🖋️ The Lioness Journals | July 7, 2025
I have been thinking a lot in the last few weeks about what it means to lead authentically—especially when it’s hard. Especially when the winds around you shift, when others allow their own authenticity to waver in order to play it safe. When the safest option is to stay quiet or step aside.
There are moments in every leader’s journey when you are asked—implicitly or otherwise—to trade authenticity for approval. When the systems around you reward self-preservation over protection, politics over people. And in those moments, you always have a choice.
I have been in leadership positions most of my career, and I have faced this exact dilemma more times than I can count. And in every instance, I come back to one guiding truth: Can I look myself in the mirror at the end of the day and be proud of my decisions? Do I know, with unwavering confidence, that I did everything I could to protect my team—to give them a safe space to grow, stretch, and stumble? Did I have their backs, even in the midst of complexity and messy situations?
The answer to every one of those questions is always "yes".
I pride myself on my morals and my ethics—values that were instilled in me from a very young age by my incredibly strong family. And those values have shaped me into the leader I am today.
I know who I am as a leader. I know myself. I know what I am capable of. And I know that when I am leading a team, trust is built when that team knows that I will always show up for my people. And yes—I’ll protect them, even if it’s not always politically convenient. That’s not a weakness. It’s the core of who I am. It’s what makes me a great leader—and what gives others the safety to grow.
I choose to stay rooted in who I am—even when others shift with the wind.
Authenticity isn’t about being liked. It’s about being true. And if that makes me different, I’ll take different over conforming any day.
In the Authentic chapter of Roar Like A Woman, I describe authenticity. Here is a brief excerpt from the book:
"Every time you abandon a part of yourself to make someone else comfortable, you dilute your power.
Being authentic doesn’t mean being unfiltered in every situation. It means being intentional about staying connected to who you are, even if you’re the only one in the room doing it.
If you’ve been hiding pieces of yourself, ask why. Whose approval are you chasing? And is the cost of that approval your self-respect?
You don’t need to be a chameleon to be accepted. You need to be you to feel free."
—Ronda K. Salazar, from Roar Like A Woman
This is the heart of the Lioness Journals: reflecting, reconnecting, and roaring from the inside out. And this is where we continue.
🟡 Reflection Prompt:
What is one area in your life where you may be filtering yourself to be accepted?
This is not an easy question to ask, nor is it easy to answer. It requires you to examine yourself with a lens that may feel a bit uncomfortable.
But it doesn’t have to stay that way. It is easy to go with the flow—to not make waves. And it’s ok to continue to do that, as long as you are not giving up a part of yourself.
Authenticity means showing up as your true self every day. Being consistent, unwavering, and standing in your truth even when it may not be the popular opinion. But if you can look at yourself in the mirror at the end of every day, and know that you did your best, that you showed up as yourself, that you stayed true to your values, that’s all that matters.
As you face this week, I hope this Lioness Journal entry will help you remember to reclaim your authentic self. Stay true to who you want to be in life. And know that the world doesn’t need everyone to be the same. The world needs uniqueness. The world needs you—the authentic you. So show up as yourself, and watch the world react.
And if no one else tells you this today, please hear it from me:
I care about you.
I believe in you.
And together, we’ll keep working toward becoming the best versions of ourselves.
I’m in it with you—let’s do this together.
Because you matter.
📖 Want More?
There’s so much to uncover and reclaim within ourselves.
In Roar Like a Woman, I explore 35 empowering words, like Authentic, to help you reconnect with your voice, your power, and your worth.
👉 Order your signed copy of Roar Like A Woman
Let the roar rise.
— Ronda 💛