"I'm fine."

It's not an answer. It's a door slam.

Before the work, before the honesty, before any of this — "I'm fine" was the universal shutdown. The two words that ended every conversation that got too close. Nobody could help you if you were fine. Nobody could ask questions if you were fine. Nobody could see what was actually happening if you just kept saying you were fine.

It wasn't a lie told to protect other people. It was armor. A way to stay invisible, stay in control, and never have to feel the discomfort of being actually known by another human being.

This week the conversation gets into what that mask costs — and what it took to finally put it down.

The foxhole is open. Come as you are. 🎙️