What Dorothea Knows That We Sometimes Forget

Introducing the Funky Diva Concept

If you follow me on social media you might have seen that I have a new Instagram account @funkydiva.co.uk and myFacebook has been peppered with my Funky Diva paintings. I am having so much fun doing them.

A couple of months ago when I first started with them, I gave each one a mantra taken either from my Project FAB! bookor my FAB journal (both available on Amazon). I’ve also uploaded a few to Thortful cards and my RedBubble shop. My next phase of the project has seen them extend their mantras into a couple of short paragraphs – these are being shared on my Instagram page currently.

Eventually I’d like to create a deck of affirmation cards with them to sell. I’m currently (half heartedly) looking for printers that would make it a cost-effective project, if you have any recommendations let me know.

Last week I had two exciting Funky Diva developments:

· I have been invited to exhibit a selection of them in a library for the summer - Watch this space

· I chose a few of my Facebook friends as inspiration for a batch of portraits and they wanted to buy them!

Who knows, I might even start taking commissions lol.

Anyway, let’s get on with this week’s blog which is inspired by Dorothea.

"You've Got This": What Dorothea Knows That We Sometimes Forget

You know that moment? Your heart is racing, palms clammy, doubting everything from your outfit to your ability to string a sentence together. Maybe you're about to step on stage, hit ‘publish’ on a vulnerable post, or walk into a room full of people who seem to have it all together.

That’s when I want you to channel your inner Dorothea.

Dorothea doesn’t do drama. She’s not the loudest in the room, but she is the one you clock and think, "She knows who she is." There’s a calm authority about her. She’s walked through fire and come out with glitter in her hair. Life has tested her, but she’s still standing. Not bitter or hardened just quietly powerful.

And she’s here to remind you of something simple, but mighty:

You’ve got this.

Not as a throwaway line or a platitude slapped onto a mug. But as a deep, embodied truth, a knowing that lives in your bones, even when your mind is spinning.

Grace and Grit : The Dorothea Energy

Dorothea isn’t about puffed-up confidence. There’s no bravado. No need to perform. Her power comes from presence. The grounded, graceful kind that doesn’t need to shout to be heard.

She holds space for others without dimming her own light. She can be still and strong at the same time. She speaks up when it matters. When she walks into a room, people feel it. That shift in the air. That sense that someone 100% comfortable in her own skin has arrived.

That’s the energy we forget we have access to. Especially when we’re doubting ourselves, shrinking to fit, or waiting to feel "ready" before we take action.

The truth Dorothea lives by is that you don’t need to be fearless to be powerful. You don’t need to be 100% certain to show up and you don’t need the crowd’s applause or the backing of others to validate your voice.

Wobble and Worth Can Coexist

This is where so many of us get stuck, especially in midlife. We think if we’re wobbling, it means we’re not cut out for it. That the self-doubt disqualifies us. That confidence has to mean total certainty.

Dorothea calls bullshit on that.

She knows that wobble is not weakness. That it’s not a problem to be fixed, but a very human response to stretching into something new. Your worth isn’t diminished just because you’re shaking, the most powerful thing you can do is show up anyway.

Even if your voice trembles, you’re scared and your inner critic is chattering. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s backing yourself through it. You’ve heard of the book – Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers?

What Would Dorothea Wear?

Let’s bring it back to the wardrobe, because you know I can’t help myself.

Dorothea doesn’t follow trends. She’s not dressing to impress anyone else. Her style is quietly bold- think flowing fabrics that feel like confidence, lots of texture, colour and pattern. Maybe a strong lipstick or statement earrings, not because she needs them, but because they bring her joy.

Every outfit is a signal: "I know who I am." And that’s where the magic lies, in that alignment. In choosing clothes that meet you where you are and call you forward into who you're becoming.

This is what I mean when I talk about wardrobe alignment. About clothes that are more than just fabric, they’re reminders. Anchors. Tools.

So ask yourself next time you have a scary thing to do what outfit makes you feel most Dorothea-like?

Is it the structured jacket that makes you feel like the boss you are? The long, elegant dress that flows as you move, helping you feel grounded and graceful? That piece of jewellery that reminds you of your strength?

Whatever it is, wear it like armour or like a spell. Wear it like a deep breath.

Rituals of Reassurance

Dorothea doesn’t bulldoze her fear. She tends to it.

She knows that rituals matter. That the little things we do before we face something big aren’t fluff- they’re foundations.

She might light a candle, take a moment to centre herself, spritz her favourite scent, or say her mantra in the mirror.

What’s your version of that?

· Maybe it’s your morning playlist

· Maybe it’s pulling a card from your favourite deck

· Maybe it’s the coffee in your favourite mug

· Maybe it’s a phrase you say to yourself, a hand on your heart, a few slow breaths

These tiny acts can shift your nervous system. They can tell your brain I’m safe. I’m steady and I’m ready, even if I don’t feel it yet.

Dorothea would say honour your rituals. Let them become your confidence booster.

Straighten Your Crown

We don’t always feel regal. Let’s be honest, some days we feel crumpled and invisible. But Dorothea reminds us that our crown doesn’t disappear just because we forget it’s there.

She doesn’t need validation to feel worthy. She doesn’t wait for permission to speak. And she doesn’t apologise for taking up space.

And neither should you.