Big Think

How rejection made Julie Plec an undeniable leader


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🎬 **Julie Plec on Insecurity, Leadership & Self-Forgiveness**

Julie Plec — writer, producer, and showrunner — opens up about the emotional undercurrents of her creative journey, revealing how deeply insecurity can shape success.

✍️ **"I'm Not a Writer"**

Despite her long career, Julie often feels like an imposter. A painful writing class in college planted self-doubt. Every project brings fears of failure and fraudulence — even after major success.

💔 **Career Setback**

After rising in the industry, she was called “disruptive” and blacklisted. It crushed her confidence for years. But with time and perspective, she realized her inexperience *did* show — and owning that truth became her path to growth 💪.

🧊 **A Humbling Moment**

That career bump brought a “bucket of ice water” in humility. Accepting her role in the failure made her a better leader — more grounded, self-aware, and compassionate.

😨 **Fear of Death & Perfectionism**

Julie confesses a fear of death — not dying, but *not having lived fully*. That fear may have kept her from personal milestones like marriage or children. At the same time, a perfectionist streak leads her to self-criticism whenever she falls short.

👧 **The Origin of Doubt**

Her core limiting belief — *“I’m doing it all wrong”* — traces back to a childhood swimming lesson where she felt laughed at. But revisiting the memory as an adult revealed they were actually charmed by her. That moment shaped decades of self-doubt.

💗 **The Healing Journey**

Now, she’s working to forgive herself, love herself *despite* her flaws, and rewrite that old belief. It’s a powerful journey of self-compassion that she encourages others to explore.

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Big ThinkBy bigthink

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