Who are you?

Let’s get real for a second.

Not the version of you that smiles on cue, checks all the boxes, or blends in just enough to feel “safe.” I’m talking about the real you.

Who are you when the lights are off? When no one’s around to validate you, there’s no audience clapping for your latest win? Who are you when you're tired, uncertain, and raw, or even proud of yourself for no particular reason?

Too often, we spend so much time curating how we show up for the world that we forget to check in with how we show up for ourselves. We become performers in our own lives, acting out roles we never even auditioned for: The Good Friend. The High Achiever. The Quiet One. The Strong One. The One Who Has It All Together. But underneath it all, do you even recognize the person in the mirror? Let’s be honest, how we show up in the world is important, but it should never cost you, you.

There’s power in pausing and asking yourself, “am I being true to who I am, or just playing the part people expect from me?”

Maybe you've been dimming your light to make others comfortable or maybe you’ve been so busy helping others find themselves that you’ve lost track of your own reflection. Or, maybe you just haven’t slowed down long enough to ask the question so, this is your moment to start. With all your questions, your contradictions, and your magic…because how you show up for yourself will always echo louder than how you show up for anyone else.

So let’s do something brave.

Take 5 quiet minutes today and ask yourself: Who am I, really? Write down your answer. Let it be messy but make sure it is also honest. Then, ask yourself how you can show up as that version of you tomorrow. And if this hit something in you, share it. Start a conversation. Invite someone else to do the same. Because the more we show up as our full selves, the more we give others permission to do the same.