I met her in a conversation that wasn’t supposed to matter. It was one of those exchanges that stays light by default, where people talk just enough to be polite but not enough to actually be seen. She was sharp, quick, easy to talk to, the kind of woman who knows how to keep things moving without letting anything sit too long.

At one point, someone asked how she was doing. She smiled, gave a quick laugh, and said she was good, just busy. Everyone nodded and moved on because that answer works. It always works. It keeps things clean, keeps things comfortable, keeps the conversation from going anywhere it doesn’t need to.

But something about it didn’t land right.

It wasn’t what she said. It was what came after. There was a small pause, almost unnoticeable unless you were paying attention, like something else had shown up and then immediately been pushed aside.

Later, when things quieted down and there was no one else to perform for, she said something different. Not in a dramatic way, not in a way that asked for attention.

She said she didn’t really feel anything anymore, that she just did what needed to be done.

And then she laughed again.

That’s the part that stays with me. Not the words, but how quickly they get dismissed. How easily something that should stop everything gets smoothed over so no one has to sit in it. Because feeling nothing sounds extreme, but when it’s said lightly enough, it becomes acceptable.

That’s how it works. You say something real, and then you soften it so it doesn’t disrupt anything. You laugh so no one asks more. You move on so you don’t have to stay in it.

But the truth doesn’t go anywhere. It just sits there, waiting for the moment you stop pretending it didn’t mean anything.

And most women don’t stop. They keep going, keep functioning, keep being exactly who they’ve trained themselves to be.

Until one day, they realize they’re not falling apart.

They’re just not really in it anymore.

BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL

The Woman Who Laughs When She Says She’s Fine