This episode hit different. Elaine didn’t just talk about toxic positivity, she called it out with the kind of honesty that makes you stop and exhale. No sugarcoating, no spiritual bypassing, just real talk about what happens when we pressure ourselves (or others) to smile through the pain.
I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to hold it together, especially as a leader. But sometimes what we need most isn’t a silver lining, it’s permission to sit in the storm for a minute. Elaine gives that permission. And somehow, she makes it feel safe.
This conversation reminded me that being real is more powerful than being positive. That we don’t need to perform strength, we just need to show up as we are. If you’ve ever felt like your pain was too much, or like you had to shrink it to make others comfortable… listen to this. Then send it to someone else who’s carrying too much in silence.
Elaine, thank you for saying what so many of us have felt. This one mattere
