Entrepreneurship · Sophia Hyde

Refuse to Choose

by Sophia Hyde

We are the first generation of women who refuse to choose. We are saying yes to our careers, our families AND ourselves.  The women before us worked twice as hard for half the credit and called it progress. They fought for a seat at the table and paid for it with themselves. They broke the glass ceilings so we could do what's next. But those shards hit us on the way down. We still have the cuts and scrapes to prove it. We walked through it anyway. We built the careers. We showed up for our families. And somewhere in the middle of all of it we decided we were not going to lose ourselves in the process. That decision, that refusal, is the most radical thing a woman can do. Social systems are STILL not built for women business owners. The rules weren't written for us. The definition of success was handed to us by people who never had to choose between a board meeting and a sick kid, never had to calculate whether saying yes to their career meant saying no to their family, never survived off caffeine for days because they were up with their teething baby five times throughout the night. So we did what women have always done. We figured it out anyway. Quietly. Alone. Kicking like hell underneath the surface while looking completely composed above it. But here's what we know: The legacy we are building is bigger than us. When we build a thriving business we are not just creating revenue for ourselves. We are creating jobs. We are investing in our communities. We are proving to every woman watching that it is possible. When we show up for our families without disappearing inside of them we are not just being present. We are rewriting the story our daughters inherit. We are handing them a different picture of what a SUCCESSFUL woman gets to be. When we refuse to put ourselves last we are not being selfish. We are modeling what it looks like to be a woman who knows her worth, and that is the most powerful thing we can give the next generation. This is the feminine legacy. Not just what we build. What we model. What we pass down. What becomes possible for every woman who watches us refuse to shrink. We are here to build something that lasts: in our businesses, in our families, and in the women who come after us. But this work is hard. And it was never meant to be done alone. That's why we're here. Because the woman who is carrying all of it — the career, the family, and herself — deserves a leader, a guide, and a community of women who are building the same legacy and refuse to quit. You already decided you wanted all three. Now let's build something worth passing down. Welcome to the movement. Refuse to Choose is hosted by master-certified life coach Sophia Hyde, author of Unleash Your Favorite Self. Sophia has spent the last six years mentoring female entrepreneurs and executives. Her specialty is helping ambitious women create their favorite life.  There is no template for success. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to do life. Everyone’s path is unique, but there are several tools that can help all of us. The Refuse to Choose podcast is a place for her to teach you those tools, provide resources, tell inspiring stories, offer new perspectives and ideas, and introduce you to badass women who also refuse to choose, women who have created their favorite life and business.  If you want to learn, then click subscribe. Each week she updates this podcast to guide you on your path to your own favorite life and business. I hope you choose to join us.