✨The Masks That No Longer Fit (031)

Halloween gives us permission to dress up. What if it also reminds us it’s safe to take off the masks we wear the rest of the year?

Author

Mary Vaz
October 31, 2025

Opening Reflection: What’s Real Beneath the Costume?

Marking the last day of October on Halloween can mean so many things to different people.

For some, it’s costumes, laughter, and sugar highs.
For others, it’s noise, commercialism, and chaos.

But pause for a moment and consider this:
Is Halloween just a silly commercial tactic or does it serve a deeper purpose?

Maybe, beneath all the glitter and plastic pumpkins, it offers us permission.
Permission to try on a new identity.
To express a part of ourselves that rarely gets airtime.
To play, to perform, and sometimes to notice the masks we wear when it isn’t Halloween.

Coaching Insight: The Everyday Masks of High Performers

In my work with high-functioning leaders and professionals, I see masks everywhere. They’re not made of latex or feathers. They’re invisible.

  • The “I’m fine, just busy” mask.

  • The “I’ve got it all under control” mask.

  • The “I can handle one more thing” mask.

These masks serve a purpose. They protect us. They help us fit in, lead teams, and deliver results. But they also take energy to hold in place.

Eventually, the mask starts to feel heavy — or worse, it starts to feel like us. That’s when burnout creeps in quietly, disguised as competence.

As one client told me recently,

“It wasn’t until I took the mask off that I realised how much energy I was spending keeping it on.”

Reflection Prompt: Which Mask No Longer Fits?

As October closes and we step into the final stretch of the year, ask yourself:

  • What mask have I been wearing out of habit, not choice?

  • What might happen if I took it off even just a little?

  • What truth is waiting underneath?

You might discover that the real you - the one who laughs, rests, creates, and connects freely - is more magnetic than any mask you’ve ever worn.

This Week’s Nudge

This week, notice when you feel tempted to “put on a mask.”

Pause. Breathe. Ask:

“Is this mask helping me — or hiding me?”

Choose moments that let your true self breathe. That’s how you burn bright, not out.

✨ One Last Thing

If you’re feeling ready to reconnect with your vision before 2026 arrives, join me for the final Vision Board Workshop of the year on 14 November.
It’s 90 minutes that might just change how you see your next chapter.
🎟️ Reserve your spot here

Until next week!

To your spark,
Mary
Burn Bright Coach | HR Leader | Founder, Burn Bright Not Out
🌐 Why Burn Bright
💌 Success without sacrifice, because your fire should fuel, not consume.