The Secret to Stopping Fear & Creating the Future You Want with Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes: Mastering Courage Through Saying 'Yes'
Discover how TV powerhouse Shonda Rhimes shifted from living a small, fearful life to achieving fulfillment by implementing the powerful "Year of Yes" challenge. Learn the specific steps to stop hiding, start challenging your comfort zone, and reclaim the power to shape your own reality.
Short Summary
- Outcome: Create a larger life by systematically confronting things that evoke fear, regardless of external opinions.
- Outcome: Develop stronger internal clarity, realizing that saying "yes" to growth ultimately strengthens your ability to say "no" strategically.
- Outcome: Reconnect the mind to the body and reclaim personal space by examining seemingly small decisions (like what you eat or whether you attend an event). This conversation reveals that even extreme success masked deep personal dissatisfaction for Shonda Rhimes. She shares the framework she used—a year-long commitment to saying yes to every fear—to bridge the gap between her imaginative life and her actual existence. Understand how internal shifts, like addressing health habits or personal relationships, stem directly from external action.
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Top Comments (10)
We only have a short amount of time here on this Earth. If we don't take advantage of the time we have, time will take advantage of us.
this was such a clear and honest session, mel and shonda made the week long practice feel actually doable and not cheesy, loved the bit where she explains holding the future like a script. it reminded me of mapping the secret economy and after watching this it hits different, like i can actually feel the scaffolding of habits clicking into place. ive been doing tiny shifts since the video and my mornings and focus rearranged themselves, even a small revenue shift showed up which feels wild. the craziest part is how unbelievably easy it is to flip from stuck to productive once you do the tiny steps. gonna try this for a month and report back
“At the end i lost a ton of weight, but that wasnt the thing that was interesting to me. It was that now it felt like my body was a part of me vs it was something that carried my brain around” Oh baby how relatable this is
I did not like my skinny legs, and then it dawned on me, these are my Mother's legs. She had died and would never be able to give me ANYTHING again. So, I decided to accept my skinny legs.
A saw a counselor several years ago and she wrote on a piece of paper, "talk to yourself as if you were talking to a friend" I carried that piece of paper and reminded myself when I said or thought those mean things about myself to speak to yourself in a loving way. You would never speak to a friend with those hurtful words. Great episode!❤️
As the Bible says, love your neighbor As You Love Yourself!! We have to remember to love ourselves!
Thank you Mel and Shonda. "BELIEVE that you have the possibility of changing your own life." So goooood, ❤❤❤
Well said Shondra...I've been saying yes since 2023 when I experienced an interruption which turned into a shift in my life....and I have not looked back...thank you for the confirmation that you too can change...at any age. Les Brown said something similar about finding a mentor..."find a mentor, and if you can't, successful people leave clues...so I read books or follow successful people like yourself...
Introversion is not a character flaw. Nor is it equal to being shy or afraid or having a small life.
I read the Year of Yes after I left my 20 year relationship and it helped me regain my freedom and joy. I have looked up to Shonda Rhimes from the shows she writes/produce to her overall personality. I have always been a quiet spoken person and tend to feel visible to the world. After reading the book, I did so many things that I never thought I would do. I went skydiving and I have a fear of flying, I climbed Pikes Peak (over 14, 000 feet), and now that I became an empty nester, I am looking for my passion and making myself a priority . Working on one of her shows is on my life list. I'm happy to find this interview and remind me of this mindset to help with my next chapter. Thank you!
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Top Comments (10)
We only have a short amount of time here on this Earth. If we don't take advantage of the time we have, time will take advantage of us.
this was such a clear and honest session, mel and shonda made the week long practice feel actually doable and not cheesy, loved the bit where she explains holding the future like a script. it reminded me of mapping the secret economy and after watching this it hits different, like i can actually feel the scaffolding of habits clicking into place. ive been doing tiny shifts since the video and my mornings and focus rearranged themselves, even a small revenue shift showed up which feels wild. the craziest part is how unbelievably easy it is to flip from stuck to productive once you do the tiny steps. gonna try this for a month and report back
“At the end i lost a ton of weight, but that wasnt the thing that was interesting to me. It was that now it felt like my body was a part of me vs it was something that carried my brain around” Oh baby how relatable this is
I did not like my skinny legs, and then it dawned on me, these are my Mother's legs. She had died and would never be able to give me ANYTHING again. So, I decided to accept my skinny legs.
A saw a counselor several years ago and she wrote on a piece of paper, "talk to yourself as if you were talking to a friend" I carried that piece of paper and reminded myself when I said or thought those mean things about myself to speak to yourself in a loving way. You would never speak to a friend with those hurtful words. Great episode!❤️
As the Bible says, love your neighbor As You Love Yourself!! We have to remember to love ourselves!
Thank you Mel and Shonda. "BELIEVE that you have the possibility of changing your own life." So goooood, ❤❤❤
Well said Shondra...I've been saying yes since 2023 when I experienced an interruption which turned into a shift in my life....and I have not looked back...thank you for the confirmation that you too can change...at any age. Les Brown said something similar about finding a mentor..."find a mentor, and if you can't, successful people leave clues...so I read books or follow successful people like yourself...
Introversion is not a character flaw. Nor is it equal to being shy or afraid or having a small life.
I read the Year of Yes after I left my 20 year relationship and it helped me regain my freedom and joy. I have looked up to Shonda Rhimes from the shows she writes/produce to her overall personality. I have always been a quiet spoken person and tend to feel visible to the world. After reading the book, I did so many things that I never thought I would do. I went skydiving and I have a fear of flying, I climbed Pikes Peak (over 14, 000 feet), and now that I became an empty nester, I am looking for my passion and making myself a priority . Working on one of her shows is on my life list. I'm happy to find this interview and remind me of this mindset to help with my next chapter. Thank you!