Somewhere along the way, we started confusing attention with connection. We count followers and celebrate reach. We track engagement and chase visibility. And while none of those things are inherently bad, they can quietly convince us that bigger is always better. And that all this equals success.

More followers. More subscribers. More views. More people. MORE. But what if that's not actually the goal?

I think one of the most misunderstood words in business right now is community. Everyone wants one. Brands talk about building one. Creators talk about building one. Companies talk about building one. But most of the time, what they're actually building is an audience.

The difference matters.

I know that's not a very popular thing to say. Especially right now. But it drives me bananas as I scroll Instagram so it needs to be addressed.

Spend five minutes on social media and you'll find no shortage of people talking about purpose, authenticity, alignment, finding their people, finding their why, and living their truth. The problem is that most of what they're describing isn't their why. It's their job, or their business, or their product, or their service. And those are not the same thing.

One of the most freeing realizations I've had in business is this: If my photography business disappeared tomorrow, I would still be doing the same work. Not the same job. The same work.

That's because photography isn't the purpose. It's simply one way I express it. For years I've helped people feel seen. I've helped tell stories. I've helped create connection. I've helped people recognize value in themselves and in each other.

Photography just happens to be the vehicle. If that vehicle disappeared, I'd find another one.

Most brands can tell you what they do. Far fewer can tell you why they exist. In the first pillar of The Pull™, I explore how Simon Sinek's "Start With Why" philosophy transformed the way I think about branding, purpose, trust, and building businesses that stand the test of time.

I don’t think most marketers realize they’re leading teams. Not traditional teams, of course. But teams nonetheless. That realization hit me while listening to Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead.

I think one of the reasons I even bothered building The Pull is because I look around online right now and people seem exhausted.

Everyone is trying so hard to become something. To sound right. Look right. Chase relevance. Build brands that barely resemble who they actually are. And eventually, performing all the time becomes unsustainable. At some point, you start wondering if the answer is actually the opposite of everything we’ve been told.

What if the real work is figuring out who you already are, standing deeply in it, understanding who you may genuinely be helpful or relevant to, and then simply being that?