Don't let their energy change yours.

If you let their energy shape your life, it stops being yours.

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with two women I hadn’t really had extended hang time with before—women I’ve circled around online for years, exchanging messages, making almost-plans. And finally, we synced up. For real. It wasn’t extravagant. But it was honest. Open. Easy. A solid 11/10 of an afternoon.

We talked about everything—business, creativity, relationships, visibility, identity.
And underneath all of it, this quiet theme kept showing up: What happens to your energy when you start letting other people shape it?

One of the women I was with is also in the public eye—arguably even more than I am.
And yet, she is one of the kindest women I’ve ever met. Not kind in the curated way.
Kind in the real way. Steady. Present. Thoughtful to everyone around her.

At one point, the conversation turned toward the online space—specifically, the darkness that lives just under the surface of the scroll.

We didn’t name names. But we talked about it. The Reddit threads. The anonymous opinions. The way people dissect your character, your face, your relationships, your choices, as if you’re some kind of public property. And how easy it is—even when you’re confident, even when you’re clear—to let that energy start to shape how you show up.

I remember the first time I found myself on one of those sites. It wasn’t Reddit yet—it was Gossip Guru. And at the time, it really did feel like it was just me.

I felt alone. And even worse, I felt embarrassed. Embarrassed that people I didn’t know had decided I was a character to be taken apart. Embarrassed that no one around me seemed to understand how painful and paralyzing it felt.

Over time, I got stronger. But I won’t lie—I also got quieter. I made decisions based on what wouldn’t be talked about. I chose silence instead of strength. I softened edges that were meant to stay sharp. I started trying to be safe instead of being seen.

And the truth is: that’s not life. That’s not living. That’s a performance of survival. And it’s a trap.

What hit me most in yesterday’s conversation was this: the people who are doing something real will always be talked about. It’s part of it. And if you let that stop you, if you let it water you down—you’re not living your life. You’re living one that someone else’s opinion built for you.

And that applies to all of us—not just people online. It applies to the friend who’s been talking behind your back. To the relative who doesn’t understand you. To the partner who wants you to dim just a little. To the room you walk into and feel like too much in.

You can’t let someone else’s energy change yours. Because the second you do, you hand over the steering wheel. And you don’t get this life twice. We spend so much time trying to make everyone comfortable. Trying not to ruffle feathers. Trying to be easy to digest. Trying to keep every friend, keep every connection, hold the peace.

But at what cost?

Yesterday reminded me that the people who are meant for you will expand you.
They’ll celebrate you. They won’t flinch when you get sharper, louder, clearer, freer.
They’ll look at you and say, “There she is.”

This week, I hope you let go of anything—or anyone—that’s shrinking you.
And I hope you stop negotiating with your own power.

Get back to your dreams.
Wake up early.
Breathe deeply.
Write it all down.
And don’t let anyone pull you off your path.

You don’t need to be liked. You need to be lit up. Don’t let their energy change yours. Here is the MOOD for this week.

X,

KB