63. Reclaiming Your Life Narrative: Are You the Author of Your Own Story?

Someone has been narrating your life — and there's a real chance it isn't you.

In this episode, I'm sharing a conversation I had with a close friend that completely cracked me open. She's a painter trying to make the leap into paid creative work, and when a roadblock came up, what stopped her wasn't the obstacle itself — it was the story she'd built around it. A story that wasn't even hers.

We get into the comfort of denial (and why it costs you more than you think), how to tell the difference between something you genuinely want and something you're just speed skating in your head about, and why fear is, truly, the worst writer in the room. This episode is an invitation to pause, question the narrative, and ask yourself: who is actually holding the pen right now?

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] — Someone is narrating your life right now — is it you?

[00:58] — The conversation that started it all: a friend who felt like absolute shit

[03:56] — A painter trying to go from free work to paid work — and the wall she kept hitting

[07:49] — "Everyone who does digital art started at 18 or 19" — and the story hiding inside that

[09:11] — The moment I stopped being shocked by the roadblock and started being shocked by the story

[01:18] — Welcome to Get Messy

[04:41] — Denial is comfortable — not in a luxurious way, more like a padded cocoon with a nail in it

[06:22] — Why complaining is more comfortable than change (and what it's actually costing you)

[06:17] — Have you ever handed someone else the pen to your life story?

[07:24] — The story my mom told me about the 2006 Olympics — and why she was right

[07:51] — "You're speed skating in your head" — and the difference between loving a dream vs. actually wanting it

[07:49] — Do you love it enough to sacrifice for it?

[09:31] — When the real answer underneath "I'm too old" is actually just fear of failing

[09:32] — By not trying, you are failing before you even give yourself the chance to fail

[10:01] — Failing your way into success — why failure is information, not a verdict

[10:01] — Do not let fear be your narrator. Fear is a terrible writer.

[10:58] — You are the lead of your own life story — everyone else is a side character

[11:12] — Whenever you hear an opinion about your life, pause before you absorb it as truth

[12:09] — How different would her story look if she picked up her own pen?

[13:04] — This is your story. Tell it like you mean it.

[13:14] — If this episode stirred something up — send me a DM, leave a review, share it

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Listen to Get Messy: Do You Want the Goal or Just the Glory? A Real Talk on Sacrifice, VO Life & Knowing Your Season
• Listen to Get Messy: You Got You: Building Self-Trust and Impact as a Creative

✨ Connect with Maddie ✨

Explore Maddie's Website | @messywithmaddie