Social media encourages us to share our triumphs and glory moments.
Most of us don’t share our soul-crushing failures, or even our practice rounds.
Even when we do, it’s usually in the context of a progress reel that shows a path to overcoming the obstacle.
In fact, some marketing gurus even teach this “contextual failure sharing” as a strategy for building “authentic connection” and credibility with an audience.
After all, everyone loves a before-and-after story.
The message we receive is that it’s ok to show or admit to failure as long as you also show how you overcame that failure.
Overcoming the challenge is what builds your credibility with an audience.
The Problem With Before and After Reels
This emphasis on showing the before and after can be paralyzing if you don’t yet have an “after.”
And here’s the truth many people won’t admit:
Although the “before and after” can be inspirational and aspirational, it can also feel out of reach for many people — which may turn them off from your offerings.
Even as a part of us wants to believe in the possibility for ourselves, another part of us knows that the person’s journey included more steps than what can fit in a highlight reel.
People rarely show all the behind the scenes actions they took, or the moments of luck that they stumbled into.
If you have a nervous system already prone to hyper-vigilance and skepticism, those “journey reels” easily invite your inner resistance to say “Your challenges are different. Your journey won’t be so simple.”
This is especially true for those of us with ADHD — and for good reason: our challenges are often different.
On the other hand, when you share the challenge you’re facing and show how you’re navigating it, you make it less about the transformation and more about the process.
You can better meet people where they are.
This helps others believe that they can also navigate their challenges, and establishes you as a person who can steer them through the process.
The Power of Sharing Where You Are
In early 2025, I had my knee immobilized for a month. Since the brace was removed, I have slowly inched toward recovery to regain my range of motion. I’ve shown none of this online, but it’s been visible to my yoga students from day one.
Previously, I had resisted doing videos of my yoga practice out of fear that people would judge my ability as a teacher by how my poses look. I don’t quite have the archetypal pose.
Suddenly, I couldn’t demonstrate even basic poses. My survival instinct told me to hide. In some ways, I did hide by not showing up on social media.
But I couldn’t hide from my students.
Hobbling on my one good leg with a brace on the other, I showed up to teach my classes—and was overwhelmed by their positive response.
The brace on my leg became a source of connection and increased trust rather than a cause for judgment and isolation.
My students have had a front-row seat to watch me navigate the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of being immobilized, as well as the slow and painful road to regaining my range of motion and my balance.
I had feared they might stop coming to class, but attendance actually increased. And my regular students started to open up to me more about their injuries and challenges.
When I encouraged them to do something that they feared, they were more likely to trust me, because they could see how I was challenging myself to do the same.
Witnessing me in my process strengthened credibility and connection.
When we are willing to show ourselves where we are, we can better meet people where they are. That fosters connection, trust, and healing.
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