I’ve been thinking about my conversation with Arielle all week.
She shared something that doesn’t get talked about enough — not in glossy profiles, not in dinner table conversations, not in most of our families.
She left home.
Not to chase a job. Not to prove a point.
But because she needed peace. Because the space she came from no longer felt safe. And staying would’ve meant slowly disappearing.
That’s not the kind of decision you make lightly.
Especially not when culture, family, and tradition are wrapped so tightly around your sense of self.
But sometimes, walking away is the most honest, loving thing you can do — for yourself.
🎧 Listen to Part 1 of my conversation with Arielle
Breaking Generational Trauma Isn’t Glamorous
It’s messy. It’s isolating. It’s painful.
It’s being the one who says, “No more,” when no one else ever did.
It’s looking at the expectations you were raised with and realizing… they were never yours to begin with.
You are not “bad” for breaking the cycle. You are brave.
You are not disrespectful for choosing boundaries.
You are not selfish for needing space.
You are not weak for saying, “This hurts me.”
Arielle’s story reminded me: we don’t have to carry forward what broke us.
Just because it’s been that way doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.
What I’ve Been Sitting With
We’re taught to endure.
To smile through it. To be grateful. To “make it work.”
But sometimes the most radical thing you can do is choose yourself — not out of defiance, but out of deep care.
I’ve been unlearning the idea that love equals sacrifice.
That loyalty means silence.
That if you leave, you’re the problem.
No.
If you’re the first to name the pain — you’re the beginning of healing.
What Else We Dropped This Week
Under the Hood
Everyone wanted to be DTC-first… until it stopped working. Now retail is back. Here’s what smart brands are doing differently.
Skin Deep
Confused by color correctors? This beginner’s guide breaks it down. A step closer to understanding your skin.
→ The Beginner’s Guide to Color
A Note to Anyone Breaking the Pattern
Breaking the cycle doesn’t make you the problem — it makes you the pioneer.
Be bold. Be real. Be Anomalous.
— Sai Menon