Lens of Life: Looking at Shonda Rhimes
- adelarcarrillo
- Oct 9
- 4 min read
How learning on the job and gaining respect can bring you the power to achieve your purpose.
Short Bio:
Early Life: Shonda was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Dartmouth University.
Job: Wrote movies, including Crossroads and The Princess Diaries 2. She established her production company, ShondaLand in 2005.
Known for: Creating shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Scandal. Her production company also produced Bridgerton and Inventing Anna.
Purpose: Though writing and creating worlds has been a part of Shonda's life forever, her storytelling also has a purpose that goes beyond juvenile enjoyment, she explains, "'You cannot be what you cannot see" for women to band together and blaze the trail, they have to see themselves represented on screen. In many ways, movies and TV open up our eyes to what can be and who we can become. Being a woman of color, Shonda didn't always see herself reflected on the screen. When she became a screenwriter, it was obvious to her that this wouldn't be the case in her shows. "The default for women was characters played either, they were either, sort of the vamp, slutty character, or they were like mom, or they were like the sidekick, the smart quirky secretary." Shonda didn't want this to be the case anymore. With such an idea in mind, it makes sense that Shonda would go on to create shows with strikingly powerful women at the forefront. But how did she do it? How does she bring this purpose to life, episode after episode? She has harnessed her own power as a screenwriter and businesswoman.
Learning and Being Direct: Her growth as a person and in the entertainment industry has allowed her to amass immense power. " I didn't know anything. And so instead of pretending that I did and like making huge mistakes, I just was like, this is like another college. I'm gonna learn everything I can." Shonda prioritized learning not only as a way to make her shows and work better but as a way to become a better leader. She explains that people can see right through you when you are faking it, "the emperor has no clothes and they don't respect you. Like be honest and say like, I don't know enough about this. It's not gonna take your power away". Once Shonda understood that she could ask questions, admit when she doesn't know the answer, and commit to growth, she found herself with a lot of knowledge. But for women in business, knowledge doesn't directly translate to people's respect. Shonda understands how women may feel taking the helm, we are often afraid of being called a bitch rubbing people the wrong way, and her response is simple, ""Let's all just be the bitch". She elaborates that when you are the bitch, "its not this amorphous thing where they are trying to figure out what you meant, and here's my thing, never be cruel, never be mean, never be rude, never belittle, but be direct, and be strong about what you are saying and mean it. Like there's no reason to apologize for being good at your job". Being direct and exerting her expertise is what has gotten Shonda to where she is today. Once she had this level of wisdom and knew how to be direct with her knowledge, she was on the road to realizing her power.
Power: "What they don't want you to realize is how much power you have." Shonda outlined how society is structured to keep women not only from learning but from understanding their weight in the professional world. She explains that "power is not power if you don't know you have it." Young women need to see themselves on screen to know who they can be, and once they are women in business, they need to see and understand their power to use it. Part of seeing your power is saying it. When Shonda realized she was the highest-paid showrunner, she had a hard time believing it. She double checked with her lawyer over and over, and even when it came time to deliver her speech to a major magazine event, she had trouble voicing the reality. She understands how women fear being confident, she knows that people turn their backs on you when you are successful (simply because they are not ready for their own change) she wrote about this in her book Year of Yes. She explains the way in which women are conditioned, "you try and make it okay for other people". worrying about other people's comfort even applies to discussing your own success. If we are to follow Shonda's words, we will talk about our success and use it for good, to inspire other people, to forge the path, and to bring more women into the fold.
Hands down, Shonda has inspired generations of women through her shows but also through her life. Her production company and book, Year of Yes, have given us a glimpse into the real-life success of an inspiring businesswoman.
Most of this information was taken from a recent Call Her Daddy interview with Shonda Rhimes. This podcast is a favorite of mine, and the host, Alex Cooper, asks wonderful questions and does very intentional and organized research. I highly recommend listening to this episode, as there is a lot of content I didn't cover. And while you are there, listen to as many episodes as you can, they are all great! If you like this format of Story Series, let me know. I can't wait to keep bringing inspiring businesswomen to the blog!
🩷💛
-- Adela
*Please keep in mind this podcast episode was run through my own lens and personal perspective, and I can't guarantee it is exactly as Alex or Shonda intended.
Comments