You're Still Celebrating Right
On celebrating yourself when the world tells you to stay small. Minimizing yourself doesn't just happen around identity. It happens everywhere.And the SHINE File is how you interrupt it.
CONFIDENCECAREER DEVELOPMENTSELF-RECOGNITION,SHINE FILE
I want to talk about Pride in a way that doesn't stop at June.
I've been lucky enough to lead teams where I made a point of celebrating Pride. Not as a checkbox, but as a real part of who we are. I watched people relax into themselves a little bit more when they felt like there was actual space for them. Not just words. Space.
And I've been even luckier in my friendships. I know so many people in the LGBTQ+ community who've been through discrimination, who've had to fight to be themselves, who've navigated a lot of difficulty just to exist as who they are. My life is genuinely better because they're in it. They're amazing, and I adore them.
Not everyone gets to be loud and proud. Some of you are quiet about it. Some of you are still working out what feels safe. Some of you are celebrating privately, or with a small circle, because that's what feels right for you right now.
I'm proud of you too. I'm proud that you know who you are and you're honouring that, in whatever way works for you.
The minimizing spiral
Here's what I've noticed: minimizing yourself doesn't just happen around identity. It happens everywhere.
Some of you minimize who you are because it doesn't feel safe to be fully visible. Some of you minimize what you've achieved because you were taught that talking about your wins is arrogant. Some of you do both at the same time without even realising it.
The stories are different. The impact is the same. You take up less space. You doubt yourself more. You need more evidence before you believe you're worth anything.
And the world is perfectly happy with that arrangement.
The SHINE File as refusal
When I became a director, I lost the tangible wins that used to tell me I was doing okay. I went from managing teams to managing strategy. No visible output. No clear wins. And I started to doubt my worth.
So I created a practice. Every month, I'd write down three things I'd achieved and three things I'd learned. Nothing big. Just the things that mattered to me. And I'd share them with my manager ahead of our one-to-one.
It sounds simple. What it actually does is interrupt the minimizing spiral.
First, it normalises talking about the good things you've done without dismissing them. We're trained to downplay our wins. The SHINE File makes it harder to do that. Second, it creates visibility. When you name what you've done and learned, it becomes real in a way that silent knowing never is.
That practice kept me anchored when I doubted myself. It gave me evidence when the story in my head said I wasn't enough.
36 reasons to stop shrinking
Three achievements a month. Three learnings a month. By the end of December, you'll have 36 things you can point to and say: I did this. I learned this. I showed up as myself.
Not achievements by the world's measure. Not how much money, how many promotions, how many visible wins. The achievements that matter to you. The time you set a boundary and it stuck. The day you showed up when you were terrified. The conversation where you told someone who you really are. The small decision to keep going even when it felt hard.
These are the things that build the foundation to stop minimizing. To take up space. To refuse to shrink.
Start now
You can access the SHINE File template here.
It's a simple practice. Three things you achieved this month, whatever that means to you. Three things you learned. That's it. Do it now, or wait until the end of June. Either way, start tracking. By the time we close the year, you'll have 36 reasons to trust yourself.
And if you're out and proud and visible, I'm proud of you too. If you're finding your own way, in your own time, I'm still proud of you.
Key takeaway
Stop waiting to be celebrated. The SHINE File is how you celebrate yourself. Three things a month, 36 by year end. Not big things by the world's measure. The things that matter to you. That's where confidence actually builds.
Keep shining,
Natalia x
Human Red Bull. Leadership Coach. Shine File Creator
©Natalia Cerezo Martin 2026
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