Hey Fab Fam,

So, remember last week’s newsletter where I wrote about not recognizing myself anymore and trying to reclaim parts of me that I'd lost? I said "Next week, I might speak up in a conversation even if I can't find the perfect words."

Yeah, well….I jumped in with both feet on Saturday.

I was scrolling through the news and saw the story about Alex Pretti. If you've been living in a bubble and haven't seen the news, he is the ICU nurse who was murdered in Minnesota by ICE agents. I felt my chest tighten until something gave way. I just couldn't stay quiet. The rage, the sadness, but mostly this horrible feeling of helplessness.

I used to be so LOUD and opinionated about politics and the state of the world. I'm a Libra, so justice isn't just something I care about, it's wired into me. But then I got older, learned diplomacy at the UN, and when I started Fab at Fifty Plus, I made a choice: keep it positive, don't bring chaos, build a safe space.

And I did. But in the process, I buried one of the biggest parts of myself. Saturday night, I unburied her, and she took a huge gulp of fresh air.

I'm not going to lie, I lost followers after publishing this newsletter. I got some messages that weren't exactly supportive, and some that were downright nasty. And honestly? I've never felt better. I reconnected with a part of myself I didn't even realize I missed.

Tapping into your true self gives you a clarity like nothing else. In fact, I once read somewhere that "excitement is the signature of your true self." So why have we given up so many things that excite us and make us feel alive?

Every week I write to you about mindset resets and reclaiming parts of ourselves. How can I ask you to reclaim the parts of yourself you've buried if I'm not willing to do the same? Even the messy parts. Even the parts that might make people uncomfortable. Even the parts that don't fit neatly into what Fab at Fifty Plus is "supposed" to be.

You can't cherry-pick authenticity. You can't say "I'm done hiding" and then only show up with the easy stuff.

The truth is that being your true self will rub some people the wrong way. Of course it will. If it didn't, you wouldn't have hidden her in the first place. But we've reached the age where we finally get it. We belong in this world exactly as we are—messy, opinionated, loud, and unapologetically ourselves.

Ask yourself: Whose peace am I protecting? What part of myself am I sacrificing to do it?

Let go of: "Keeping the peace means keeping quiet."

Claim this instead: "My True Self gets to breathe, even if it makes someone else uncomfortable."

Think about the last time you stayed quiet to keep the peace. What did it cost you after? Your energy? Your sleep? That feeling of being fully yourself?

Don’t judge yourself. Just think about it.

Being your True Self is going to make some people uncomfortable. Not because you're doing anything wrong—but because you're taking up space you used to shrink from. You're stepping out of the box they got comfortable with you staying in.

And here's what we need to get okay with: their discomfort isn't your problem to fix. Your job isn't to stay small so they can stay comfortable. Your job is to finally, unapologetically, be you.

This is a space to come back to yourself. Not to stay agreeable. Not to stay quiet. But to remember who you were before self-censorship felt like maturity.

Until next week,
Izzie

At the end of the week, I'm going to tell you about something I'm doing in February—a challenge to help you reclaim the parts of yourself you've been keeping quiet. Stay tuned.

P.S. What part of yourself have you been keeping quiet to keep the peace? Reply and tell me. I read every response, and your truth might become next week's letter (with your permission).

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