So the other day, I hear a knock at the door.

I look through the peephole and see this huge bloke standing there.

Couldn’t see his face, just a silhouette as his body covers most of the peephole.

And I’m thinking...

Definitely not the slim maintenance guy.

Anyway, I hear this little voice inside me say...

“Yeah nah, open the door...it should be ok”

So I open the door…

And there it is, I see his uniform, I’m shocked.

It’s Canada Post.

The postie. The legend. The unicorn.

He’d shown up to work!!!

I almost offered him a seat and a cold one just for showing up.

I’ve been waiting months for this delivery.

These therapeutic pillows ordered from Oz.

My neck has been all twisted trying out different pillows in Canada.

As I smiled, it was at this moment, where I felt he let me have one breath of happiness, before saying:

Postie: “You need to pay customs.”

Me: Customs?!

Postie: Yes, they said you need to pay customs of $37.95. If you have a Master or Visa card, I can take the payment right now.

Right now? Mate, I haven’t even emotionally processed your arrival.

No one warns you of how savage customs duties are here.

They’ll charge you on things you didn’t even buy, like gifts...it’s insane.

Anyway, so, I was taxed on my dreams, and was left standing there confused & neck still sore...

But hey, at least the postie showed up.

A rare sighting (also no one tells you about). Like a solar eclipse.

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In 2024, I took my first corporate job in Canada.

I wanted to try something different. See what “corporate life” felt like over here. My quiet goal? Make it through the first week without ending up in HR for an Aussie joke gone rogue.

(For the record, I’m very polite by Aussie standards — ask anyone.)

Let me just say… corporate in Canada is a whole different species. Reserved. Diplomatic. Polished in a way that felt less like presence… and more like performance.

The Rift, Canadian Edition

If you’ve ever met an Aussie, you know — what you see is what you get. We dish it out. We cop it back. We call it banter. You build bonds where honesty isn’t offensive — it’s respected.

But in Canada? At least in Alberta? There’s this low-humming culture of suppression, especially at work.

People don’t speak their mind. They side-step. Swallow. Smile.

I found myself biting my tongue more times than I care to count. Not because I was careless — I care deeply how words land — but because I realised: There was no room for fire.

Only frost.

Dressing for the Weather…or the Room?

Work events rolled around in winter. Snow wasn’t even that bad — and if you’re warm and layered, you’re golden. The saying goes:

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”

So what’s bad clothing, then? When you’re cold? Or when your confidence makes others uncomfortable?

For 20 years, my style has been clear: long tailored dresses, sleek coats, clean lines, and unapologetic elegance.

And yes — I wore heels in winter.

If people can skate on ice, I can walk in stilettos. Let’s not pretend otherwise.

I showed up one evening in a red floor-length number, belted coat, black heels. It wasn’t even loud. It was powerful. It was me.

And someone said:

“There’s no such thing as fashion in winter.”

I blinked.

First, I felt bad. Was I overdressed? Then I felt annoyed. Because that comment wasn’t about fashion — it was about permission.

It was a quiet reprimand.

A signal that “fitting in” meant toning down. That excellence needed wrapping. That boldness wasn’t welcome.

And that? That’s when I knew I wouldn’t last.

Identity Is Not a Costume

I left that job not long after. My business in Australia was growing. But more than that — I was done folding myself into frost just to be palatable.

Because the biggest sacrifice I was being asked to make wasn’t comfort. It was identity.

My humour. My warmth. My brilliance. My unapologetic runway energy in the middle of a snowstorm.

But this wasn’t the first time I had to fight to reclaim who I am.

If you’ve read Strategic Conversations — the bestselling book I co-authored with Chris Voss — you’ll know the story.

Chapter 14, The Courage to Burn, tells of how my identity was literally stolen — and how I had to rebuild not just my name, but my entire sense of self.

That chapter was my turning point. The 2024 winter? Was the sequel.

Fire Finds Its Climate

After that, I didn’t just leave the job — I left Alberta altogether.

I moved to a warmer part of Canada. Close to the beach. Closer to sun. And here? People seem lighter.

Maybe it’s the vitamin D. Maybe it’s the ocean breeze. Maybe it’s just the gift of being around people who are genuinely nice without the frostbite of formality.

Whatever it is — the energy feels softer, but the people feel more real.

And maybe that’s what I needed. Not just better weather — but a better climate for who I truly am.

But that comment? That moment? It reminded me of something mythic:

Mediocrity is not a season I’ll ever subscribe to.

And neither should you.

With love, fire & mythic clarity,

Monique x

✨ Want more reflections like this? Subscribe to The Mythic Mode for fire, truth, and unapologetic evolution in every season.

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You’re the one they count on. The fixer. The one who can walk into chaos and find the thread.

But behind closed doors…or at 11PM on a Sunday when you’re still polishing someone else’s slides…it hits you…

“Why am I the only one doing this?”

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing the work of t…

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Bold. Raw. Cuts through.

They’ll chase down crooks mid-scam. They’ll sit with controversy in a way that doesn’t sugar-coat it, and they’ll air conversations that make people squirm! Not to provoke, but to expose.

One clip stays with me: “Explaining Privilege to Children Through a Race.” It’s a social experiment aired b…

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You know that feeling? That silent ache that builds in the background. That tension between what you want to say — and what you swallow. That’s The Rift.

It’s not always loud. Sometimes it’s the absence of something: of being seen, heard, understood.

The Rift is the quiet split between head and heart, logic and intuition, intellect and emotion. It’s grief… that didn’t ask for permission.

As Gary Zukav and Linda Francis once wrote:

“Some do not know that they are grieving, even when sorrow is the only sun that rises for them in the morning.”

Most people think they feel emotions only when they explode. But the truth?

Resentment is grief that never got a name.

What Is Resentment Really?

Resentment is a slow-drip cocktail: anger + disappointment + powerlessness served daily. Silently. Unconsciously.

As psychologist Magali Josefina Villalobo puts it:

Resentment forms when we feel unable to respond to a mistreatment, humiliation, or injustice. Left to simmer, it turns into a thirst for justice. Sometimes revenge. Always rupture.

Why It Matters

Resentment isn’t “just a feeling.” Left unacknowledged, it corrodes:

• Your creativity

• Your self-worth

• Your capacity for intimacy

• Your trust in yourself, and in others

But here’s the pivot: When acknowledged, resentment becomes a compass. It points you to the unmet needs, the hard conversations, the healing you’ve avoided.

It starts with silence. It ends in self-betrayal.

How Resentment Shows Up (Without Saying a Word)

In Relationships:

• Scorekeeping: “I always do more.”

• Emotional shutdown: giving less, because giving more feels like losing.

• Escapist fantasies: “Life would be easier without them.”

• Unspoken expectations: “If they loved me, they’d just know.”

At Work:

• Sarcasm and micro-withholding

• Quiet quitting, without ever calling it that

• Chronic venting with zero solution-seeking

• Obsessing over fairness: pay, praise, promotions

In Families:

• The martyr: “I do everything around here.”

• Tension masked as tradition: jokes that sting, dinners that drain

• Emotional debt: “They should know what I need” — but no one says it aloud

In Friendships:

• Feeling invisible after they miss a milestone

• Jabs that pretend to be jokes

• Cancelling last minute… just to send a message

So, Now What?

You’ve heard: “She just left.” Or “He ghosted after 10 years.”

But the truth is — we leave long before we go. We disappear emotionally before we ever walk out the door.

Is it them? Is it you? Is it culture? Pressure? Unmet needs? Yes. All of it.

But mostly, it’s the story underneath — unspoken, unexamined.

Practices That Create Shift

✨ Check in with yourself: → “What do I wish they knew?” → “Where am I overgiving?”

✨ Name it with courage: → “I’ve been holding something that’s affecting how I show up.”

✨ Be gently honest: → “I’ve felt distant. Can we talk?”

✨ Recalibrate or release: → Can this be repaired? Or do I need to let go?

✨ Use ‘I’ language: → “I feel unseen when…” instead of “You never…”

✨ Rebuild trust with consistency: → Small consistent acts restore what resentment erodes.

✨ Seek support: → Talk it out. With a coach. A therapist. A wise friend. You’re not meant to hold all of this alone.

Final Thoughts

Resentment doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means a sacred part of you has gone unseen for too long.

Not every relationship is meant to last. But every aligned one is built on truth.

So speak it. Draw the line. Reclaim your story.

Because the future doesn’t wait for the perfect time. It moves with the clear. The brave. The willing.

With love, fire, and mythic clarity,

Monique x

✨ If this sparked something in you, subscribe to The Mythic Mode for more truth, strategy, and clarity for every version of you in evolution.

Subscribe now

Why This. Why Now.

There’s a moment in every transformation where the old story unravels… and the new one hasn’t fully landed.

You’re not lost. You’re not late. You’re just in-between:

• Between clarity and confusion

• Between proving and becoming

• Between who they told you to be… and who your soul has been whispering you are

The Mythic Mode was born in that liminal space. The pause between versions. The fire between lives.

After decades in high-performance rooms, building brands, decoding growth, and quietly burning out behind the brilliance — I realised I wasn’t navigating a career shift.

I was crossing something older. Deeper. Wiser.

And I wasn’t alone.

So I built this space for those who know: You’re no longer available for mediocrity. You’ve outgrown the performance. And you’re ready to walk your next chapter with clarity, not apology.

What You’ll Find Here:

✨ Mythic storytelling that holds a mirror to the parts of you that feel forgotten

✨ Emotional insight to help decode the friction, fire, and transformation

✨ Research meets ritual — because data matters, but so does your inner compass

This space is for the emotionally intelligent. The high-functioning. The ones who’ve carried it all and are finally ready to lay it down — and rise on their own terms.

It takes courage to become the version of you your truth has been waiting for. This is your guide.

🕰 Publishing Rhythm

A new newsletter will drop every Sunday.

Midweek reflections may land when the moment calls for it — think of them as whispers from the in-between.

Before We Begin…

All I ask is this:

Come with an open mind. Because not everyone’s ready to feel deeply, think mythically, or shift boldly — and that’s okay.

But if you are? Your next crossing starts here.

Let’s evolve — together.

With love, fire, and mythic clarity,

Monique