The stories you tell yourself shape everything. That inner voice narrating your capabilities, worth, and potential—it’s either your greatest ally or your worst enemy. You replay the same limiting narratives: “I’m not good enough,” “Success isn’t for people like me,” “I always fail at this,” “I’m too old/young/inexperienced.” These stories feel like truth, but they’re just well-rehearsed fiction.
What if you could rewrite your story? What if the narratives holding you back are just drafts you can edit? In her transformative book “Audacious,” entrepreneur and CEO Marty McDonald reveals how consciously rewriting her internal narrative enabled her to break free from limiting beliefs, build Boss Women Media into a movement empowering over one hundred thousand women, and launch Elle Olivia into over four hundred Target stores nationwide.
McDonald’s journey demonstrates that you’re not stuck with the story you’ve been telling yourself. You’re the author, and it’s time for a rewrite.
The Stories That Shape Your Reality
Every person operates from an internal narrative—a story about who they are, what they’re capable of, and what they deserve. These narratives form early in life through experiences, messages from others, cultural conditioning, and internalized beliefs. Once established, they run like background software, influencing every decision, action, and outcome.
McDonald’s limiting narratives formed through childhood challenges, cultural conditioning, and professional experiences. Growing up facing overwhelming situations, she internalized messages about what was possible for someone like her. Corporate America reinforced some of these limitations, teaching her to be “grateful” for her seat at the table rather than demand the respect she deserved.
The most insidious part of limiting narratives is they masquerade as truth. McDonald believed she needed to stay silent in that discriminatory corporate meeting because her narrative said “speaking up will cost you everything.” She believed she had to do everything alone as a new mother because her narrative said “asking for help is weakness.”
These weren’t facts—they were stories. But stories believed become self-fulfilling prophecies.
Recognizing Your Limiting Narratives
The first step to rewriting your story is recognizing the limiting narratives currently running your life. McDonald identifies common limiting narratives that trap people:
“I’m Not Enough” is perhaps the most common limiting story. Not smart enough, not experienced enough, not connected enough, not talented enough, not thin enough, not confident enough. This narrative keeps you perpetually chasing an impossible standard of “enough” that never arrives.
McDonald wrestled with this narrative throughout her entrepreneurial journey. When pitching the confectionery company CEO, her limiting narrative whispered “Who are you to approach her? You’re not important enough.” She pushed through anyway, proving the narrative wrong.
“Success Isn’t for People Like Me” stems from experiences where you’ve been excluded, overlooked, or told you don’t belong. McDonald felt this acutely as often the only Black woman in corporate rooms. The unspoken message was that leadership wasn’t meant for people who looked like her.
This narrative convinces you that success is reserved for others—people with different backgrounds, connections, or advantages. It makes you play small, assuming audacity is for “them” but not for you.
“I Always Fail at This” takes past setbacks and transforms them into permanent identity. McDonald could have adopted this narrative after two miscarriages: “I always fail at getting pregnant.” Or after business challenges: “I always fail at entrepreneurship.”
But failure at something doesn’t make you a failure. Past outcomes don’t dictate future possibilities. This narrative keeps you from trying again, assuming history will repeat.
“It’s Too Late for Me” uses time as an excuse for inaction. Too old to start over. Too far behind to catch up. Too late to change. McDonald quit corporate at thirty-two to pursue her dreams—many would say that’s “late” to start entrepreneurship. She launched Boss Women Media while building a family. She learned fashion industry skills from scratch as an adult.
Age and timing are facts. “Too late” is a story you add to those facts.
“I Have to Do It All Alone” trapped McDonald after her daughter’s birth. She felt paralyzed, overwhelmed, unable to think clearly. Her limiting narrative said asking for help meant weakness, that she should handle everything independently. This narrative led to burnout until her husband suggested hiring a performance coach.
That coach helped McDonald recognize the limiting narrative and rewrite it. She learned that strength includes knowing when to seek support.
The Moment of Narrative Shift
McDonald’s pivotal narrative shift happened after her daughter’s birth when she felt lost in mental fog. Her husband showed her a performance coach on Instagram, and her immediate reaction revealed her limiting narrative: “She works with real estate agents. What could she possibly teach me?”
That dismissive response exposed multiple limiting beliefs: that learning only comes from specific sources, that her situation was too unique for others to understand, that she should figure everything out alone.
But catching herself in that moment created space for change. She questioned her automatic narrative: “What am I really afraid of?” The answer revealed deeper stories about control, vulnerability, and failure.
As an Enneagram Type Eight who values control, McDonald’s narrative said letting someone help meant losing control. It meant admitting she couldn’t handle everything, which felt like failure. These stories, once unconscious, became conscious—and therefore changeable.
The Rewriting Process: How to Flip Your Script
McDonald provides actionable strategies for consciously rewriting limiting narratives:
Identify the Story You’re Telling. You can’t change narratives you don’t recognize. McDonald recommends journaling to expose internal stories. When you face a challenge, notice the automatic story you tell yourself about it. Write it down exactly as it appears in your mind.
For McDonald, this meant writing: “Asking for help means I’m weak. I should be able to handle everything as a mother and entrepreneur. If I can’t, I’m failing.”
Seeing limiting narratives in writing makes them less powerful. They transform from unquestionable truth to questionable stories.
Question the Story’s Truth. Once identified, interrogate your limiting narrative. Is this story based on facts or feelings? Is it protecting you or imprisoning you? Who benefits from you believing this story?
McDonald questioned her “I must do it alone” narrative. Was it true that asking for help meant weakness? Or had she internalized messages from a culture that glorifies independence and stigmatizes vulnerability?
Often, limiting narratives crumble under scrutiny. They’re built on assumptions rather than evidence.
Identify the Cost of the Old Story. What is believing this limiting narrative costing you? McDonald’s “do it all alone” story was costing her mental health, business effectiveness, and presence with her family. The cost of maintaining that narrative exceeded any imagined benefit.
Write down everything your limiting narrative costs you: opportunities missed, relationships damaged, joy forfeited, growth prevented. Make the cost visible and undeniable.
Create a New, Empowering Narrative. Once you’ve exposed the old story’s limitations and costs, write a new narrative. Make it specific, believable, and empowering.
McDonald rewrote “I must do it alone” as “Seeking support is strategic strength. Investing in my growth allows me to serve others better.” This new narrative honored her values while releasing her from isolation.
Your new narrative should feel slightly uncomfortable—a stretch beyond current beliefs but not so far that it feels ridiculous. McDonald’s new stories challenged her old ones but remained believable enough to practice.
Practice the New Story Consistently. Rewriting narratives isn’t one-time work. Old stories have deep grooves in your neural pathways. New stories require consistent practice to establish.
McDonald practiced her new narratives through daily affirmations, journaling, and conscious decision-making. When facing choices, she asked: “Am I choosing from my old story or my new one?”
Hire the coach? Old story says no (I should handle it alone). New story says yes (seeking support is strength). She chose the new story.
Gather Evidence for the New Story. Brains believe stories supported by evidence. As you practice new narratives, actively notice evidence supporting them. McDonald documented moments when seeking help strengthened her rather than weakened her. Each piece of evidence reinforced the new narrative.
Create a “new story evidence log”—specific examples proving your new narrative is true and your old one was false. Review this regularly, especially when old stories try to resurface.
Real-Life Story Rewrites
McDonald highlights examples of powerful narrative shifts:
Oprah Winfrey could have adopted the narrative “My traumatic childhood defines me” based on experiences of poverty, abuse, and discrimination. Instead, she rewrote her story to “My difficult past uniquely equipped me to inspire and empower others.” This narrative shift enabled her to build a media empire and become one of the world’s most influential people.
J.K. Rowling could have believed “I’m a failure” while living on welfare as a single mother with a rejected manuscript. Instead, she maintained the narrative “I’m a writer creating something meaningful.” That story sustained her through twelve publisher rejections until Harry Potter found a home.
Howard Schultz grew up in housing projects and could have accepted the narrative “Success isn’t for people from my background.” Instead, he wrote a story of possibility that led him to transform coffee culture through Starbucks, becoming a billionaire while staying connected to his working-class roots.
Each rewrote limiting narratives into empowering ones. The external circumstances were facts. The meaning assigned to those circumstances was narrative—and therefore changeable.
Overcoming Resistance to Narrative Change
Rewriting stories sounds simple but feels hard. McDonald identifies common resistance patterns:
Comfort in Familiarity: Old narratives feel comfortable even when limiting. They’re known quantities. New narratives feel risky because they demand different actions. McDonald’s comfort in “doing it alone” felt safer than the vulnerability of seeking help—until she chose discomfort for growth.
Identity Attachment: We become attached to our stories as identity. McDonald’s narrative of being “The Challenger” who doesn’t need help wasn’t just a story—it was how she saw herself. Changing narratives can feel like losing yourself, even when your current self-concept limits you.
Fear of Disappointment: New empowering narratives create hope. Hope creates vulnerability to disappointment. Some people prefer limiting narratives that protect them from hoping and failing. But as McDonald demonstrates, the cost of not hoping exceeds the risk of disappointment.
Social Pressure: People in your life may resist your narrative changes. They’re comfortable with who you’ve been. Your evolution might threaten their own limiting narratives. McDonald learned that not everyone will support your story rewrites—and that’s okay.
Imposter Syndrome: New narratives can trigger imposter feelings. When McDonald started practicing “I’m an entrepreneur creating movements,” part of her whispered “You’re pretending. You’re not really that.” New narratives feel like lies initially because they haven’t been lived into yet.
The solution isn’t eliminating resistance but persisting despite it. McDonald pushed through discomfort, questioning, and doubt to live into her new narratives.
Living Your New Story
Narrative change requires more than mental work—it demands behavioral alignment. McDonald emphasizes that new stories must be lived through action:
Make Decisions from Your New Story. When facing choices, consciously choose from your new narrative rather than your old one. McDonald’s decision to hire the coach was behavioral proof of her new story. Each aligned decision strengthens the new narrative.
Communicate Your New Story. Share your new narrative with trusted people. McDonald told her husband about her narrative shifts. Verbalizing new stories makes them more real and creates accountability.
Celebrate New-Story Wins. Notice and celebrate when your new narrative produces better outcomes than your old one would have. McDonald’s coach helped her clarify thinking, improve decision-making, and increase effectiveness—all evidence that her new story worked better than the old.
Forgive Old-Story Relapses. You’ll sometimes default to old narratives, especially under stress. McDonald still sometimes feels pulled toward “I must do it all alone.” The key is recognizing relapses quickly, forgiving yourself, and recommitting to the new story.
The Compounding Effect of Narrative Change
McDonald’s narrative rewrites created cascading positive effects:
Rewriting “I must stay silent” to “My voice matters” enabled her to eventually leave that discriminatory corporate environment and build businesses reflecting her values.
Rewriting “I’m not connected enough” to “I create valuable connections” enabled her to pitch the confectionery company CEO boldly at that LA conference.
Rewriting “Success isn’t for people like me” to “I create success on my terms” enabled her to build Boss Women Media and Elle Olivia despite lacking traditional credentials.
Each narrative shift enabled actions previously impossible. Those actions produced results that reinforced the new narratives. This created an upward spiral of empowerment.
Your narrative rewrites will compound similarly. New stories enable new actions. New actions produce new results. New results reinforce new stories. The cycle accelerates, transforming your life trajectory.
Story Rewriting for Different Life Areas
McDonald emphasizes applying narrative work across life domains:
Career Narratives: From “I’m lucky to have this job” to “I create value wherever I work.” From “I’m not qualified for leadership” to “I bring unique perspectives to leadership.”
Relationship Narratives: From “I’m too damaged for healthy relationships” to “My experiences taught me what I need in relationships.” From “I’m not lovable” to “I’m worthy of deep connection.”
Financial Narratives: From “Money is scarce and hard to get” to “I create financial abundance through value creation.” From “Rich people are greedy” to “Wealth enables impact.”
Health Narratives: From “I’m just not athletic” to “I’m building physical strength consistently.” From “My body is broken” to “My body is resilient and healing.”
Parenting Narratives: From “I’m failing my children” to “I’m growing alongside my children.” From “I should be perfect” to “I’m present and loving, which matters most.”
Each area of life has narratives that either empower or limit you. Identify them. Question them. Rewrite them.
Your Story Rewrite Starts Today
McDonald’s message in “Audacious” is powerful: You’re not stuck with the story you’ve been telling yourself. Those limiting narratives that feel like unchangeable truth? They’re just old drafts waiting for revision.
The story that says you’re not enough? Rewrite it: “I bring unique value exactly as I am.”
The story that success isn’t for you? Rewrite it: “Success is available to anyone willing to pursue it audaciously.”
The story that you’ve already failed too many times? Rewrite it: “Each ‘failure’ taught me lessons that prepared me for success.”
The story that it’s too late? Rewrite it: “Every moment is an opportunity for new beginnings.”
Your life is your story. You’re both the protagonist and the author. The plot so far may have been written unconsciously, influenced by others’ voices and limiting beliefs. But from this moment forward, you can write consciously.
What story will you tell about yourself? What narrative will guide your decisions, actions, and life?
As McDonald demonstrates through her journey from limited thinking to audacious living, the story you tell yourself determines the life you live. When you flip the script, you flip your entire reality.
Your rewrite begins now. What’s the first limiting narrative you’ll change?
This article draws insights from “Audacious: A Bold Guide to Building the Life and Career You Want and Deserve” by Marty McDonald, published by Worthy Books (2025). McDonald is the CEO of Boss Women Media and founder of Elle Olivia, a children’s lifestyle brand available in Target stores nationwide.