I had this moment the other day like a real gut-punch realisation that I’ve been afraid of my own words.
I have so much content I’ve created and never shared. Shit that would change someone’s life, and I just sat on it. Why? Because somewhere deep down, I was scared. Scared of being perceived. Scared of the response. Scared of being seen in my rawness.
And I know you can relate to this…
You’ve got pages of notes, half-written captions, saved drafts, that one Reel you keep reshooting.
You’ve got a lot to say but you’re just not saying it.
Ask yourself why.
When I got really honest with myself, I realised every time I share something that’s real, raw, unfiltered, it lands. Every time I post from my soul, not just my strategy, it gets traction. Women respond. They resonate. They feel it. They message me. They move.
And yet… I noticed how I was slowing myself down.
Because when you know your words hold weight, they also hold risk.
I watch followers drop when I share something real. I watch the number tick down in real time. And if I’m honest? That scared me. That activated the girl inside me who was taught to avoid conflict, to make things smooth, to be liked.
But I made myself a promise this year.
I will be honest.
I will take responsibility where it’s mine to take.
And I will stop pretending.
I’ve done things in my business I look back on and go, “what the fuck was that?”
But I’ve also done things I’m so deeply proud of.
Both get to exist. That’s called being a human with a heartbeat.
Recently I shared something that ended a friendship.
And in that moment, I thought, This is what happens when you speak your truth.
This is what happens when you disrupt.
This is what happens when you stop prioritising being palatable over being powerful.
But here’s the truth: Leaders go first.
Without proof. Without certainty. Without the outcome wrapped in a pretty bow.
They go first, and they go messy.
They go anyway.
You will fuck up. You will trigger people. You’ll look back and cringe at some things.
But the women I work with? They’re not here to be liked. They’re here to lead.
And leadership isn’t just strategy. It’s embodiment. It’s honesty. It’s being someone worth investing in because you’re not afraid of your own voice anymore.
The most dangerous thing you can do is sit on your truth.
It’ll kill your momentum.
It’ll erode your confidence.
It’ll chip away at your purpose.
Because silence doesn’t preserve safety it breeds stagnancy.
Being dishonest isn’t just lying.
It’s withholding the very thing you came here to say.
So this is your permission.
To fucking say it.
To write the post.
To publish the Reel.
To stop watering down your fire.
She doesn’t want more noise.
She wants you.
Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unafraid.
You were made to lead.
So go first.
With love
– Riley
