It's All About Lee

Pride Month 2025 is here — but where did all the rainbows go? One minute brands were voguing for visibility, now they’re “keeping it internal.” In this episode, Lee gets into the quiet corporate retreat from queerness, why all that performative progress was never real, and what it means when “diversity” becomes a dirty word.

We’re talking about the difference between being seen and being safe, and why maybe — just maybe — this Pride is the reset we actually needed.

No rainbow cupcakes. No allyship merch. Just facts, shade, and a little hope.

This week, Lee gets real about gym anxiety, forged PE notes, and how it only took eight years, three trainers, and six different gyms to finally feel (kind of) okay lifting heavy things in public.

From dodging school sports like the plague to deadlifting like a delicate princess, this episode is for anyone who’s ever felt out of place in the gym—and needed permission to just show up anyway.

Expect:– Gym bros doing the most– PTs that felt more like situationships– Why the queer gym experience hits different– And redefining what “success” looks like (hint: showing up counts)

💪🏽 Come for the trauma, stay for the tension release.

If you've ever felt too anxious to enter the weights section, this one’s for you.

Building something slow, sustainable, and actually good?

Yeah… good luck with that in 2025.

I wrote about the death of the creative middle class.

Watch this, then read the full essay:

https://leegray04.substack.com/p/theres-no-middle-ground-anymore?r=b2me2

or Listen here:

https://leegray04.substack.com/p/where-did-the-middle-go?r=b2me2

In this episode, I’m unpacking the quiet death of the in-between — that space where filmmakers, designers, and creatives used to build something sustainable, not necessarily scalable. You didn’t have to be a unicorn, you just had to be good. Remember that?

But now?You’re either viral or invisible.A startup or a side hustle.Big, or broke.

From streaming platforms chasing data to buyers only caring about ROI, I’m talking about the systems that have squeezed out the middle — and what it means for those of us still trying to build something steady, soulful, and self-sufficient.

👀 Expect:

A little rant, a little reality

Some shade for the algorithm

And a lot of love for anyone still making things that matter

✨ Read the full essay on Substack:

There's No Middle Ground Anymore