Dropping the mask
For nearly four decades, I hid behind a corporate mask to earn a paycheck…and it was slowly killing me.
This photo perfectly captures what that felt like on the inside and the strain of constant performance.
When I created this look for Halloween in 2020, it reflected the internal shift happening during lockdown and the realization that the mask I’d worn for years was starting to crack.
Looking at it now in 2026, it reminds me that I don’t have to be performative anymore.
I’ve retired from “corporate drag”, and I’m very careful not to recreate it in my own business or marketing.
I see so many values based business owners exhausted from trying to keep up with ever-changing algorithms. It’s just another version of the same cage.
These platforms don’t care about your business. They are hoping you get frustrated enough with low visibility that you eventually give in and “pay to play”.
I want to serve the people who are ready to drop the mask and build something authentic.
That starts by marketing in a way that reflects who you actually are by:
-investing time in real conversations
-building real long term relationships
-creating work that doesn’t require you to turn yourself into a character just to stay visible
It’s a very slow and intentional way of approaching business, but at least I don’t have to dance like a clown for a platform with an ever changing algorithm.
.
There’s a quiet courage in that shift, Debbie. Not abandoning the role… but letting go of the performative invincibility. That is so relatable. Well said.
Leaders don’t need to pretend they’re untouched by pressure. But they do need to stay anchored while moving through it. Dropping the mask makes trust possible, and trust is what lets people follow you when things feel less certain.
Love this focus on authenticity, Debbie. It’s so true. I’m not sure I could have gotten to this as a younger woman, but from this place in midlife, I feel what you’re saying here deep in my bones.