'Be Yourself' and Other Life Lessons From the 'Queen of Country'

Dolly Parton was extraordinarily talented, but she also had a devotion to her craft

I am heartbroken by the death of Dolly Parton.

I grew up listening to her music with my grandparents (yes, we even watched her on Hee Haw!). I loved her voice and her songs. As I got older, I came to admire the woman behind them: the songwriter, storyteller, businesswoman, philanthropist and leader.

In 2024, I had the extraordinary opportunity to meet Dolly and watch her work. Today, I’ve been thinking about what I admired in Dolly, and what her life reminds me about how I want to live mine.

Humility looks good on everyone

I watched Dolly interact with her team during a video shoot. Here was one of the most successful performers in history, taking direction from the people around her.

She listened. She laughed. She thanked them. Then she tried another take based on their feedback.

There was no “I’m Dolly Parton” in the room.

I remember thinking: I could be a better listener.

No matter how much experience we have, there is always something to learn from someone else.

Thanks, Dolly.

Never stop honing your craft

Dolly was extraordinarily talented, but she was also devoted to her craft. She wrote constantly, capturing ideas whenever they came to her, even after decades of success.

Talent is only the beginning. Keep working. Keep learning. Keep making things. Never believe you’ve arrived.

Thanks, Dolly.

Be yourself. All of yourself

Dolly was unapologetically feminine. The hair, the heels, the rhinestones, the makeup, the plastic surgery. She owned it all and made everyone else laugh along with her.

“It costs a lot of money to look this cheap,” she famously joked.

But behind the humor was confidence. She never let anyone’s idea of what a serious, successful woman should look like define her.

She showed that femininity, humor and kindness never have to come at the expense of strength or ambition.

Thanks, Dolly.

Remember where you came from

Dolly grew up poor, one of 12 children in the mountains of Tennessee. She never hid her beginnings. She celebrated them.

And when she became successful, she reached back. She created jobs in her hometown and gave millions of children books through her Imagination Library, inspired in part by her father’s inability to read.

Success means more when you use it to lift someone else.

Thanks, Dolly.

Be kind when no one is keeping score

I got to experience this one personally.

When I met Dolly, my aunt was battling stage 4 cancer. I told Dolly how much my aunt loved her, and Dolly immediately recorded a personal video message for her. It overwhelmed my dear aunt with joy.

There was nothing in it for Dolly. She simply knew she could make someone who was hurting happy. So she did.

Thanks, Dolly.

Today, I find myself thinking about my grandparents, too. Maybe all those years we listened to Dolly together, they were passing along more than music.

Dolly left the world better than she found it.

Isn’t that what we all hope to do?

Thanks, Dolly.

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