Your Own Pathway, I was sure I’d stay in therapy long-term. But by year two, I knew I had outgrown what felt familiar. I was scared of the unknown, but I also knew the known was keeping me small.

So I leapt.  I started my YouTube channel. 🎙️ I launched my podcast. I did the very things that once made me cringe.

And in my wildest fantasies (not those kinds of fantasies 😏), I imagined I’d be viral by now, cashing YouTube checks 💸 while sipping espresso in Dubai 🏝️. Instead? Some days my analytics barely crack one view. A single like feels like fireworks.

I don’t share this for pity. I share it because it’s real. Because maybe you’re there too.

The Test of Silence

Here’s what silence has taught me:

Anyone can shine in the spotlight ✨. Silence asks if you can shine in the dark .
Anyone can rise with applause 👏. Silence asks if you can rise with none.
Anyone can keep going when success is visible 🏆. Silence asks if you’ll keep going when success feels invisible.
Silence isn’t failure. It’s your training ground. It’s where resilience is forged, where self-doubt wrestles with discipline, and where you discover what you’re really made of.

Why? because building something real takes time.

Here’s the hard truth:

✨ Anything can go viral.
✨ Anyone can build fast and flashy.
✨ But the faster you rise, the faster it crumbles.

If you want to build something real, you have to be willing to move slow. To let the silence stretch you, refine you, and anchor you.

🌱 What grows slow, grows strong.
🌱 What takes time, takes root.
🌱 What’s built in silence can’t be shaken by noise.

This is what three years of Your Own Pathway has taught me: fast is easy, slow is foundational.

Empowerment Without Applause

Three years in, silence has been my greatest teacher. And here’s what I know now:

Applause is fleeting. Purpose is forever.
Likes come and go. Consistency compounds.
Validation is seasonal. Self-trust is eternal .
Every time I showed up in silence, I wasn’t just building a business — I was building me.

Acceptance as the Anchor

Silence has also taught me acceptance:

✔ I’m not behind ⏳.
✔ My path will never look like anyone else’s 🛤️.
✔ The right people + opportunities arrive in alignment ✨ — not panic 🚫.

Acceptance doesn’t mean settling. It means releasing shame, timelines, and comparison. It means honoring your path without apology .

✨ Three years in, I’ve learned this:

 I don’t need the crown handed to me — I forged it in silence. 👑
I don’t need the spotlight — I am the fire that lights the room. 🔥
I don’t need the applause — I am the drumbeat that keeps me moving. 🥁

✨Here’s the truth: silence was never your weakness — it was your sharpening ground.

Now, I want to be clear: this isn’t about dismissing anyone who found success quickly or overnight. ✨ If that’s their story, celebrate it. Their path is theirs — and that’s beautiful.

But here’s where the danger lies: when we compare our slow, steady journey to someone else’s highlight reel. When we decide our silence must mean we’re failing, or that applause equals worth.

The truth? Success wears many faces. Some paths come fast. Others take time. Neither is better — but comparison will rob you blind of your own joy, your own growth, your own crown.

And that’s where the real strength lives: in showing up without the applause, in trusting the timing of your own path, in honoring the foundation you’re building even when it feels invisible. ✨

Because true power isn’t proven by the noise around you — it’s crowned in the silence within you.

Darlings, remember this: Queens don’t wait to be chosen. They rise — and become the crown. And the crown? It never asks for permission. 👑