In a world that rewards conformity and punishes authenticity, finding yourself can feel impossible.
You’ve learnt to shrink. To soften. To make yourself palatable.
But somewhere beneath all that careful conditioning lives your real voice. Your wild creativity. Your unfiltered truth.
And it’s tired of hiding.
If you’re a sensitive, soulful woman who’s forgotten what it feels like to express yourself without fear, this is for you. This is about remembering who you were before you learnt to be what others needed.
At Maria Duckhouse Coaching, I believe that your authentic voice isn’t something you need to find. It’s something you need to stop abandoning.
What Authentic Self-Expression Really Means
Authentic self-expression isn’t about being fearless.
It’s about being honest, even when your voice shakes.
It’s the moment you stop asking “Is this okay?” and start asking “Is this true?”
It’s choosing your own approval over everyone else’s comfort.
Most of us have spent so long performing our lives that we’ve forgotten what it feels like to actually live them. We’ve become experts at reading the room, anticipating needs, smoothing over discomfort.
But authenticity asks something different of us.
It asks us to show up as we are, not as we think we should be.
Breaking Free From the Perfectionism Prison
Perfectionism isn’t about having high standards.
It’s about having impossible ones.
It’s the voice that says “not yet,” “not good enough,” “what will they think?”
It’s the reason your creativity stays locked in your head instead of flowing onto the page, the canvas, the stage.
Here’s what I know about perfectionism: it’s not protecting you from judgement. It’s protecting you from being seen.
Jane’s Story:
Jane came to me with paintbrushes she hadn’t touched in months. “I start something and then I hate it,” she said. “So I just… don’t start.”
We began with one rule: everything she created had to be “imperfect.” She had to leave visible brushstrokes, intentional smudges, unfinished edges.
Six months later, her art was raw, alive, unmistakably hers. Not because she’d become a better artist, but because she’d stopped trying to be a perfect one.
Your Turn:
Start something today with the intention of making it imperfect. Write a messy first draft. Sing off-key. Paint outside the lines.
The goal isn’t the outcome. It’s remembering that you’re allowed to be human.
Letting Go of What Others Expect
The heaviest thing you carry isn’t your bag or your responsibilities.
It’s the weight of everyone else’s expectations.
You’ve been so busy being what others need that you’ve forgotten to ask what you need.
The successful career that feels hollow.
The relationship where you’ve lost yourself.
The version of you that everyone loves but you don’t recognise.
Emma’s Story:
Emma spent five years in a corporate job that looked perfect on paper. Good salary, impressive title, approving family.
But she cried in her car most mornings.
When she finally admitted she wanted to teach music to children, the pushback was immediate. “You’re throwing your life away.” “You’ll never make enough money.” “What about your future?”
Two years later, she wakes up excited. Not every day, but most days. And that’s enough.
Your Turn:
Write down three expectations others have of you that don’t align with what you actually want.
Then ask yourself: What would I choose if I trusted that I could handle their disappointment?
The Path Back to Yourself
Personal growth isn’t about becoming someone new.
It’s about remembering who you were before the world told you who to be.
Creative Coaching: A Different Kind of Healing
Traditional coaching often focuses on goals, strategies, outcomes.
Creative coaching focuses on truth.
It’s not about fixing you (you were never broken).
It’s about creating space for all the parts of you that have been silenced.
Through art, writing, movement, and conversation, we explore what wants to be expressed. We give voice to what’s been voiceless. We make room for the messy, complicated, beautiful truth of who you are.
Sarah’s Story:
Sarah couldn’t find words for what she was feeling. The grief, the anger, the hope all tangled together.
So we painted instead.
What emerged on the canvas surprised her. Bold strokes of red she didn’t know she had in her. Gentle blues that spoke of peace she’d forgotten existed.
“I didn’t know I felt this,” she said, staring at what she’d created.
“You always did,” I replied. “You just needed permission to show it.”
Rediscovering Your Inner Voice
Your inner voice never left.
You just learnt to talk over it.
Reconnecting isn’t about meditation retreats or complex spiritual practices (though those can be lovely).
It’s about creating quiet moments in your loud life.
Simple Ways to Listen Inward:
Morning pages: Write three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts each morning. Don’t edit, don’t judge, don’t worry about making sense.
Body check-ins: Throughout the day, pause and ask your body what it needs. Rest? Movement? Comfort? Trust what comes up.
Creative play: Do something creative with no purpose other than joy. Doodle. Dance. Sing in the shower like you mean it.
Lucy’s Story:
Lucy felt completely disconnected from herself. “I don’t even know what I like anymore,” she told me.
We started with five-minute morning pages. Just five minutes of writing whatever came to mind.
Slowly, patterns emerged. Dreams she’d forgotten. Desires she’d buried. Truths she’d been too afraid to acknowledge.
Six months later, she’d changed careers, ended a relationship that was suffocating her, and started the novel she’d been “meaning to write” for ten years.
Empowerment Through Self-Discovery
Women’s empowerment isn’t about becoming stronger.
It’s about remembering that you already are.
Moving Through Self-Doubt
Self-doubt isn’t a character flaw.
It’s a symptom of a world that profits from your insecurity.
Every time you question whether you’re good enough, smart enough, worthy enough, remember: these doubts weren’t born in you. They were taught to you.
Anna’s Story:
Anna’s hands would shake before every presentation. “I don’t know why I’m so scared,” she said. “I know my stuff.”
We traced the fear back to its origin. A teacher who’d humiliated her in front of the class when she was eight. A critical parent who’d corrected every word she spoke.
Her fear wasn’t about public speaking. It was about being seen, heard, potentially rejected.
We started small. Recording voice notes to herself. Speaking her thoughts aloud while alone. Gradually building trust in her own voice.
Now she speaks at conferences. Not because she’s no longer afraid, but because she’s learnt that her message matters more than her fear.
Your Path Forward:
Write down your biggest fear about expressing yourself authentically.
Then ask: Whose voice is this? When did I first learn to be afraid of this?
Most of our fears about authenticity aren’t ours. They’re inherited.
Creating Your Supportive Community
You can’t heal in isolation.
You need witnesses to your becoming. People who see you clearly and love you anyway.
But here’s the thing about supportive community: it’s not about surrounding yourself with people who always agree with you.
It’s about finding people who support your right to be yourself, even when that self is still figuring things out.
What Real Support Looks Like:
They celebrate your wins without trying to manage your risks.
They hold space for your struggles without trying to fix them.
They reflect back your strength when you can’t see it yourself.
They remind you of who you are when you forget.
This is why I created group coaching spaces. Because transformation happens not just in the work we do alone, but in the witness we offer each other.
Your Permission Slip
You don’t need anyone’s permission to be yourself.
But if you’re waiting for it anyway, here it is:
You’re allowed to change your mind.
You’re allowed to disappoint people.
You’re allowed to want things that don’t make sense to others.
You’re allowed to take up space.
You’re allowed to be imperfect, complicated, gloriously human.
Your authentic voice isn’t waiting for you to become worthy of it.
It’s waiting for you to stop believing you’re not.
The world needs what you have to offer. Not the polished, perfected version of it.
The real, raw, courageously imperfect version.
That’s where your power lives.
That’s where your freedom begins.
As always, I’m here if you have a question or would like some support send me a quick message and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can. Until then, take care.
With much love, Maria.
https://mariaduckhouse.com | Let’s connect on Instagram
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