[ANNOTATIONS 198] You can’t be fully visible and universally liked

The edits and insights that got cut from episode 198 of EDIT HISTORY

🧠 Key Takeaway: Don’t just be seen… But be seen as fully yourself.

On episode 198 of EDIT HISTORY, Susan Hyatt talks about what’s on the other side of holding yourself back from showing up and speaking up. When you are able to work through the need to look the part, say the right things, or avoid ruffling feathers… That’s when everything can change.

✨ Cheryl commentary

After reflecting on this episode (we talk about comparisons and envy at one point), I want to share a few more thoughts on the experience of envy, especially when it’s directed at someone online. Maybe it’s a friend. Maybe it’s someone you follow from afar. Maybe it’s even a competitor.

When we’re in the thick of envy, we often zoom in on all the ways this person seems better than us. We fixate on what they have, how they show up, what they’ve achieved… And suddenly, their success starts to feel like evidence of our own inadequacy.

But I want to offer a different approach: Instead of zooming in, try zooming out.

Ask yourself: How am I different from this person?

Yes, they might have something you deeply desire. Maybe they embody qualities you admire or have results you’re working toward. But just as important as recognizing what you want… is recognizing what sets you apart.

Because when you’re anchored in your own strengths, when you know what you bring to the table, you stop needing comparison to tell you whether you’re good enough. You start validating yourself.

And when you’re self-validating, you no longer feel invalidated when someone else is shining. Their win doesn’t take away from yours.

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Here are 3 key takeaways that didn’t make it into the final episode:

🎙️ Cut 1: The systems no one talks about…

In this previously unreleased segment from Episode 198, Susan pulls back the curtain on what “professionalism” really means to her – and it has nothing to do with power suits or polished headshots.

Instead, she redefines professionalism as self-integrity: taking care of your mind, body, and energy so you can show up fully in your work.

She shares her own turning point in 2007: a rock-bottom moment of burnout, fast food, and hitting snooze ten times a morning – and how her mother’s tough love sparked a personal systems overhaul that ultimately led her to life coaching.

This is a raw, intimate look at how personal routines and radical self-respect can become the most underrated business strategy.

✨ Cheryl commentary 

When I asked Susan what professionalism means to her today, her answer was simple but subversive: “It’s not about appearance. It’s about integrity. And how well I take care of myself.”

She didn’t mean self-care in the soft, surface-level sense. She meant it as infrastructure. As a system.

And she’s right. We talk a lot about building systems in business… But what about the systems that make you… You?

Your energy. Your sleep. Your food. Your environment. 

If those systems are off, no software or SOP will save you.

Susan told a story from 2007 – When she was chronically exhausted, eating fast food multiple times a day, and sleeping with her phone under her pillow. Her entire nervous system was on edge. Her mother flew in to visit and told her, “This isn’t my daughter.” 

That moment shattered the illusion of “success through hustle,” and led her to life coaching.

This story highlights an important point many of us gloss over: Before you automate your business, audit your body. You cannot scale something your nervous system is rejecting.

We rarely talk about this in content strategy, but we should. This is the kind of “infrastructure” I’m more interested in these days. Not just what supports your content. But what supports you.

🎙️ Cut 2: Sometimes, you can’t build trust without taking sides.

In another unreleased segment from Episode 198, Susan shares a sharp, unfiltered take on how parts of the wellness and coaching industry have drifted into far-right ideology – trading human rights concerns for conspiracy-laced talking points.

She shared why she felt urgent to call out certain ideologies, even at the risk of alienating her audience.

But perhaps the most powerful part of this segment isn’t what she said – it’s her reflection on when she finally felt ready to say it.

Susan speaks candidly about how, in 2007, she wouldn’t have had the nervous system capacity to take that kind of public stand. Over time, though, she built the courage and boldness.

This segment touches on what it really takes to say the unpopular thing – especially when you know it’s the truth.

✨ Cheryl commentary

This brings up something I’ve been thinking about a lot: “Staying neutral” is not neutral. It’s a position. And more often than not, it’s a privileged one.

It’s easy to say, “I’m not political” until the issue at hand is your identity, your rights, your safety. Then suddenly neutrality feels like silence. And silence feels like complicity.

In the content world, we often encourage creators to “find their voice” or “speak their truth”… But rarely do we talk about what happens when that truth costs you something. Followers. Sponsors. Approval.

But here’s what I’ve learned: If you’re building a body of work, there will be moments where neutrality isn’t an option.

You will have to choose: Convenience or conviction. Staying liked or staying honest.

And the ones who are most magnetic, most trusted, and most lasting? They choose honesty. Even if their audience gets smaller.  And even if it gets messy.

🎙️ Cut 3: Speaking up when you have low capacity

In this uncut moment from Episode 198, I asked Susan a simple but revealing question:

“Was there a time when you didn’t act with courage, and wish you did?”

Susan shared something relatable: The moments she didn’t speak up because her capacity was low. She says, 

“I still find myself going, ‘Did that just happen? And I didn’t do anything?’ But we all have a limit. Sometimes you’re just trying to have lunch.”

This segment reframes courage not as a constant state, but as something that fluctuates with context, energy, and nervous system readiness. It’s a compassionate reminder that missing the moment doesn’t mean you’re not brave. You are human, after all.

✨ Cheryl commentary

We love to celebrate the people who are always “on,” always ready with clapback or a brilliant quote. But we rarely acknowledge how much capacity those moments require –  physically and emotionally.

Sometimes you don’t speak up.

… Not because you’re scared. But because your system knows: This is not the moment.

We’ve been taught to measure courage by output: Did you say the thing? Did you jump on the opportunity? Did you hit publish?

But what if missed moments weren’t failures? What if some of them were boundaries?

This isn’t about excusing avoidance. Rather, it’s about expanding our definition of courage to include pacing, discernment, and grace.

Personally, the people I respect most aren’t the ones who never miss a moment. Instead, they’re the ones who know which moments matter and use their voice when it truly counts.  

Sounds good? Awesome. Let’s get to work.