There's something quietly jarring about the fact that some Americans cross state lines and lose fundamental rights while others don't. If you're a cisgender man, your body stays yours whether you're in California or Texas, New York or Florida. You can access the healthcare you need. Your legal identity remains recognized. Your right to make decisions about your own body doesn't evaporate at a state border.

We’ve all heard the advice: Say your affirmations every day.I am confident.I love myself.I am enough. But what happens when those words don’t feel true yet? When you say them out loud but your inner voice quietly whispers, “I don’t believe that.” As life coaches, we’ve seen this moment come up time and time again. The intention is good; you’re trying to shift your mindset.

I'm in the process of launching my own coaching business. With years of experience in business and leadership, plus my unique perspective as part of the LGBTQ+ community, I know I have valuable insights to offer. Yet there are moments when an inner voice I call BOB whispers: "I'll never be successful at this. Will people even take me serious?"

I still remember the moment music changed everything for me. My dad brought home a VHS tape filled with MTV music videos, and there it was—Roxette's "Dangerous." From the first electric guitar riff to Marie Fredriksson's powerful vocals, I was completely hooked. That Swedish pop duo opened a door to a world where music wasn't just background noise—it was energy, emotion, and pure joy captured in melody.

Vulnerability isn't weakness. It’s the most accurate measure of courage. Yet for many of us, allowing ourselves to be truly seen feels like standing on the edge of a cliff, uncertain whether we'll fall or fly. I've learned that vulnerability shows up differently in our professional and personal lives, but in both spaces, it asks the same thing of us: the willingness to be authentic even when it's uncomfortable.

One of the greatest illusions we face is the inner shadow, that dark space that convinces us we are unprotected, unloved, and alone. When we find ourselves in the shadow, fear and sadness can make it feel endless, as though the force of good has disappeared. But here's the truth: the shadow is not absence. It is an illusion. You are always loved, always guided, always connected.

In my previous role as a Territory Manager, I watched my store leaders carry weight that never seemed to lift. The stress was constant. Tight deadlines, impossible metrics, staffing challenges that never quite resolved. I could walk into a store and feel the tension in the air before anyone said a word. That's when I started leaning into something I'd learned from the FISH Philosophy: the concept of play.

Finding Beauty in Life's Messiest Moments You know what’s crazy to me? Caterpillars have no clue they’re about to become butterflies. If someone told you, “Hey, in a few weeks, you’re going to basically turn to soup and then emerge with wings,” you’d probably back away slowly. It sounds like a horror movie, not a promotion. But I think I get it now.

Bestselling author Daniel Pink offers the big ideas and practical advice to help you work smarter and live better. Click to read The Pink Report, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of s...