Alex Borstein’s acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress Emmy last week had to be one of the best and most meaningful speeches of the night.  Her speech was funny at first and then took a dramatic turn when she thanked her mother and grandmother, both of whom are Holocaust survivors.

She said: “My grandmother was in line to be shot into a pit. She asked a guard ‘What happens if I step out of line?’ and he responded, ‘I don’t have the heart to shoot you, but somebody will,’ and she stepped out of line. For that I am here and my children are here. So step out of line, ladies. Step out of line.”

Her comments reminded me of a book I read years ago called “Stepping Out of Line” by Nell Merlino who created Take Our Daughters to Work Day in 1992.

In the introduction to the book, Nell writes: “You have to stop waiting for the world to change and decide that you will change it. You have to step out line and live the life you want to live, create the work you want to do, and build the personal relationships that will make you happy. You – and all women – are capable of living the exact life you want. There is only one prerequisite: you must be willing to step out of line.”

As you start a new week, I would love for you to think about where you want to step out of line in your own life.

It might be refusing to be spoken to in a demeaning way any more by a partner or work colleague, it might be stepping out of line from a career that has burned you out to start your own business or a new career. It might be stepping out of line to stand up for a cause that is meaningful to you.

I found it so inspiring to see photos of Greta Thunberg when she was the only student who did a climate strike compared to the hundreds of thousands of people who participated this year.  Just imagine the women you might inspire as you step out of line in your own life!

In the “Stepping Out Of Line” book, Nell Merlino writes:

“Every time you step out of line and take action on behalf of your personal goals, you are changing the system.  When you live your life according to your vision, other women see that it is possible, and they know they can do it too.”

In the brilliant book “Roadmap”, the writers talk about an “Invisible Assembly Line”:

“Our personal Assembly Lines are built cog by cog from all the expectations, education, societal gimmicks, well-meaning advice, and pre-programmed choices that we’ve absorbed from the day we crawled out of the sandbox and wondered what we would be when we grew up.  Whether we’re pushed to become doctors or lawyers or to work in the family business, or whether we’re informed (“for our own good”) that our aspirations are beyond us, all those fears and all that conditioning define our decisions and our expectations without our being aware that it’s happening.  But it is happening.”

We can make a difference in our own lives and in the lives of others but – more often than not – it is going to take us stepping out of line. Stepping off the invisible assembly line that we find ourselves on.  Doing or saying something different to what everyone else around us is doing or saying.

Where do you want to step out of line in your own life?!

If you would like some support as you make some bigger changes, I offer the following coaching services:

Get Unstuck Session: this is a 90 minute session with a 30 minute follow-up call.  Sometimes you just need help to get started.  To go from thinking about what’s next to actually doing something about it. Once you’re out of analysis-paralysis and in motion, you’re often able to take it from there by yourself.  With the 30% discount, the cost is $175  (regularly $250).  Click here to learn more about Get Unstuck Sessions.

Coach in Your Corner: this is for women who would like more ongoing support, focus and accountability.  You can choose between a 3, 6 or 12 month package.  You can share any of the Coach in Your Corner packages with a friend. Simply split the cost between the two of you and attend coaching calls together. It can be incredibly helpful to have someone on this journey with you so I hope that the option of sharing Coach in your Corner will be helpful for some women.  Click here to learn more about Coach in Your Corner.

Business Coaching for women who want to start their first business – click here to learn more about Your Launch  Blueprint.

The 30% discount that I have been offering this month on coaching services expires tonight – use code Subscriber-30 if you would like to take advantage of the discount.

I hope that you have a great week ahead!

Take care,
Sal xoxo