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Hi Reader,

The other day, I spontaneously met up with a long-time friend.

What started as a casual walk along the waterfront turned into an hours-long conversation about money, work, and so much more.

And one thing in particular kept coming up: identity.

She's a doctor, but she's been exploring consulting because she values flexibility, freedom, and travel. It would also mean becoming the kind of person who runs a business.

And she's uncomfortable with it because she doesn’t see herself that way.

The funny thing is, I've been doing something similar.

Lately, I've been getting invited to creator-y things.

Creator retreats.

Creator partnerships.

Every time one of those emails lands in my inbox, I feel this little bristle of discomfort.

Even though I publish this newsletter every other week and create content on LinkedIn, somewhere in my head, "creator" still means someone else.

• Creators have big audiences.
• They know all the cool transitions and trends.
• They're comfortable on camera and know exactly what they're doing when they hit record.

If that's the definition, then no, I don't quite fit.

But is it really the definition? Or just a story I’ve been telling myself about who gets to call themselves a creator? And one so specific that I couldn't see myself in it, even as other people could.

It made me wonder how long we carry around identities that no longer reflect who we are. And how the stories we believe about ourselves often become the boundaries we live within.

If you believe you're "bad with money," you might never learn to invest.

If you believe you're "not an expert," you might never raise your rates.

And if you believe you're "not a creator," you might turn down the very invitations that are trying to tell you otherwise.

So this week, the question I have for you is this:

What identity are you still holding onto that no longer matches the person you’re becoming?

I don't have a neat answer yet, personally.

But I think it's a question worth revisiting now and then.

’Til next time!

Big (virtual) hugs,

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Jasmine Williams Media is a company founded and primarily operating within the ancestral, traditional and unceded territories of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, also known as Toronto, Canada. This land is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.