---
title: Crashing The Cycle of Change With Gender Equality – Why You Need To Take A Leap of Faith In Yourself Before You Feel Ready
description: Cara Poppitt’s Big Freakin’ Change urges women to act before feeling ready – revealing how confidence grows through action and courage, not waiting
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2025-06-26T14:32:41.000Z
updated: 2026-06-29T08:43:33.133Z
canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/crashing-the-cycle-of-change-with-gender-equality-why-you-need-to-take-a-leap-of-faith-in-you
categories: Self-Development
content_type: Opinion
region: Global
publication: Rich Books
---

Cara Poppitt had been telling herself for years that she’d write a book ‘someday.’ Then her friend was diagnosed with stage four cancer, and suddenly asked the question that changed everything:

‘Why are you waiting?’ Poppitt realised she had time – and her friend didn’t. That moment of clarity led to her debut book [*Big Freakin’ Change*](https://amzn.to/44lNO2Y), but more importantly, it crystallised a belief that challenges everything we’ve been taught about confidence and readiness. For women especially, the impulse to wait until we feel ‘ready’ runs deep. We polish our CVs until they gleam, delay launching businesses until we’ve dotted every i, and put dreams on hold until some internal green light finally switches on. But what if that green light never comes?

What if [waiting for confidence](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/running-on-emotional-overdraft-here-is-how-to-open-a-new-confidence-account-and-shut-down-self-doubt) is actually what’s keeping us stuck?

## The Dancer Who Learned to Leap

Poppitt’s journey from waiting to acting isn’t just personal – it’s professional. As a dancer and choreographer for 20 years, she understands something fundamental about movement: you can’t perfect a leap whilst standing still. ‘I always knew I would write a book,’ she says. ‘When my friend was diagnosed with stage four cancer she asked me why I was waiting. I had time and she did not.’

That conversation became the foundation of her core message: ‘Readiness is not a state of being but a feeling that comes after you take action.’ It’s a philosophy that runs counter to typical [self-help advice](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/finding-your-voice-after-silence-an-honest-blueprint-for-self-worth) given to women, which often focuses on building confidence first, then taking action. Poppitt flips this entirely.

Through her Calgary-based company Soul Connexion and her work with [over 10,000 entrepreneurs](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/gladys-martin-rising-from-the-ashes-with-fierce-honesty-in-i-am-phoenix-rising), she’s witnessed the paralysis that comes from waiting for the perfect moment. She’s also seen what happens when people take that first uncertain step.

## The Research Behind the Leap

Poppitt’s observations align with broader research about how women approach readiness differently than men. Studies show that women typically apply for jobs when they meet 80-90% of the qualifications, whilst men apply when they meet just 30-50%. This isn’t about capability – it’s about our relationship with uncertainty.

The confidence gap isn’t just individual; it’s systemic. Research from [The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/05/the-confidence-gap/359815/) reveals that women often underestimate their abilities whilst men overestimate theirs. When women do take action despite not feeling ready, they build confidence faster than when they wait.

The neuroscience backs this up. Taking action – even when we’re nervous – triggers dopamine release in the brain, which reinforces our willingness to act again. Confidence isn’t a prerequisite for action; it’s a byproduct of it.

Poppitt’s message carries particular urgency in 2025. [UN Women reports](https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2022/09/press-release-achieving-full-gender-equality-is-still-centuries-away-warns-the-united-nations-in-a-new-report) suggest that at current rates, it will take 286 years to achieve full gender equality. In some regions, hard-won rights are being stripped away in real time.

This isn’t about reckless abandon – it’s about calculated courage. Poppitt, who was named [Global TV’s Woman of Vision](https://globalnews.ca/pages/calgary-woman-of-vision/) and recognised as CIBC’s Entrepreneur of the Year, knows the difference between confident action and careless risk-taking.

*Big Freakin’ Change* isn’t another confidence-building manual filled with affirmations and vision boards. Instead, it’s what Poppitt calls ‘a rallying cry for women who feel stuck, lost, or unfulfilled – and are tired of waiting.’ The book offers practical frameworks for taking action when you don’t feel ready, drawn from her work with [thousands of entrepreneurs](https://carapoppitt.com/) and her own journey from paralysis to action.

The book centres on Poppitt’s ‘Get Unstuck, Cycle of Change’ model, which encourages embracing uncertainty as a necessary part of growth. Rather than waiting for confidence to strike, readers learn to build it through action – even small, imperfect actions.

Poppitt’s approach acknowledges the socialisation that teaches women to be cautious, to wait for permission, to ensure they’re fully qualified before raising their hands. It’s similar to insights found in [other discussions](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/breaking-career-barriers-why-professional-women-are-rejecting-old-playbooks) about women rejecting outdated professional expectations.

## Beyond the Credentials

Poppitt’s dance background gives her a unique perspective on the relationship between preparation and performance. Dancers know you can rehearse endlessly, but the magic happens when you step onto the stage. The thousands of hours of practice matter, but so does the willingness to [perform before you feel perfectly ready](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/from-success-to-significance-what-women-really-learn-about-self-confidence-on-stage).

This understanding permeates her coaching work. She doesn’t dismiss the value of preparation – she questions the point at which preparation becomes procrastination. There’s a difference between being ready and feeling ready, and Poppitt argues that the latter is often just fear dressed up as prudence.

Her recognition as both an entrepreneur and [advocate for women’s advancement](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/sisterhood-anchored-in-grace-a-catalyst-for-success-beyond-business) reflects this philosophy in action. She didn’t wait until she felt ready to start her businesses or write her book – she started, then figured it out as she went.

*Big Freakin’ Change* is slated as one of Indigo’s most anticipated wellness titles for Summer 2025, arriving at a moment when many women are reassessing their relationship with risk and readiness. The book’s central premise – that confidence follows action, not the other way around – challenges readers to examine their own patterns of waiting.

The next time you find yourself saying ‘I’ll do it when I’m ready,’ Poppitt wants you to ask her friend’s question: Why are you waiting? The answer might surprise you – and it might just be the push you need to take that first, uncertain step.