For my entire career, I’ve been building brands behind the scenes for female founders who were just a few paces ahead of me. Seeing their growth up close felt like a direct mirror for my own potential. They gave me that expansive feeling. If she can do it, so can I.

I’m a brand marketer who works at the intersection of storytelling, marketing, community-building, and helping founders find their voice. I’ve always been able to see other people’s magic — and translate it into a message, an offering, a brand that resonates with and finds the people who need to hear it.

“When would I have the courage to put myself out there, and share my own talents, ideas, and creativity with the world?”

But after a decade of telling other people’s stories — and watching their success expand because of it — I started to have this nagging feeling. If I can do this for others, why am I not doing it for myself? When would I have the courage to put myself out there and share my own talents, ideas, and creativity with the world?

Around my 30th birthday, these questions stopped being theoretical. I was frustrated and shrinking into the background of operations — telling myself that if I could just figure out what I wanted to build, say, or share, then I’d finally start. Once I knew what it was, putting myself out there would feel obvious. But the truth was: Waiting for clarity had become another way of hiding.

You might be familiar with the concept of a “Saturn return.” It’s that period of time in your late twenties when the universe taps you on the shoulder and says, gently but firmly: It’s time to stop living on potential and start taking responsibility for the life you actually want. Whether or not you believe in astrology, this maturation point between 28–31 usually illuminates everything you’ve been avoiding, and asks you to let go of any conditioning that’s not serving the authentic expression of your gifts… and this happens again between 57–60, when life asks you to evaluate if you’re happy with how things are unfolding mid-life.

In the throes of my questioning, I connected with a new friend. She was at a crossroads in her career — burned out on agency life and craving more freedom. Because I’d taken an alternative path as a career freelancer, my advice came from the very real way I’d navigated my own work: Helping her see her value as a creative, understand her marketable skills, and identify brands she could offer them to directly so she could make more money on her own terms.

I didn’t see this advice as anything special. I was just helping a friend by sharing a perspective that felt second nature to me. But when she implemented what I suggested — and saw immediate, tangible success — she reflected it back to me clearly: You have to teach other people how to do this.

“I was ready to put my energy somewhere — to finally build something of my own — so I followed the ping and started down the path.”

At first, I thought it was a boring idea. Teach people how to freelance? I was looking for something more exciting. But I was ready to put my energy somewhere — to finally build something of my own — so I followed the ping and started down the path of creating an e-course.

Excited by the process, I wrote lessons, recorded audio content, designed my brand, and came up with fun marketing ideas. I poured myself into the project for the next eight months, and just when I thought I was nearly ready to launch, it hit me. Now I needed to put myself out there if I really wanted to build this brand… and that felt really, really scary.

I stumbled across a video by an inspiring woman building a business around upskilling the corporate workforce. She shared her journey from zero to thousands of followers after committing to a daily value-forward social media experiment. I related to her background and was motivated by her story, but I remember lying in bed thinking, I would sooner die than put videos of myself on the internet.

And it wasn’t because I wasn’t outgoing or confident. It was because I was afraid of what other people would think of me.

Some of the worries and doubts that tried to hold me back included:

  • What if I’m cringey or seem like a try-hard?
  • What if nobody cares or engages at all?
  • What if I’m not actually good at this?
  • What if I run out of things to say?
  • What if I can’t follow through and fail in front of everyone?
  • What if I just don’t want people thinking about me at all?

But underneath all of those fears was a bigger, heavier question: What if I stayed silent and never shared at all? What would it cost me to keep my work — and myself — hidden? 

And what might be possible if I were brave enough to try?

If any of this feels familiar, you’re not alone. Whether you’re an artist, writer, entrepreneur, leader, coach, professional — or simply someone with lived experience and ideas you want to share — the fear of being seen shows up for all of us. Especially when the work is personal. Especially when it matters.

Pushing through that fear isn’t just about confidence or self-expression. It’s about honoring what’s inside you. It’s about allowing your work to find the people it’s meant to serve. And it’s about opening yourself up to new opportunities, meaningful connections, and conversations that can only happen when you let yourself be visible.

“It’s about honoring what’s inside you. It’s about allowing your work to find the people it’s meant to serve.”

Since that moment of panic lying in bed, I’ve done the thing anyway. I launched. Over the last 12 months, I’ve shared hundreds of videos across social platforms, stayed consistent with my Substack, and started mentoring other founders, creatives, and leaders on how to put themselves out there in a way that actually feels aligned.

Being brave enough to share has led to clients, speaking engagements, brand partnerships, features, sales, new friends, and community. Best of all, I feel proud when I look at my growing body of work and know it’s offering real value to people.

So if you’re ready to step into the light and start sharing, here are the lessons that helped me.

Sharing your work is not showing off — it’s creating visibility

Sharing your work isn’t about showing off — or even about followers. It’s about creating visibility for yourself so you’re top of mind when opportunities arise, or when people need the services, skills, and perspective you can offer.

For a long time, I thought creating content and being visible meant making myself the center of attention. I even judged myself for wanting that. I’ve spoken to so many people who avoid sharing altogether because they don’t want to be self-aggrandizing, egotistical, or show-offy.

What I’ve learned is that visibility isn’t about drawing attention to yourself. It’s about letting your work circulate without trying to control how it’s received. Visibility isn’t vanity. It’s distribution.

“Visibility isn’t vanity. It’s distribution.”

You also get to control the tone of your output. If you’re not a show-offy person, you don’t suddenly become one by sharing your work. You can show up quietly, generously, and with the simple intention of letting the right people find what you’ve made.

When you share what you do, you’re not imposing — you’re offering

Here’s the simple part we often forget: If you don’t tell people what you’re doing, you can’t expect them to know. I had a friend who finally shared her freelance writing services and Substack on LinkedIn to her professional network after years of resistance — and in 24 hours, she got 2 new inbound clients and 75 subscribers… it could be that easy.

“If you don’t tell people what you’re doing, you can’t expect them to know.”

So many people have talents, services, creative projects, or businesses they hope will lead to clients, sales, or opportunities — but they haven’t even told their immediate circle what they’re working on. Meanwhile, people are looking for resources all the time. They’re trying to solve problems. They’re asking for recommendations.

When you share what you do, you’re not imposing — you’re offering. You’re giving people a chance to remember you when the moment is right. That’s not self-promotion. It’s a service. And when done thoughtfully, it’s a win-win.

You don’t have to have it all figured out — clarity unfolds over time

When you’re starting off, begin with a few simple intentions: share your work, provide value to others, and stay consistent — even if consistency, for now, means once a month.

As you put things out into the world, you’ll start to receive feedback on what you create – through messages, comments, and conversations. Pay more attention to the qualitative signals than the vanity metrics.

“When you let yourself start before you feel ready, your work begins to take shape in conversation with the world instead of in isolation.”

Try not to judge your work or over-strategize too early. Give yourself at least ten pieces (posts, articles, videos) before deciding what’s working. You’re still getting your bearings — learning what feels good to create, noticing who’s on the other side, and understanding what you want to build by paying attention to what energizes you.

When you let yourself start before you feel ready, your work begins to take shape in conversation with the world instead of in isolation.

What I’ve learned is that clarity is a byproduct of movement, not a requirement for it. I didn’t find my voice by thinking harder in private. I found it by showing up, sharing what felt true that day, and noticing what resonated.

You don’t have to pretend to be an expert; share from your experience

We don’t need more people pretending to have it all figured out. We need more people willing to be honest, relatable, and open enough to let others walk alongside them.

“We need more people willing to be honest, relatable, and open enough to let others walk alongside them.”

What’s often more compelling than the final result is the journey itself – the micro-moments that shape you along the way. The mistakes you’ve made. The challenges you learned from. The times you took the long, circuitous route. The moments when things unexpectedly worked out, or when you met someone who shifted the trajectory of your life.

Instead of trying to polish everything into “content,” start sharing what’s already present for you:

  • What have you been thinking about lately?
  • How did you make whatever you’re sharing?
  • What are you learning in real time?
  • What’s something you wish you knew before that now feels like a no-brainer?
  • How do you feel about sharing your work?
  • Who do you hope it reaches?

Sharing what’s alive in you today is where authenticity and connection stem from. You don’t need to position yourself as an expert. Being just 10% ahead of someone is 100% valuable to them.

It’s all material for your growth

Whatever feelings arise for you around this process — note them. They are not trying to stop you from moving forward… they are just ready to be felt so that you can move to your next level. 

Whether it’s imposter syndrome, self-doubt, shame, embarrassment, self-judgment… see them for what they are: opportunities to release something that’s been holding you back, instead of roadblocks to what you want.

“Someone out there is looking for exactly what you have to offer. “

You don’t have to become an influencer, over-expose yourself, or suddenly feel completely fearless. The only goal is to take one step at a time — to share what’s already inside you and trust that the path will reveal itself as you keep moving.

Start where you are, and let yourself be seen a little more than yesterday. Someone out there is looking for exactly what you have to offer. 

So if there’s something you’ve been wanting to say or share, consider this your permission slip. I’ll be cheering you on.

Featured image is by Andrew Parsons

Grace Abbott is a LA-based freelance Brand & Marketing Strategist and a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She has a degree in Graphic Design from Parsons School of Design and is the founder of How To Go Freelance — a brand dedicated to empowering creatives to monetize their skills and build personal brands. Beyond work, she’s always studying a new spiritual modality, painting her bedroom a new color, practicing Pilates, hosting friends, or going on a nature walk with her chihuahua, Donnie. Find her on Substack or Instagram.