What if you didn’t want to be a brand, but just a person who overthinks their captions? Ten years ago, ‘public image’ belonged to celebrities, politicians, and people whose lives depended on red carpets and press releases. These days, the spotlight has widened. The moment you open an Instagram account or post something on LinkedIn, you step into the world of personal branding — sometimes without even realizing it, without even willing to. Managing how we’re seen online is a phenomenon today, and it can feel like a full-time job. So, no wonder so many of us find it exhausting. That’s where perception anxiety starts to creep in. That lowkey panic you feel when you…

Most of us step into our careers carrying a mixed bag of expectations. There’s the naive optimism we’re fed in college — that our degrees will matter, that hard work will speak for itself, that if we “just follow our passion,” the path ahead will be meaningful and rewarding. Then there’s the muffled fear that everyone else has it figured out while we’re still Googling “how to write this email in a professional way.” The truth is that early careers are messy. They’re political, unfair, and often discouraging in ways no placement talk or graduation speech will warn you about. You don’t walk into your first job as a “future leader.” You…

And Why Chasing Their Version of Happy is Making You Miserable. No wonder you’re tired — you’re chasing the wrong dream. Ever catch yourself out of breath, but you’re not even sure why? You never signed up for this invisible race. There was no starting whistle. But suddenly, you’re sprinting — chasing after lifestyles, career wins, perfect photos, relationship milestones, like your whole worth depends on keeping up. From LinkedIn “thought leaders” to Instagram-perfect girlbosses to even your own friends who seem to have it all figured out — everyone’s kind of faking it. And here you are, trying to keep up in a game that doesn’t even feel like yours. You’re exhausted, but it’s not just…