Journey Coaching

“I know they are always talking about me,” she said, crumbling in my arms as tears streamed down her face.

She wasn’t being dramatic-she was being honest. My employee, a kind soul who just wanted to belong. And as I held her, my heart split into two-I knew that pain. Too well.

There’s a specific kind of ache that comes from realizing you are not just misunderstood-you are misrepresented, dissected, and passed around in conversations you were never invited into.

It doesn’t matter what industry you work in-hospitality, tech, retail, corporate-gossip is the currency many use to climb ladders they didn’t build. Meanwhile, truth is an inconvenient distraction to the stories people craft for convenience or control.

So what do you do?

You pull away.

You start choosing silence over engagement. Safety over vulnerability. You say less, share less, and show less-not because you don’t want to connect, but because connection has come at a cost you’re not willing to keep paying.

You try to live with honor, dignity, and authenticity. You mind your business. You protect others even when they haven’t protected you. You hold their secrets like sacred ground-because that’s who you are. And yet, somehow, your own name ends up in someone else’s mouth.

You carry the weight of betrayal like it’s your fault, wondering if maybe you were too open, too soft, too trusting.

And still… you show up. You keep leading. You keep loving. You keep believing that integrity matters-even when it feels like you’re the only one playing by the rules.

Here’s what I know:

Leadership is lonely.
Authenticity is expensive.
And choosing love over gossip will cost you-but it’s an investment with soul-level returns.

So to the one reading this who’s been burned by whispers in rooms you never entered, please hear me:

Your character speaks louder than their conversations.

Keep your head high.
Keep your heart soft.
And never apologize for walking in truth-even when it’s lonely.

Real friends don’t need gossip to feel powerful.
Real leaders don’t need secrets to feel important.
And real relationships are built in the quiet spaces where honor outweighs ego.

You are not alone.
And you are not crazy for wanting more.

You’re just awake.

with love – J