I Used to Win Emmys. Now I Help Women Stop Apologizing.

I’ve worked in television for over two decades, almost entirely in the non-fiction and documentary space. I’ve worked with celebrities like James Cameron, Sigourney Weaver, Patton Oswalt, James Spader, and others. I’ve won two Emmys.

And for years… I still apologized before I spoke in meetings. I worried at every business lunch if I would be judged for what I ate. I would try to make myself small in large conference rooms, modulating my voice and being as demure as my internal lioness would allow me to be.

I apologized for taking up space—even when I’d earned every seat at the table.

Here’s what nobody tells you about success:

• It doesn’t fix how you feel about yourself.

• It doesn’t stop the noise when you constantly analyze how your hair, face, or body looks compared to others.

• It doesn’t silence the voice that says, “Maybe they made a mistake. Maybe you need to shrink just a little more to really belong.”

I grew up being told I’d be more successful if I lost weight.

• “If only you were thin…”

• “It takes a brave person to love somebody fat.”

• “You’ll come off as a bullying hard-a because you’re fat… don’t be too much.”*

So I worked harder. Stayed quiet. Polished everything—my work, my presence, even my personality.

And I was still saying “I’m sorry” for simply existing in a body that didn’t meet the world’s standards—standards that were, as I later discovered, classist, racist, and devoid of reasonable expectations.

Eventually, I realized: I wasn’t just apologizing to others. I was apologizing to myself.

• “Sorry, you really shouldn’t act that way.”

• “Oh dear. It’s a shame you shouldn’t speak up because you know how people will react.”

• “I’m sorry you are you.”

That was the turning point. I decided to stop.

To borrow a quote from the amazing artist Katie Abey and her mental health mallard: “A gentle reminder that sometimes your brain is a lying piece of sht.”*

It began small.

At my first Emmy Award ceremony, I purposely wore a bright, shiny dress instead of black.

Why is this a big deal? Because I had been told all my life that “black is slimming. It will hide how large you are.”

But dammit—I was going to wear something that reflected how I felt.

I started talking at workshops and conferences about my career. Each presentation reinforced that I was worthy. I earned my place in the spotlight.

I started my own consulting firm, helping other professionals bring their creative visions to life.

Baby steps work. All those stories I had been told—all the things I apologized for—were becoming fainter and fainter in my head.

I kept going.

I gave presentations on living fully and unapologetically, utilizing your creative energies to boost yourself instead of defending yourself against unrealistic expectations.

I created a class on how to discover your talents and build your own personal brand through your successes and achievements.

And I kept going.

Now, I help others tune out that voice in their head and unlearn the habit of constantly apologizing for being who they are.

As a Body Image Certified Coach, I work with individuals and teams to stop the cycle of self-editing, over-apologizing, and believing their worth is something to earn.

Drawing on my background in creating provocative and inspiring documentaries, I help people craft their personal stories into triumphant, heroic narratives.

This isn’t about confidence as a performance. It’s about self-trust. It’s about visibility without shame. It’s about being fully, radically yourself—even if the world hasn’t made space for that version of you before.

Because we don’t need to shrink to be taken seriously. We don’t need to hide to be respected. We don’t need to apologize to be worthy.

✨ We already are. ✨