Live video? Terrible idea. So I’m doing it.
Three viral posts about quiet resistance, and now the introvert goes live. Let's see what happens when theory meets practice.
I'm staring at my calendar. "Record live video" is blocked out for Wednesday, June 11.
My nervous system has opinions about this. All of them involve hiding.
But I've spent months writing about resistance that fits your wiring, about showing up without performing, about courage that doesn't require you to betray yourself.
Time to see if I can practice what I preach.
So I'm doing something new: My first live video! (Yes, the introvert is going live.)
Wednesday, June 11 at 8pm ET
https://open.substack.com/live-stream/34150?r=4hxsxb&utm_medium=ios
Paid subscribers can submit questions ahead of time in the comments section below. I'll be reading through these to shape our conversation.
Let's call it an experiment in staying human while stepping outside the comfort zone.
It's not a polished talk or a performance. It's me, showing up—slightly terrified—to explore what I was actually avoiding by not talking about introvert resistance for so long, what surprised me most about your responses, and what I'm still figuring out about building community in the digital era.
We'll dig into:
What does sustainable resistance actually look like for someone who gets depleted by crowds?
How do you distinguish between discomfort worth leaning into and performance you want to say no to?
What's one tiny experiment in showing up differently you might try this week?
If you've ever felt guilty for not being "activist enough"...
If you want permission to resist in a way that actually fits you...
This is for you.
I'll be live. Nervous system and all.
Drop your questions below. Upgrade to paid if you haven’t already. Let's see what we discover together.
—Paul
Can't make it live? I'll post the recording for all subscribers afterward.
Cheers for taking on a new challenge with courage and fear!
You can do it! Not sure I can make the live, so will contribute less of a question and more of a way I am coping with being at a crowded protest as an introvert this Saturday. It's the first protest I'll have attended since T2 but now feels like the time to be counted. So what I did, as a typical introvert, was make a connection I doubt anyone else will be making. Knitting is my comfort zone, and it creates a zone of peace around me. It just so happens that along with the wasteful authoritarian military parade and No Kings day, it is also Worldwide Knit in Public Day (yes, it's a real thing). So, I will be bringing my knitting to the protest for any time I feel overwhelmed.