The Cost of Clout: On Projection, Power, and the People Who Watch You Work

In this episode, I reflect on the invisible toll of being perceived before being known—especially when working in environments like medical offices or being near fame-adjacent power. I talk about what it meant to date the son of a globally known celebrity, and how people projected fantasies onto me, not realizing I was absorbing the weight of their assumptions. I share how most authority figures failed to intervene, and how I’ve learned not to be the buffer anymore—not for clout, not for comfort, not for anyone. This episode is about energetic protection, the loneliness of being watched instead of met, and the dignity of no longer playing roles you didn’t audition for.