Reclaiming the Spotlight: A Journey Back to Myself

As a child, I idolized Shirley Temple. Singing, dancing (especially tap), and performing came so naturally to me that it felt like breathing. I was alive on stage—radiant, whole, and deeply loved. I still remember the feel of the tap shoes and tights on my body, the thrill of the lights, and the audience before me. For those fleeting moments, I felt complete, like I belonged in a world that loved me as much as I loved it.

Behind the scenes of those childhood performances, my home life told a much darker story—one of neglect, verbal and emotional abuse, and sexual trauma. The stage became my sanctuary, the one place where I could fully embody joy and forget everything else.

I was good at what I did—so good, in fact, that my dance instructor would put me at the front and center of performances. The children who forgot their steps could look to me to find their rhythm again. For me, it wasn’t about being the best; it was about being in my fullest expression, of being in service, and of helping others flow.

But that spotlight came at a cost.

Other parents didn’t see my presence as helpful; they saw it as unfair. Resentment and criticism followed. They shunned me, and I learned—at the tender age of five—that it wasn’t safe to be seen, to shine, or to sparkle too brightly. I internalized a painful lesson:

• Being good at something makes people hate you.
• Being in the spotlight means being alone.
• Being seen means being hurt.

So I dimmed my light.

Over the next forty years, that belief shaped my life. I hid in the shadows—in my career, in my relationships, even in the way I related to my own body and pleasure. I told myself I didn’t want the spotlight anymore, but the truth was, I was terrified of it.

Even now, my heart races when I create videos or share my thoughts aloud with the world. But this week, as I launched my first free workshop for my Life Turned On platform—a movement dedicated to reclaiming desire, pleasure, and mastery of reality—I was confronted with the same old fears and pain from my five-year-old self.

The work I’m sharing with others is rooted in desire, joy, and pleasure. It’s about living fully and aligning with one’s divine essence. It’s about stepping boldly into the light. And yet, here I am, still afraid of being seen.

But something is different this time.

I am learning to be my own medicine. Today, I am loving that little girl who dimmed her light to survive. I’m reminding her—and myself—that it is safe to shine again.

I long to re-embody the girl who existed before the pain. The one who didn’t know any better than to love the world fully and to bask in its love in return. She didn’t hide. She didn’t apologize for her sparkle. And for those six minutes on stage, she was free.

That girl—the one who danced with joy and lit up the world—still lives in me. And she still wants to be a beacon of light for others, guiding them back to their flow, just as she once did.

Today, I’m calling forth her image—smiling, eyes alight with joy and self-love. I see her taking the hand of the girl who came after—the one who learned to hide—and leading her to the front and center, to reclaim the stage and herself.

Because it’s time.

It’s time to let that little girl shine again, not just for me but for everyone who has ever dimmed their light to survive.

I share this story not just for myself but for you, too.

What echoes of your past selves are asking to be cherished and reclaimed? What moments have you allowed to define you long after they’ve served their purpose?

Your past doesn’t have to dictate your future. You, too, can take the hand of the self who learned to dim their light and lead them back into their power.

You deserve to shine. You deserve to take center stage in your own life.

And when you do, you’ll find that the world—the one that truly sees you—will love you fully in return.

In reclaimed sovereignty,
Sharon Marie Scott

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