Letting Go of Hustle Culture and the Toxicity of the Algorithm

I didn’t come here to build a brand.

Well, I take that back. In September of 2025, I set out to build a personal brand because that’s what I thought I had to do. For a long time, I believed that visibility had to come before value. That if I wasn’t showing up daily, batching content, chasing algorithms, or packaging myself into something digestible, then I was failing.

I believed this primarily because I fall into something really fun called “analysis paralysis.” I have wanted to write for decades. I have wanted to share my words with the world and help others through my lived experiences — truly, way back before I even had much lived experience.

At age 46 and decades into long-term recovery, that’s no longer the case. I want to empower others on a healing journey who have experienced ultimate betrayal and self-abandonment. Other souls who have questioned their own self-worth, who have struggled with boundaries, and who crave to step into the most authentic versions of themselves.

Every time I’ve attempted to bring my words to life to serve others, I’ve quit before the miracle happens. This is because I get stuck in influencer culture, TikTok gurus, advertisements that promise the world, and paid courses after courses that never truly answer your questions or move the needle.

Every other podcast has the exact answer and the exact formula, and over half the time, it’s contradictory information. A plethora of books by the latest and greatest will not get you anywhere if you do not take action.

But the truth is: I don’t believe in hustle culture anymore — not for healing, not for recovery, and not for the kind of life I’m trying to build.

I believe in libraries. I relish slow mornings. I believe in quiet consistency. I subscribe (now) to the idea that creating things that still matter when the noise dies down is the true purpose.

My creations live primarily at the intersection of long-term recovery, self-trust, intimacy, and rebuilding a life that actually fits. I’ve lived the cycles of burnout, self-abandonment, reinvention, and coming back to myself more times than I can count.

I’m not here to sell you a fantasy. I’m here to document what it looks like to rebuild slowly, honestly, and with your nervous system intact.

In fact, I am going into this with a newfound respect and understanding of the ‘long game’. I no longer have grandiose ideas of virality. Or overnight success.

I am building brick by brick. Word by word. I hope some of you join me on this journey!

If you’re tired of performing your healing, optimizing your worth, or turning your life into content, you’re in the right place.

This is the beginning of a quieter way forward.

If this resonated at all, I would love to have you join my email list! I write one email a week, 0% fluff and 100% raw.

Join the soft and slow vibe here!

Love,

Heather