I Believed in the Dream - Until I Woke Up

Awake the Dream. Don’t Trade Your Own Story for a Starring Role in Someone Else’s Illusion.

There’s a moment… subtle but undeniable, when someone you thought was a friend suddenly reveals the truth behind the mask… they go from being someone you trust, respect, and love to acting as your handler. When loving support becomes underhanded strategy. When inclusion becomes just a method of control.

And once you see it, you can’t unsee it. This personal rambling is about my latest detour.

I was part of a team that started with good intentions. For months, I gave it everything I had. I brought my voice, my creativity, my time, my energy… most days from the moment I woke up until the moment I fell asleep. I contributed strategy, wrote content, created graphics, helped structure the brand, stayed on calls for hours, all unpaid, all fueled by loyalty and belief in what we were building.

It felt like a partnership. I was told it was exactly that…. Equal partnership.

I was part of something that looked like a cohesive and democratic group - a beautiful and interactive shared vision..

So I gave it my all. But the way something looks on the outside can be quite deceiving… even to those on the inside.