When the Movie Is Really About You!

This week, in conversation with friends, I realized something surprising about my taste in movies. My favorites aren’t the thrilling adventures, the galactic insights, or the laugh-until-you-cry comedies. The movies that truly stay with me—the ones I return to again and again—are about something far more personal: big shifts in identity.

For me, those films are The Last Samurai, Australia, and Sommersby.

Each of these stories carries an outer narrative—war, love, survival—but the real magic is in the inner transformation. The characters step into identities they never imagined for themselves. They shed pieces of who they were, sometimes painfully, and emerge with a renewed sense of purpose and being.

That resonates deeply because isn’t that the very journey so many of us are on?

• The executive who realizes the next chapter of leadership requires not just sharper strategy but deeper presence.

• The professional who discovers they can’t keep thriving by yesterday’s rules and habits.

• The individual who knows, in their bones, that it’s time to redefine themselves—not just to the world, but to themselves.

Identity shifts are rarely comfortable. They require us to let go of a version of ourselves that may have served us well but no longer fits. It takes courage to step into the unknown, to embrace a new way of living, working, or leading.

But the reward? A self that feels aligned, authentic, and powerful.

If you’re seeking change—whether in your career, your leadership, or your personal life—remember this: you don’t have to wait for the perfect script or a director to cue your transformation. The moment you choose to shift, you’re already writing your next act.

And perhaps one day, you’ll look back at this chapter of your life and realize—it was your own version of The Last Samurai.

👉 I’d love to hear from you: What movie has shifted your perspective on identity or inspired you to see yourself differently?