I was sitting at a dinner table with five accomplished women. Founders. Leaders. People who'd built things, broken glass ceilings, made decisions that affected hundreds of people. And not one of them was being honest. The conversation was smooth. Polished. Everyone laughed at the right moments. Nobody mentioned the real things. Then my friend, someone I'd known for years, quietly said something I'll never forget: "Can I just... say something nobody says out loud?" Everyone we
It starts in the checkout line. A casual, "How are you?" from the cashier. "I'm fine, thanks. You?" It’s tossed out while scrolling through your phone, a reflexive noise to fill the silence. But then, it happens elsewhere. It becomes the default. The answer to your partner over dinner. The text you send to your mom. The cheerful email to your colleague. “I’m fine.” Two words, so light on the tongue, yet so heavy in the soul. I don't remember the exact day "I'm fine" became a
