Why Playing Small Is So Expensive

Playing Bigger isn’t about blowing up your life.
It’s not about hustling harder.
And it’s definitely not about 10X-ing everything overnight.

In this very first episode of The Play Bigger Podcast, I’m having an honest conversation about something most high achievers don’t want to admit:
the quiet, hidden cost of playing small.

On the outside, it can look like success. You have clients. You’re busy. The calendar is full. Money is coming in. But on the inside… you know you’re operating beneath your true capacity.

In this episode, I break down the real price you pay when you delay tough decisions, stay the bottleneck, avoid visibility, or keep telling yourself, “I’ll build it later.” I also share exactly how this showed up in my own journey—even at high levels of success.

This isn’t about motivation.
This is about standards.
And the question is simple:
Are you willing to raise yours?

If you’ve been feeling a quiet tension between where you are and where you know you’re capable of going—this episode will hit different.

Things I Cover in This Episode

• What playing small actually looks like for high performers
• The 5 real costs of playing small:
  • Financial cost
  • Time cost
  • Emotional cost
  • Identity cost
  • Legacy cost
• Why exhaustion and playing small can exist at the same time
• The difference between operator thinking vs. CEO thinking
• How high achievers get stuck longer than anyone else
• The danger of “successful dysfunction”
• My personal seasons of playing small (even while producing big)
• The fear behind staying private, avoiding visibility, and delaying leverage
• A powerful self-audit to reveal where you’re capped
• What playing bigger truly means (without chaos or burnout)
• The one decision that can shift your entire next chapter

If this episode challenged you in the best way, here’s your move:

1. Pick one area where you’ve been playing small.
2. Make one bold decision this week that moves you into alignment.
3. If you’re ready to scale with structure, clarity, and strategy, explore what we’re building at letsplaybigger.com

And if this episode hit home, share it with someone who needs the push.

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Thank you for joining me on this episode of Play Bigger with Raquel Quinet, and remember, keep pushing your limits to achieve your goals.

For updates and collaborations or opportunities, go to www.LetsPlayBigger.com

Find more resources on our website

https://raquelq.com/podcast/

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