You’re Not Intimidated—You’re Inspired!
I was chatting with a girlfriend over the weekend when I casually said,
“I’m intimidated by them.”
The words rolled off my tongue, a passing comment, but later, those words echoed in my mind.
Why was I intimidated?
I sat with the idea of intimidation and unpacked it, what I realized is, it wasn’t intimidation at all.
It was admiration.
What I felt wasn’t fear. It was AWE.
The discomfort was a signal, an ache to embody something I hadn’t given myself full permission to own yet. (Holy shit!)
Have you ever met someone and instantly shrank?
Not because they said anything unkind.
Not because they did anything wrong.
But because they lit a fire inside of you? Because they were big and mighty and powerful and glorious?!?!!?!
Maybe they were confident.
Clear.
Magnetic.
Unapologetically themselves.
Unwavering in a set of values.
Maybe they were messy, playful, grateful or professional. Whatever it was, it resonated with your spirit! It shook something inside of you.
And instead of feeling inspired, you felt. . .threatened or insecure, then you began to play small in their presence.
Let’s talk about that feeling.
Intimidation vs. Admiration
At first glance, they can feel almost identical.
Both stir emotion.
Both can feel overwhelming.
Both can make your heart race or your stomach turn.
But here’s the key difference:
Admiration is rooted in curiosity and possibility.
Intimidation is rooted in comparison and fear.
When we admire someone, we’re inspired by what’s possible for us.
We recognize something we are attracted to and it pulls us in. It’s up to us to lean in or out. I choose to LEAN IN!
Even if there’s some comparison, there’s still a sense of openness.
When we feel intimidated, our walls go up.
We can’t step out of jealousy. We judge. We create distance.
Our brain says things to seperate us like they must be fake, they had help, or “must be nice”, when in reality, we’re confronting the parts of ourselves we’ve disowned.
It’s Not About Them—It’s About What Gets Activated in You
When you feel intimidated, it’s rarely about the other person.
It’s about what their presence mirrors back to you: (and IF YOU ARE WILLING TO LISTEN you may find. . .)
A confidence you haven’t stepped into yet
A life you haven’t allowed yourself to believe you can have
A level of self-trust you’re still working on
A kind of power you were taught to dim
Awareness and willingness is the key to creating something new and bigger!
That is how healing is possible. We listen to the signals, we pick up the baton, we notice the discomfort and we lean in!
If you can pause and ask yourself,
“Am I actually intimidated? Or am I deeply moved and don’t know how to hold it yet?”
You open the door to something magical.
You stop seeing others as competition or threat.
You start seeing them as mirrors, expanders, reminders of what’s possible.
What To Do When You Feel Intimidated
Instead of shrinking or judging, try this:
Pause and name it – “I feel a little off around her, and I think it’s activating my insecurities.”
Get curious – “What is it about this person that I secretly admire or want more of?”
Shift your lens – “What if this isn’t a threat but a glimpse into who I’m becoming?”
Because here’s the truth:
The things we admire in others often reflect the parts of ourselves we are being called to reclaim.
Final Thoughts
The next time you feel intimidated, remember this:
It might not be fear.
It might be longing.
It might be the stir of your next evolution.
And that’s not something to run from.
That’s something to lean into.
