While I was out for a walk this morning a thought occurred to me: each human is either lion or lamb. But we should never choose to be only lion or only lamb. A lion is a person who is reactive, ready to confront and defend themselves in every situation. A lamb on the other hand, often appears subdued, quiet and unbothered. Lions are brass and bold. Lambs are silent and submissive.
When question is, when and how do you decide which to be?
While I was out for a walk this morning, a thought occurred to me: each of us carries both a lion and a lamb within.
The lion is bold, reactive, and always ready to defend its ground. It’s fierce, confident, and unafraid to roar when challenged. The lamb, on the other hand, is calm, gentle, and often quiet—choosing peace over confrontation.
But here’s the epiphany that struck me: we should never choose to be only one. Being all lion burns you out. Being all lamb silences your truth. The magic is in knowing when to embody each.
When the Lion Leads
I’ve had seasons where I lived entirely in my lion energy.
Every goal became a battle. Every “no” felt like a personal challenge. I was constantly on guard, ready to prove myself, ready to roar if anyone crossed a line.
It was empowering… until it wasn’t.
Because when you’re always in fight mode, you don’t realize how much energy it costs to constantly defend yourself. You build walls instead of boundaries. You stop resting, because rest feels like weakness.
The lion in me got things done (boy did she!)—but she also ran herself into the ground trying to be everything, do everything, and protect everything.
Many women live this way without realizing it. We become lions out of necessity—defending our time, our families, our dreams, our self-worth in a world that often tests them. But the cost of living in perpetual defense mode is disconnection—from softness, peace, and even joy.
When the Lamb Takes Over
Then there are the times I’ve lived as the lamb. Quiet. Agreeable. Taking it all in. Avoiding conflict because I didn’t want to “cause a scene.”
At first, it felt safe—peaceful even. But over time, that peace turned into suppression. I stopped saying what I really felt. I’d let things slide that shouldn’t have. I convinced myself I was being kind, when really, I was being small.
The lamb in me wanted to keep the peace, but it came at the price of my voice.
And that’s the problem, isn’t it? When we live too much as the lamb, we lose touch with our power. We stay silent in rooms where our truth deserves to be heard. We say “it’s fine” when it’s not. And there’s nothing worse than diminishing a woman’s power.
The Real Power Lies in Balance
Over time, I’ve learned that confidence isn’t about being the lion all the time. It’s about knowing when to lead with strength and when to lean into grace.
There’s a time to roar and a time to let it go. A time to speak up and a time to observe. A time to protect and a time to surrender.
The lion teaches you how to stand tall. The lamb teaches you how to stay grounded. Both are sacred. Both are necessary.
Because being soft certainly doesn’t make you weak. And being strong doesn’t make you hard.
True power is the ability to choose—to access the energy that serves you in each moment, rather than letting one side dominate your life.
Knowing Which One to Call On
So how do you know when to channel the lion or the lamb?
Here’s what I’ve learned through trial, error, and a whole lot of self-reflection:
When you feel dismissed, disrespected, or overlooked—it’s time for the lion. That’s your cue to stand up straight, speak clearly, and reclaim your power. I like to call it self-reclamation. The lion in you shouldn’t ask for permission; instead she asserts her worth.
When you’re overwhelmed, exhausted, or emotionally flooded—it’s time for the lamb. The lamb reminds you to slow down, breathe, and rest. She teaches you that peace is also productive. When you’re making decisions—it’s both. The lion helps you take bold action; the lamb ensures your choices are aligned with love, not fear.
The key is self-awareness. Before reacting, ask yourself: Am I leading from power or protection? From peace or people-pleasing?
The Misunderstanding of Strength
So many of us were raised to believe strength looks like toughness—like never backing down, never crying, never showing weakness. Understand that real strength is emotional range. It’s being both fierce and gentle.
It’s saying, “I can be soft without being walked over. I can be bold without being cruel.”
In my own life, I’ve noticed that when I operate from my lion too long, I start to lose empathy. When I stay in my lamb too long, I lose direction.
But when they work together—when my lion protects my boundaries and my lamb keeps my heart open—I feel grounded, confident, and authentic.
That’s the sweet spot.
In Relationships
This balance shows up in our relationships, too.
Maybe you’ve been the lion—always needing to control, to fix, to be right. Or maybe you’ve been the lamb—always accommodating, keeping quiet to “keep the peace.”
Both roles can feel safe in different ways. But healthy relationships need both energies—assertiveness and compassion, confidence and humility. Both lion and lamb meld together to form a powerful nucleus. And that nucleus is the command center of your life.
When you learn to toggle between the two intentionally, you stop reacting from fear and start responding from wholeness.
That’s where growth happens.
In Motherhood
As moms, we live this dance daily. We roar to protect our children, to advocate for them, to lead them. But we also soften—to nurture, to comfort, to guide with patience.
If we lean too hard into the lion, we risk parenting from control.
If we lean too much into the lamb, we risk losing authority.
But when we blend both, we model something powerful: strength with love.
We show our kids what it looks like to be human and balanced—to be both brave and kind.
In Work and Dreams
The lion helps you dream big, pitch boldly, take risks. The lamb keeps your ego in check, reminding you to stay aligned and not lose yourself in the hustle.
You need both to build something sustainable. The lion gets you to the table. The lamb reminds you you don’t have to prove you belong there.
Your Power Move
Next time you’re faced with a challenge, pause and ask:
Which energy do I need right now—lion or lamb?
If you’re hesitating out of fear, channel your lion.
If you’re reacting out of anger or pride, invite your lamb to soften your edges.
It’s not about choosing one forever—it’s about mastering the dance.
Because when you learn to switch gracefully between strength and softness, you stop living in extremes. This will be when you realize, to have balance is to invite peace into your life. You stop seeing yourself as too much or not enough.
You simply become whole.
The world often tells women to pick a side—be fierce or be gentle. Be independent or be nurturing. Speak up or stay agreeable.
But what if the truth is that you’re meant to be both?
A lion who protects her peace and a lamb who walks in grace.
The power isn’t in choosing and it isn’t in a power struggle—it’s in knowing when to be which.
That’s emotional intelligence. That’s balance. That’s self-mastery.
So today, I invite you to check in with yourself.
Where have you been roaring when rest would serve you better?
Where have you been silent when your truth needed to be heard?
Both the lion and the lamb live in you.
Your job is to learn their rhythms—and lead from both.
If you loved this reflection, you’ll love my book Mom Take Center Stage—a guide to rediscovering your confidence, boundaries, and voice as a woman and a mother.
It’s available now on Amazon and everywhere books are sold.
featured image credit: https://unsplash.com/@krivitskiy
Please support small businesses and creatives. Here’s a little about the photographer Alexander Krivitskiy:
I would be very grateful for any donation for the restoration of my photography studio in Kyiv in Ukraine.(I can sign a commercial use license). PayPal – alexfoto@bigmir.net More photos here: https://www.pexels.com/@krivitskiy/
