Betty White’s Quiet Rebellions
“Not photogenic”? “Too late”? Betty White built her own stage — and never let anyone rain on her parade.
Studios once told Betty White she wasn’t “photogenic.” So she built her own lane — first in radio, then in TV. In 1953 she didn’t just star; she produced her own sitcom (Life with Elizabeth) — a woman running the show in an era that told women to smile and sit pretty.
Yes, she was a rule-breaker and certainly unusual for her time. That’s a healthy reminder of our social history — but it’s not an excuse to shrug and say, “Well, she was Betty White. I’m not.”
In fact, I think Mrs. White would be appalled to know that any woman would shrink herself to fit a script handed down by someone else.
And when affiliates demanded she drop a Black performer in 1954, she said, “I’m sorry… live with it,” and gave him more airtime. Decades later? At 88, she hosted Saturday Night Live and took home an Emmy.
Betty’s gift wasn’t just comedy — it was agency. When doors didn’t open, she built a stage.
This morning I opened Facebook and the very first thing I saw was Barbra Streisand belting out “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” Talk about cosmic timing. That’s Betty White energy through and through — bold, cheeky, and absolutely unwilling to let someone else script her life.
Because here’s the truth: it’s never too late to begin. To reclaim. To discover. To reinvigorate. Right now is the time to break the damn rules!
Betty White didn’t let studios, censors, or age stop her. She just kept saying: live with it. And then she did the thing anyway.
She didn’t have anything “extra” or “special.” What she did have was a strong bond with herself — her intuition, her soul. That was her north star. And here’s the good news: that same bond is available to you. There’s no gatekeeper deciding who gets to have a relationship with their own soul. The only person holding you back from trusting your intuition is you. And you can change that.
That’s why I created my nifty little PDF, “Building Trust With Yourself.” I gift it to all new subscribers. All you have to do is ask, and I’ll shoot it over to you — measured steps and prompts to help you strengthen your bond with your intuition.
If you’ve ever been told you’re “too much,” “not enough,” or “too late,” take a page from Betty — and from Barbra too: don’t let anyone rain on your parade.
We’re not invisible. We’re not done. And we are sure as hell not here to shrink.
And with that, this Monday morning pep talk comes to a close. We now return to our regular “programming” — but make damn sure the programming is something you choose.
✨Inside my Substack circle, that’s exactly what we practice — agency, reinvention, and using our voices out loud. Daily notes, Voxer pep talks, Sunday Zoom circles. Come stand in your own spotlight, where it’s safe to be bold.
Yes, those are the tangible benefits of being a paid subscriber. But the real benefit? The one I can’t name? That’s the one you’ll give yourself… the moment you finally choose you.