Welcome to “Five and Unfiltered,” where I give you a dose of truth in five minutes or less. I’m L.A. Randle, digital investor, value creator, and audio blog developer for content creators who understand the importance of NOT building your business solely on social media platforms. If you want to safeguard your content and take back control of your voice, check out The Trenity Method @ thetrenitymethod.com
Episode Breakdown- Pay Attention
I didn’t wake up one day and decide to chase peace. I stumbled into it after being stretched too thin for too long. I had been doing what I thought I was supposed to do, and was taking care of everybody, being everything to everyone, staying accessible, and staying likable. But in all of that, I forgot how to stay present with myself.
Exhaustion is what led me down the path to peace. My soul was tired and weak. I had found myself always giving, always fixing, and always sacrificing, but never really paying attention to my own needs. That kind of tired doesn’t go away with a bubble bath or a spa day. That kind of tired requires you to rebuild from the inside out.
I kept telling myself I was strong, that I could handle it. But what I was doing was avoiding the truth. I was scared that if I stopped performing, people would leave. And some of them did. But that loss? That was the space my peace needed to finally show up for myself.
Peace didn’t come wrapped in comfort. It came wrapped in hard choices. And the first one was deciding to stop showing up for everybody else until I learned how to show up for me. Not the idea of me, not the version people created in their minds, but the me I had neglected. The one who was tired of clapping for everybody else, while no one noticed she was standing in the dark.
Key Lesson- Find Your Path to Peace
The shift wasn’t loud. It was quiet, but it was solid. It came in a moment of silence when I realized I hadn’t asked myself what I needed in years. That was the first real moment of peace: asking myself the question I always reserved for other people. “What do you need, sis?” And this time, I answered honestly.
I needed to be left the fuck alone. I needed boundaries. I needed rest that wasn’t rushed. I needed permission to be unavailable without guilt. And I needed to stop showing up out of obligation. It was time to unlearn the habit of being everyone’s emotional home, as well as emotional punching bag, while living like a stranger in my own.
The decision to choose me meant people started saying I changed. They weren’t wrong, I did. But what they meant was, “I don’t benefit from you the way I used to.” That’s when I knew I was finally doing something right. Growth doesn’t always feel good to the people who liked you small.
Related Episode: The Hard Truth About Love and Relationships
Once I chose myself, everything shifted. Not because I figured it all out, but because I finally stepped out of the cycle of self-betrayal. That’s where peace lives, not in perfection, but in presence. Not in having all the answers, but in finally listening to your own voice and letting it lead you back to yourself.
Reflection- Protect Your Peace
Peace isn’t a destination. It’s a rhythm. It’s in the way I start my mornings now, quiet, soft, intentional. With prayer and meditation, always. Making sure that I spend time on physical wellness, mental wellness.
Everything I do now is in the way I say “no” without a 15-minute explanation. It’s in how I walk away from conversations that don’t honor me. Peace, for me, feels like returning, like I came back to someone I should’ve never abandoned.
It took time to recognize that peace wasn’t something I could demand from the world. It was something I had to create for myself. Every time I stayed quiet to keep the peace, I was creating a war inside. So now? I protect my peace like I protect my kids, with firmness, clarity, and no negotiation.
I don’t owe the world access to me just because I used to give it freely. And once I stopped performing, I realized who saw me for me. Peace helped me separate presence from performance. Now, if I’m there, it’s because I want to be. After all, it doesn’t cost me my energy, my joy, or my mind.
And don’t get me wrong, peace isn’t always pretty. Sometimes it’s lonely. Sometimes it’s quiet in a way that forces you to hear your thoughts. But even that kind of quiet is sacred. Because now, I’m not afraid of it. I welcome it. I created it. It’s mine.
Self-Reflection- You Don’t Need Permission
If you’re listening to this, and you’re feeling stretched, tired, or unseen, I need you to know something: you’re not broken, you’re just buried. Buried under roles, expectations, and everybody else’s needs. And baby, it’s time to unearth yourself. Because underneath all that? There’s a version of you that’s still whole, still wise, and still worthy of peace.
You don’t need permission to choose yourself. You don’t have to wait until you hit rock bottom. You can decide, right now, that your peace matters more than their comfort. And yes, it’ll feel unfamiliar at first. But keep going. That unfamiliar space? That’s where your healing begins.
Stop asking, “What will they think?” and start asking, “What do I need?” That question alone can change everything. And when you answer it honestly, consistently, and without shame, you’ll begin to feel your peace rising. Not all at once. But little by little. Breath by breath.
So if nothing else sits with you from this episode, let this settle in your spirit: your peace is not up for debate. You deserve to be at the top of your priority list. You deserve to show up for yourself the way you’ve always shown up for everybody else. That is your path. That is your power. And that is your peace.
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If you haven’t listened to the audio version of this post, click play at the bottom of your screen. And be sure to share this with anyone you may know who is struggling with their peace.
