Rose McGowan - Success Secrets

“Don’t be scared to come into your own power.”

In short: Rose McGowan is an activist, author and director. In this short clip from her 2019 London Real interview, Brian Rose asks about her success secrets: what scares her, what she does that is surprising, what keeps her awake at night and what she would tell her 20-year-old self.

Rose answered with a mix of humour and candour. She talked about the melancholy she sees as part of being Irish, admitted that she doesn’t cook but makes a very good cake, and named injustice as the thing she can’t stand anywhere in the world.

The core of the clip is her advice to her younger self and to anyone starting out: expect a hard, long road, know your worth and stop being afraid of your own power.

Key takeaways

• Be honest about the dark moments. Rose said depression and fear of the future scare her, and that the Irish are prone to melancholy.
• Injustice is what keeps her awake. Asked what keeps her up at night, she answered that she can’t stand injustice anywhere in the world.
• It’s a hard road, but you’ll be okay. Her message to her 20-year-old self was that the road would be long and difficult, and that she would come through.
• Don’t be afraid of your own power. Rose said she feared her power for a long time and ignored it, as if it were too big.
• Battles take a toll. She said a big fight in the previous couple of years took all the power she had, and that she would rather not go into battle again, but will if she has to.
• Squeeze the lemon. The best advice she has received was to squeeze life and get the juice out of it.
• Make friends with your shadow. Her advice to young people was to know their worth and not be scared of their own shadow.

Cake, melancholy and what keeps Rose awake

Brian asked what would surprise people about Rose. Her answer was cake: she doesn’t cook, but she can make a very good one, red velvet especially. She said it is more inconvenient if she is really hungry, because she has to make a cake as it’s the only thing she knows how to make.

On the serious side, she said Irish people are prone to melancholy, that depression and fear of the future scare her, and that injustice is the thing that keeps her awake.

Advice to the 20-year-old Rose

Asked what she would say if she could phone her 20-year-old self, Rose said she would repeat what she already knew: it is going to be a hard and long road, but you will be okay. The part she stressed was not to be scared of coming into your own power.

She described being afraid of her own power for a long time, ignoring it and not wanting to use it. She added that a big fight in the last couple of years took everything she had, and said that fear might have been a healthy one. She still has power, but would rather not have to go into battle again.

Squeeze the lemon and make friends with your shadow

Brian asked for the best advice she had ever received. Rose said it was “squeeze the lemon”, which to her means squeezing life and getting the juice out of it.

To the 20-year-old watching, she suggested reading her book for help on the way to becoming who you are meant to be, and said that if she took a few things on the chin it might mean others don’t have to. Her closing line was a call to know your worth and make friends with your shadow.

Who is Rose McGowan?

Rose McGowan is an activist, author and director. In this clip from her London Real interview she describes herself as Irish and, in her words, someone who is prone to melancholy at times, who can make a very good cake, and who is driven by a hatred of injustice. She encourages readers to pick up her book for more on becoming who you are meant to be.

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