Read time: 5 minutes.
This is your permission to pause and take a little time for yourself.

It comes down to whether or not you feel understood.

I’ll admit, I’ve felt misunderstood many times throughout my life. In those moments, it didn’t matter how many people were in the room, or how much those people loved me. On the inside, I still felt lonely.

It came from feeling as though my inner world wasn’t accepted, or that the things I thought, felt, and experienced were being judged and dismissed.

I talked about this recently with Quinlan Walther.

It’s an incredibly important conversation because the pain of feeling misunderstood can shape the course of our lives. It can influence the choices we make, the opportunities we turn down, and the parts of ourselves we learn to hide.

Today I am thrilled to welcome the brand new podcast To Be Honest with Quinlan Walther to the Perfect Strangers Media family.

As a relationship expert, Quinlan has a gift for cutting through the noise. Her show will explore relationship dynamics just like this, drawing on human psychology, science, philosophy, and modern culture to help us better understand ourselves and each other.

The truth is, most of us struggle with the messy middle of relationships. We avoid difficult conversations for fear of conflict, hoping disagreements will somehow resolve themselves. And even when we know that deeper connections are built through honesty and the willingness to understand one another, putting that into practice can be easier said than done.

Before you go about your day, I want you to think about one relationship or dynamic in your life that leaves you feeling lonelier than it should.

Then ask yourself: Am I lonely because I’m alone, or because I don’t feel free to be myself?

Love,
Jay ❤️

Check out this short video where she shares one of the most underrated questions to ask yourself.  

As the first guest on To Be Honest with Quinlan Walther, I talk about feeling misunderstood, the loneliness epidemic, and the people who connect the dots in our lives. I also reveal how journaling through an unstable childhood and being bullied as a teenager shaped my empathy and accountability.

New episodes of To Be Honest with Quinlan Walther are out every Wednesday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Remember, I’m in your corner today, tomorrow, and anytime you need a little permission to believe that everything is going to work out.