A guide to believing in yourself (but for real this time) | Catherine Reitman | TEDxToronto

Catherine Reitman argues that believing in yourself means recognizing when you have a choice, taking a risk on your own ideas, and protecting your vision when others question it.

Key Strategies and Takeaways

• Listen to your inner voice. Notice when fear, rejection, or other people’s expectations are stopping you from pursuing something meaningful.
• Compare the cost of trying with the cost of holding back. Reitman found that the possibility of failing felt no worse than remaining creatively passive.
• Treat failure as survivable. Taking a chance may be difficult, but avoiding every risk can lead to regret.
• Enter the arena when you’re ready. You don’t have to act before the time feels right, but consider giving your idea a real attempt.
• Do the work—and make it your own. Develop a distinctive voice rooted in experiences and knowledge only you can bring.
• Protect your vision. Feedback can help, but don’t automatically dilute what makes your work distinctive just to make it broadly appealing.
• Expect setbacks and keep going. Reitman’s pilot was rejected after she removed scenes that mattered to her. Later, she restored her vision and found a supporter.
• Recognize that postpartum depression is not a personal failing. Reitman describes it as a hormonal imbalance and recalls how difficult it was to feel unlike herself at work and at home. The talk shares her experience rather than specific treatment advice.
• Make room for your own identity. Reitman reflects on both the difficulty of leaving her child for work and the value of doing something that was just for her.

Presenters and Sources

• Presenter: Catherine Reitman
• Source cited: Bronnie Ware’s book on the regrets of people near the end of life, including the regret of not living more true to oneself
• People discussed: Ivan Reitman, Aaron Sorkin, Reitman’s husband, and CBC executive Sally Cato