This month inside The Reflective Circle membership, our journaling theme is all about responding to life differently. And what better way to embody that than by rewriting old stories—challenging the narratives we’ve inherited, the limitations we’ve accepted, and the roles we’ve outgrown?
For decades, Hollywood followed an unspoken rule: once an actress turned 40, her career slowly faded into oblivion. She was no longer seen as leading lady material, and interesting roles became scarce. But Reese Witherspoon took one look at that narrative and decided it wasn’t going to be her story. Instead of waiting for opportunities to shrink, she created her own.
She channeled her frustration with the lack of women led stories in Hollywood into creating her own production company Pacific Standard and produced amazing movies such as Wild and Gone Girl. In 2016, her production efforts morphed into Hello Sunshine which produced groundbreaking series like Big Little Lies and The Morning Show to name a few. Her media empire soon encompassed her book club with the majority of books becoming Best Sellers -projects that not only gave women powerful roles but also shifted the landscape of storytelling in Hollywood. She rewrote the script, not just for herself but for an entire generation of actresses who now have more opportunities than ever before
When roles for women over 40 became limited, Reese responded not with frustration, but with action. Rather than accepting the industry’s old ways, she built a new path—one where women’s voices, experiences, and complexity were front and center.
Through her production company, Hello Sunshine, she is telling the kinds of stories Hollywood had long ignored stories where women were not just love interests or side characters but the main event. Her production company has reshaped the landscape of entertainment, proving that audiences do crave women-led narratives.
Through her book club, Reese’s Book Club, she is highlighting stories with strong, complex female leads. Her book club is more than just a space for book lovers—Reese saw it as the foundation of something bigger. She is using it as a scouting tool, selecting books that had the potential to be turned into movies or TV series.
Her approach was strategic: by offering authors access to her massive audience, she built trust and influence in the publishing world. In return, she secured the first rights of refusal on these books—giving her the chance to turn them into on-screen stories before anyone else.
Reese Witherspoon could have accepted the industry’s limitations. She could have faded into the background as so many before her had. But she didn’t. She saw the outdated story, picked up the pen, and wrote a new one—not just for herself, but for generations of women in Hollywood and beyond.
This is the power of rewriting old stories. Just because something has been done a certain way doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. Society often imposes stories on us—like the belief that a woman’s worth declines with age, that success is defined by marriage, or that certain paths are off-limits. But history is not a rulebook. The choices of those who came before us do not define the choices available to us. We get to challenge the norms, dismantle the beliefs that no longer serve us, and step into a version of life that aligns with our truth.
So, ask yourself:
- What old story am I still carrying that no longer serves me?
- What belief about myself or my life needs rewriting?
- If I could design my own narrative, what would it look like?
Inside The Reflective Circle, we are exploring these questions through journaling, guided prompts, and deep conversations. Because the stories we tell ourselves shape our reality—and the moment we decide to rewrite them, we reclaim our power.
If you feel the pull to reimagine your story and step into a new way of being, join us inside The Reflective Circle. Let’s break free from the past and create a future that truly reflects who we are.
Drop us an email at whisperstotheworldcs@gmail.com and let’s begin this journey together. ✨
With all my love,
Salima
