What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Misty Copeland’s Transformation Into ‘The Warrior’

Misty Copeland wasn’t supposed to make it. That’s what the gatekeepers of the ballet world told her. She was too old. Too muscular. Too curvy. Too Black. Every door seemed locked. Every judge in the room looked at her and saw reasons to say no.

But Misty didn’t accept that. She created someone else. She called her The Warrior.

Copeland has admitted that when she stepped onto the stage, she wasn’t Misty—the girl who grew up in poverty, who doubted herself, who felt like an outsider. She became The Warrior—fierce, unrelenting, impossible to ignore. The stage wasn’t a place for humility. It was a place for domination.

And it worked.

Copeland didn’t just break through—she became the first African American female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. She didn’t tiptoe into the arena. She stormed it.

Entrepreneurs face the same brutal arenas—sales, fundraising, media interviews. Places where rejection stings, where bias festers, where the stakes feel suffocating. Your everyday self—the one who wants to be liked, who’s afraid of being judged—can’t win those moments.

That’s why you need to build The Warrior.

Uncomfortable Arenas Demand an Alter Ego Built for Battle

The mistake most entrepreneurs make is walking into uncomfortable arenas as themselves. They try to sell like themselves. Pitch like themselves. Sit in interviews as themselves.

And that’s why they freeze. Ramble. Shrink.

Your everyday self is wired for safety and approval. But arenas like sales and fundraising don’t care about your comfort—they demand belief, certainty, conviction.

That’s why elite performers like Misty Copeland created alter egos. Because your real self can’t always handle the arena. You need to step into someone else—someone built for the fight.

The Warrior doesn’t care about approval. She’s there to win. Entrepreneurs must adopt the same mindset if they want to crush the uncomfortable moments that define their business.

Step 1: Identify the Arenas Where Your Real Self Struggles

Start by getting honest about where your current self shows weakness. Is it the sales call where you over-explain because you’re afraid of rejection? The investor pitch where you rush your words because you don’t fully believe your own valuation? The media interview where you apologize for your success because you don’t want to seem arrogant?

These are arenas your everyday self can’t handle. That’s the first signal you need to create a persona designed for them.

Misty Copeland didn’t need The Warrior when she was home with her family. She needed her when the spotlight was on and the critics were sharpening their knives.

Get clear on your battlegrounds.

Step 2: Craft Your ‘Warrior’ Persona

Your alter ego needs a name. A look. A tone. A presence.

Call it The Warrior. The Titan. The Closer. Choose a name that ignites something primal in you. Something fierce. Something unshakable.

Define how they walk into the room. How they sit. How they speak. The Warrior doesn’t apologize. She doesn’t fidget. She doesn’t fill the space with nervous words. She owns the room the moment she steps in.

Make this persona vivid. Visualize them before every uncomfortable call, pitch, or interview. The more clearly you define them, the easier it becomes to step into them.

Step 3: Use Artifacts and Rituals to Activate the Persona

Copeland had her stage makeup. Her costume. Her rituals before she walked into the light.

You need yours.

It might be a specific jacket. A ring. A pair of shoes. Something that signals to your body and mind: Now, I am The Warrior.

Pair it with an activation ritual. A phrase. A breathing pattern. A song that triggers the switch.

The key is consistency. Over time, the artifact and ritual become a shortcut—flipping you from your real self into your alter ego the moment you need to step into the arena.

Step 4: Deploy the Persona in Safe, Controlled Settings First

Don’t wait for the six-figure pitch to practice this. Use The Warrior in low-stakes conversations first. Practice in mock sales calls. Internal presentations. Media training sessions.

Let the persona get reps. Let them develop. The more you use them, the faster they’ll show up when the real pressure hits.

Identity isn’t a light switch—it’s a muscle. You have to build it through reps. And you have to deploy it often enough that when the bullets start flying, you default to The Warrior, not the insecure version of yourself who wants to play small.

Step 5: Let the Persona Evolve as You Grow

Misty Copeland’s Warrior persona isn’t the same today as it was when she was a young dancer trying to break through. She’s grown. Matured. Softened in certain ways. But she never lost the edge. She never lost the ability to flip the switch when she needs to own the stage.

Your persona will evolve too. Maybe it starts as The Fighter, aggressive and raw. Over time, it becomes The Champion,polished and commanding.

But never stop using it. Because no matter how successful you become, there will always be uncomfortable rooms. Always be brutal arenas. Always be critics.

And your real self will always hesitate.

Your alter ego ensures you never do.

Parting Advice

Misty Copeland didn’t walk into the ballet world as herself. She walked in as The Warrior. And she made them see her.

Entrepreneurs must do the same. Stop tiptoeing into the arenas that scare you. Stop waiting to feel ready. Stop showing up as your everyday self in the moments that matter most.

Create the persona who doesn’t hesitate. Who doesn’t ask for permission. Who dominates the uncomfortable spaces.

Because the world doesn’t reward the timid.

It rewards The Warrior.

Next Steps

Want more no-nonsense strategies to forge an elite entrepreneur identity? Listen to the Built by Discipline podcast where I break down identity, mindset, and alter ego tools every founder needs to win the inner war and dominate the boardroom.