Untamed

they taught her to walkin straight lines,chin down, voice tucked in,feet careful not to leave a mark. and for a while,she did.she listened.to advice disguised as love,to correction disguised as care. even when the ground felt borrowed.even when the air smelled like someone else’s story.she kept walking,trying to belong to a mapdrawn by someone who … Continue reading Untamed →

The quiet cost of the AI rush

Every product pitch, every investor deck, every LinkedIn post chants the same thing. Get stuff done faster, become more efficient, automate, optimize, and accelerate with AI. And I get it. I really do. I build. I design. I use these tools every day. But lately, a question keeps nagging at me, one I can't seem … Continue reading The quiet cost of the AI rush →

Alignment sounds nice, but translation works.

I’ve stopped believing that alignment means everyone agrees. Most of the time, it just means everyone thinks they understood the same thing. In product conversations, we love to say, “Let’s get aligned.” It sounds mature. Kinda professional as well. But what we’re really saying is, “Let’s make sure we’re not talking about completely different things.” … Continue reading Alignment sounds nice, but translation works. →

The weight of negative self talk

Negative self talk is sneaky. It slips in quietly, almost unnoticeable, until suddenly it’s running the show. You’re about to try something new and there it is, whispering: “You’re not good enough,” or “People are going to judge you.” And the thing is, it doesn’t just appear out of thin air. It’s built over years. … Continue reading The weight of negative self talk →

The trap of wanting to be liked

There’s this pattern that shows up at work for so many of us: the craving to be liked. Not just respected for the work, but really liked—seen as smart, capable, and worth celebrating. And the moment someone seems curt or doesn’t give that signal, the mind runs wild. “Do they think I’m not good enough? … Continue reading The trap of wanting to be liked →

In the absence of a center

some days i care too much.other days, not at all.i swing between urgency and numbness,between needing to be seenand wanting to disappear. i attach myselfto whatever moves,a reaction, a message,a silence that feels louder than it should.and i call it feeling.i call it being alive. but the truth is,i’m scattered.and i know it. i keep … Continue reading In the absence of a center →

On stress

I hate how the word stress is thrown around so casually these days. It's become a filler word for everything. People use it when they're impatient, angry, restless, or afraid. But stress isn't just a fleeting emotion or a surface-level reaction. It's deeper than that. And honestly, it's hard to put into words. That's the … Continue reading On stress →

Why the best feedback doesn’t feel good at first

We all love getting positive feedback. The kind that says our work matters and that we're making a difference. And let's be honest, sometimes, that's all we want. But there's another kind of feedback. The kind that shakes you up and makes you pause and think, "Wait, but I thought I was already good at … Continue reading Why the best feedback doesn’t feel good at first →

Climbing the ladder or just trying not to trip?

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about careers, work identities, trajectories, and all the complicated stuff in between. It’s funny how, at some point, many of us start measuring our progress in promotions and raises, as if success is just a series of checkpoints. I mean, who doesn’t like a shiny new title or a … Continue reading Climbing the ladder or just trying not to trip? →

On counting our blessings

We all have things to be grateful for, yet we often fail to remember them. That's because we don't value those things the way we value something we don't have yet. Some of us think whatever we've achieved, acquired, or been blessed with all along the way was meant to happen, so it doesn't make … Continue reading On counting our blessings →