September 2026: Dolly Parton and Owning Your Crown
DOLLY PARTON
AND OWNING YOUR CROWN
Before the walk, the boundary, the sleep, the time for something we love comes the most important self- care: knowing what matters to you.
There are plenty of reasons to admire Dolly Parton. For me, I continue to be in awe at how consistently she seems to have known who she was even when other people had very different ideas about who she should be.
Take Elvis Presley.
Having one of the biggest stars in the world record your song is an extraordinary opportunity for anyone, but particularly for a for a young songwriter. At the age of 28. Dolly was thrilled that "The King" wanted to record "I Will Always Love You." Then Elvis's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, told her they would need half the publishing rights.
Dolly said no.
Not that the decision was easy. She's said she cried all night over losing the opportunity. But the song was hers, the publishing was important to her, and she wasn't willing to give it away simply because someone more powerful wanted it.
Years later, when Whitney Houston recorded the song, Dolly still owned the publishing. While it's tempting to turn that into a story about making a brilliant business decision, I think there's another lesson in it.
Dolly knew what mattered to her.
Her songs. Her image. Her ambitions. Her choices. Herself.
Throughout her career, people have underestimated her, caricatured her, and made assumptions based on her accent, where she came from, how she dressed, or the persona she created. Rather than spending her life trying to convince everyone that they had her wrong, Dolly just simply kept being Dolly.
And the most instructive piece is that she wasn’t defiant. She didn’t need to be. She wasn’t in a battle over who she was or what mattered to her.
Knowing what you value makes you recognize what isn't negotiable. Knowing what you want makes it possible to say no to something that isn't right for you no matter how impressive. And knowing who you are makes other people's attempts to define you less powerful.
Now, that doesn't mean never questioning yourself. It certainly doesn't mean every decision will turn out as spectacularly well as keeping the publishing rights to "I Will Always Love You."
It does mean the person deciding is actually you.
Self-care isn't only something we give ourselves after the world has worn us down. It’s first deciding how much of ourselves we're willing to give the world in the first place.
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