You’re Not a Bunny. You’re a Freaking Tiger.
- Kelly McCooeye
- Apr 22
- 2 min read
And the rules of prey were never meant for you.
I used to wonder why it still felt hard.
Why I could check all the boxes
learn the strategies
show up
do the work
and still feel like something was missing.
Everyone around me said I was doing great.
I had the polish.
The presence.
The professionalism.
But inside, I felt like I was walking around in a costume.
One that got me applause
but cost me something real.
That’s when I realized.
I had been raised to believe I was a bunny.
Soft.
Quiet.
Pleasant.
Nice.
Taught to read the room like my survival depended on it
because for prey, it does.
I was praised for disappearing.
Called good when I stayed small.
Rewarded for not making waves.
Trained to believe that wanting more
having needs
being seen
was dangerous.
But the thing is… I was never a bunny.
And you can only numb a tiger for so long.
Eventually she stirs.
Eventually she remembers.
Eventually she opens her eyes
and sees the cage for what it is.
Not locked.
Just familiar.
Not safety.
Just silence.
And in that moment, she doesn’t rage.
She doesn’t roar.
Not yet.
First, she listens.
And what she hears is her own heartbeat
getting louder.
That’s what happened to me.
I stopped trying to earn gold stars
by being agreeable.
I stopped chasing strategies that told me to stay tidy
when what I needed was space to be wild.
I stopped asking
“Is this allowed?”
and started asking
“Is this true?”
Because once I remembered what I am
once I realized I had been playing by rules made for prey
it finally made sense why nothing fit.
Not the marketing scripts.
Not the branding formulas.
Not the wear-this-smile-and-you’ll-be-safe advice.
I had been trying to lead like a bunny
but bunnies don’t lead.
They survive.
And I was never meant to survive.
I was meant to lead.
To build something honest.
Something alive.
Something that doesn’t ask me to disappear in order to succeed.
So if you’ve been trying to grow a business
while playing by rules that were never written for you
no wonder it’s felt like a grind.
You’re not wrong.
You’re just a tiger
trying to thrive in a bunny world.
(or maybe a lion. or a freaking dragon. Not everyone can being the magnificence of a cat. 😉)
What changes when you stop trying to be safe
and start being true?
Want to go deeper?
If this stirred something in you, I’d love to hear what landed.
Or maybe it’s time to find the part of you that’s been waiting quietly for permission to show up loud. Bold. Free.
That’s the work we do in The Rewired Life Accelerator.
You don’t need to roar right away.
But you do deserve to stop hiding your teeth.
If you're ready to smash the cages and slip the leash, let's chat.
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