Today Is Not the Day to Doubt Yourself

Today is not the day to doubt yourself. That’s what dropped in mid-run, right when my mind was doing its whole dramatic thing about whether I could actually hit five miles. I hadn’t run that distance in almost a year. My marathon-training injury had taken me out for eleven months, and before that I’d already spent two years wrestling with a lung condition that eventually turned into asthma. It felt like every time one thing healed, something else arrived to test me. Truly, cut me a break, Universe.

But the doubt wasn’t really about running. It rarely is. Doubt shows up in the places where we’ve already been stretched thin. It builds after years of trying to be strong, of carrying more than we admit, of being the dependable one, the one who keeps going even when it hurts. It builds after being underestimated in rooms we worked hard to enter, after shrinking ourselves to fit expectations, after our bodies have weathered illness, stress, hormones, burnout, and seasons of life that changed us in ways we didn’t ask for.

So when my mind started questioning whether I could make five miles, it wasn’t questioning my fitness. It was questioning my identity. My strength. My trust in myself. The quiet fear under the fear was simple: am I still the woman I thought I was?

The irony is that five miles used to be my warm-up. I ran marathons and half marathons. Long distance didn’t intimidate me; it grounded me. Running was where I felt most at home in my body, most clear, most capable. But after the injury and the asthma and the months of recovery layered with work and life fatigue, I was rebuilding not just endurance but belief.

My mind kept pulling me back to the woman I was before the setbacks. And comparison like that has a way of making everything feel impossible. It wasn’t my body giving up; it was the old story of who I used to be trying to measure who I am now.

At some point, I turned up my running playlist to shift the energy. A tiny dance party started in my mind, just enough to remember joy, to reconnect with something lighter. And in that small opening, a mantra rose up:

Today is not the day to doubt yourself.

It felt like a reclaiming. A line drawn between the old narrative and the new one that was trying to form. I kept repeating it until the doubt softened. Until I felt myself settle into a rhythm that had nothing to do with who I was before and everything to do with who I’m becoming now. Eventually my app announced, congratulations, you hit your goal of five miles.

The run wasn’t the victory. Reconnecting with my truth was. The truth was, I could run the five miles. I had the capacity all along. It was only the doubt—quiet, heavy, accumulated through years of being knocked down—that was trying to stop me.

And I knew that doubt wasn’t new. It had been showing up in my work, in my decisions, in the moments where I felt myself lingering on the edge of something bigger but hesitating. For so many women, this doubt doesn’t come from lack of ability. It comes from everything we’ve been told about who we should be and how we should move through the world. It’s layered from years of being encouraged to be smaller, quieter, more agreeable, more grateful. It shows up after life forces us to rebuild again and again, until we question whether we still have it in us to rise.

In that way, doubt isn’t a sign we’re not ready. It’s often a sign we’re right at the edge of expansion. The old story doesn’t fit anymore, but the new one hasn’t fully taken shape. Our nervous system wants safety, but our soul wants more. Doubt signals possibility, not failure.

I finished the run and gave myself a small, private hug. We did that. And later, talking to clients, I realized how many of us are living versions of the same moment. Different circumstances, same ache. Doubt showing up right before clarity. Doubt showing up right before growth. Doubt showing up when we’re finally ready for a bigger life.

Not everyone has someone cheering them on. And even when we do, it only goes so far. At some point, the belief has to come from within. That mantra stayed with me not as motivation, but as a reminder of who I actually am when I’m not tangled in old stories.

Today is not the day to doubt yourself became a practice. A way of choosing myself again. A way of taking one small act of belief at a time. Sending the email. Having the conversation. Naming the desire. Trusting the dream. Taking the step. Returning to the woman I am now, not the one I used to be.

So I want to ask you gently:

Where is doubt stealing possibility in your life right now?
What would your version of mile five look like in this season?
And what might shift if, just for today, you chose not to doubt yourself?

Today is not the day to doubt yourself. Doubt has taken enough already. You are capable of more than the outdated story still trying to define you. Your next chapter requires belief, not hesitation.

JOIN US Wednesday, December 17th 12 PM PST/ 3 PM EST/ 8 PM GMT

Stepping Into What’s True: A She Ventures Visioning Circle 

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Let’s gather in community to close out 2025 with intention and step into 2026 with clarity. This visioning circle is a space to pause, reflect, and listen for what feels true for the year ahead—what you’re ready to release, and what you feel called to step toward next.

We’ll explore what this past year has shaped in you, what you’re consciously leaving behind, and what wants room to grow. This is an honest moment to reconnect with yourself before the new year begins, surrounded by women walking their own path of expansion.

This gathering also marks the beginning of monthly She Ventures women’s circles for connection, grounding, and aligned growth.

If you feel the pull, we would love to have you there. Come begin your next chapter from a place of truth and love, not doubt.
Not tomorrow. Today.