Yo! Welcome to the next episode of The Reeder Newsletter.
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I didn’t plan on sharing this today.
I originally planned to write about setting strategic goals. Plus the three big goals I’ve set for my business this year. It’s written, it's good, and I was excited to share it.
But last night, when I went to stage the email, something didn’t sit right.
It didn’t feel wrong.
It just didn’t feel true.
So I slept on it.
And when I woke up this morning, I was even more certain: that wasn’t the email I should send.
Because I want to share what’s actually on my mind.
Yesterday, I was on my weekly strategy call with my social media coach. At one point, he said, “I want to talk about your LinkedIn performance.”
I had a feeling I knew where this was going.
I hadn’t posted all week. Every day, I told myself I needed to get back to it. And every day, I didn’t.
When he asked why, I gave him the safe answer.
I said I’d been focused on the business. I’d been sick all week. I said it wasn’t a creative problem, it was a process problem — that I needed a better system.
All of that was true.
But it wasn’t the whole truth.
The real truth was simpler, but harder to say.
I couldn’t bring myself to talk about marketing on social media.
I couldn’t pretend everything was business as usual.
If you’re in the U.S., you probably know why. If you’re not, you likely still have a sense of it.
After sitting with that feeling, I decided to post something anyway, around 4 p.m. on a Friday. Far from ideal, but honest.
Not because it would perform well.
But because it felt necessary.
And it reflected my reality.
Some of you might be thinking:
“I’m here for marketing advice and business growth. Not politics.”
I get that. This isn’t a pivot.
But I’ve reached a point where I can no longer say nothing. Silence is complicit. And when this moment is looked back on...
I refuse to be part of the group that did nothing.
This isn’t a neutral decision. I’m a solo operator. This business feeds my entire family. There are sponsors, partners, and opportunities that will see everything I put out.
I’m okay with that.
Because one day, I’ll have to answer a much simpler question — from my kids, from my wife, or from myself — about how I chose to show up during moments like this.
I’m still figuring out what my voice looks like moving forward. This email is part of that journey.
But I wanted to share this because it’s something you may face, too.
Political unrest, personal fear, maybe a broader moment that makes “posting as usual” feel off.
If your job is to lead, create, or keep showing up online, those moments matter.
And since one of my goals is to help you play and win the long game, we have to acknowledge something important:
Sometimes, the game changes.
If you’re part of a big company, you may not have the choice to slow down. There are pressures, goals, a paycheck.
I’ve been there. This isn’t judgment.
But where we do have control, it’s okay to pause. To acknowledge that business isn’t always usual. That it’s okay to step back and admit something bigger is shaping how we think and show up.
I value this relationship with you too much to pretend otherwise.
I’ve been working on this newsletter for over four years. I cherish the trust you’ve given me. And I can’t show up and talk about goals without acknowledging the moment we’re in as people.
This is not a call to action.
It’s a pause. A moment to reflect.
And a reminder that how you show up during moments like this becomes part of how people remember you.
-Devin
Pen by Devin Reed
Founder, The Reeder
Follow me on LinkedIn | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram
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