Embodying an alter ego
There I was, sitting in my group coaching call on zoom, feeling insecure, unsure of how to move forward in my business and fed up with feeling this way. My coach was outlining the next module of her course and my ears perked up when she said alter ego. I already had an alter ego so I felt like I could actually DO THE WORK that was required for the next part of the mindset coaching course.
I immediately dove in to see what she had to say about alter egos in the exercise. Truthfully, it wasn’t a very fleshed out exercise within the module and I was left feeling unfulfilled. The only thing I learned in that next call was that Beyoncé named her alter ego, Sasha Fierce. There was more to the module, but I wanted to do the fun thing. Which of course was focusing on my alter ego.
So I dove into more research. I wanted to figure out how having an alter ego could help one be more confident, successful, happy—all the things.
I found a few more bits on the inter webs about the phenomenon that is the alter ego and was pleasantly surprised.
Not only did Beyoncé use an alter ego to help her slay on stage as she rose to stardom between 2010-2012, but so did Adele! Adele’s alter ego, Sasha Carter, was named for Beyoncé’s first name of her alter ego and the last name of her favorite country star, June Carter.
I also noted that those two stars used their alter egos for about two years.
One article spoke about it as a psychological crutch. Which I initially found offensive, but later felt that this was the perfect way to describe an alter ego.
Gazella was my psychological crutch. I needed her. The way she be-ed so that I could have confidence to do things that I could not do without embodying her.
The physical aspects of an alter ego
So how do I actually turn the dial up on Gazella?
All it took was a pair of false eyelashes, red lips and a pair of stilettos to make it happen.
It was as if donning the lashes, lips and heels was the key to bring forth that energy. Actually, that’s exactly what it was.
Gazella can only exist with those things—definitely not the woman that stumbles out of bed in the morning, bleary-eyed, with no makeup on, on the way to the bathroom. Especially if she was engaged in passionate love-making in that same bed the evening before.
Gazella is the amplification of Athena. She only appears when turned way up.
Even with my daily lashes, I am not more than 10-15% turned up. But it definitely helps me tackle my day with more confidence and presence.
My love can tell the difference
I notice that when I am Gazella is how I stand and walk with more grace and power.
It just happens.
I liken this to this touching story I found from Marilyn Monroe’s friend and photographer, Milton H. Greene:
“I’ll never forget the day Marilyn and I were walking around New York City, just having a stroll on a nice day. She loved New York because no one bothered her there like they did in Hollywood, she could put on her plain-jane clothes and no one would notice her. She loved that. So as we we’re walking down Broadway, she turns to me and says ‘Do you want to see me become her?’ I didn’t know what she meant but I just said ‘Yes’- and then I saw it. I don’t know how to explain what she did because it was so very subtle, but she turned something on within herself that was almost like magic. And suddenly cars were slowing and people were turning their heads and stopping to stare. They were recognizing that this was Marilyn Monroe as if she pulled off a mask or something, even though a second ago nobody noticed her. I had never seen anything like it before.” – Amy Greene, wife of Marilyn’s personal photographer Milton Greene.
This is the same energy that Gazella taps into when the lashes and the lips are on. Gazella, my alter ego, is actually an energy within me that I can tune into at any given moment.
And that is when the embodiment of the alter ego happens. It becomes integrated with one’s identity so that it takes almost no effort to turn it on.
Do you have your alter ego developed yet? Share a comment below about your experience with alter egos.
XOXO!
Athena, aka Gazella
Amplify You Podcast
A podcast series created to inspire you to take up more space and shine in a world that has conditioned you to be small.
