Hi {{first_name}} ,
'Tis the season for re-watching all the Classics. It’s a Wonderful Life, Love Actually, White Christmas, Die Hard (yes it is a Christmas movie!)
But my hands-down favourite is The Holiday.
Yes, it’s a bit sugary, and the timeline makes zero sense. But hidden inside the rom-com fluff is a profound lesson on Ownership and Identity.
It happens in the scene where Arthur Abbott, the elderly Oscar-winning screenwriter, looks at Iris (Kate Winslet) and delivers a line that stops me in my tracks every time:
"Iris, in the movies we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason, you're behaving like the best friend."
I see so many brilliant, ambitious, talented women falling into the "Best Friend" role.
The Best Friend is reliable. She supports the main character. She fixes the scrapes, creates the opportunities for others, and is indispensable to the plot …but is never the one on the poster.
If you slip into that role too often, you eventually become the background character in your own career story.
The Leading Lady Mandate
To build your Iconic Stage, you have to stop behaving like a supporting character.
A Leading Lady—an Iconic Woman—is the centre of the action.
She drives the plot.
Based on the classic Hollywood definition, here is what that shift looks like practically:
1. She Has Gumption. Arthur defines "gumption" as the courage and get-up-and-go that makes difficult things possible. It is a mix of grit and common sense.
It means having the courage to cut off what isn’t serving you (like a toxic boss or a dead-end project) and standing up for your value.
2. She is Unapologetic. A Leading Lady knows exactly who she is. She doesn't compare her blooper reel to someone else's highlight reel.
Whether she is an introvert or an extrovert, analytical or artistic, she amplifies those traits rather than smoothing them out to "fit in".
3. She Does Not Settle. Settling means accepting something that is not quite what you wanted because it feels "safer" or "more practical". We do this constantly in our careers. We settle for the job that pays the bills but kills the soul.
We settle for silence instead of speaking up. Settling leaves you resentful.
An Iconic woman knows what she wants and is single-minded about making it happen.
Your "Main Character" Assignment
In the movie, the characters break their self-destructive cycles by doing something totally unexpected and out of character.
If you feel stuck in a supporting role, you need to create your own plot twist.
Here is your challenge: Identify one area where you are currently "over-functioning" for others—where you are fixing, smoothing over, or picking up slack that isn't yours.
This week, simply don't do it. Don’t…
Do that extra project unless you get the full credit
Fix the slide deck that someone else messed up.
Say "yes" to the coffee chat that drains your energy.
Put up with being patronised in the board room
Use that reclaimed energy to do one thing solely for your plotline—whether that's working on your own visibility, planning your next career move , or finally asking for the resource you need.
The Bottom Line is…
No one else is going to cast you as the star. You have to cast yourself.
Waiting for someone to notice your hard work and give you a promotion is "Best Friend" energy. It is relying on the Career Ladder.
Building your Iconic Professional Stage is different. It means deciding that you are the main event right now.
When you operate with the audacity of a Leading Lady—owning your narrative, setting your boundaries, and amplifying your unique edge—you stop chasing the spotlight and start becoming the source of it.
The movie of your life deserves a Leading Lady, so don't let yourself slip into a supporting role too often.
Are you ready? Set. ACTION!
All my best,
Nichola
P.S. If you're finding The Iconic Edge valuable, please forward this to another ambitious woman who needs to hear it. We rise together.