Bonus Content!

Special Guest Interview February 2024

Hi Readers,
Surprise! Two emails from me in one week!

Todays’ letter spotlights tips for introverts from a friend.

Who is it?!

I have an exciting Substacker to introduce to your life. Since joining the platform in December, I have read and connected with fellow writers and entrepreneurs. Today I am excited to share my interview of Boysie Gordon - author of Walking The Blue Path.
Staying within the vein of EQ and self-care- Boysie’s publication supports introverts in crafting a personal brand. He coaches his clients to lean into awareness of themselves to build their platforms and thrive. Boysie took the time to cross-interview me- so if you would like to see what he asked, and what I had to share- pop over to his stack- I will link his profile below.

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Let’s dive in:

Ladies & Gentlemen…Boysie Gordon!

DPP: Tell us about yourself, where are you writing from?

BG: I am Boysie Gordon, aka The Aware Imposter (self-proclaimed). Truth is, I don’t really like talking about myself if I know it will benefit me. I have always been this way, and it has been a huge handicap in my life up until recently. I was the CEO of a small logistics brokerage for three years (2021–2023) alongside a few close friends. It was my first go at self-employment and pure entrepreneurship. It gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted with my life. I took really nice trips and even moved across the country from Atlanta, GA, to Denver, CO (where I am now). Recently, I dissolved the company and pursued writing as a method to grow my personal brand agency. I had no passion for logistics, and waking up was painful. This is kind of a recurring pattern in my life. I’m just constantly searching for myself and my passion, and writing has led to the most fulfilling journey of self-discovery of all the journeys I’ve been on. So, if you want to know who I am, just use this sentence — an imperfect human who’s actively seeking their purpose through dramatic actions. I believe that “actions speak louder than words,” so I try to live by that.

DPP: Can you tell us what Walking The Blue Path is about?

BG: Walking the Blue Path is about the unique journey we have to take to attain personal fulfillment (success). And if you ask me in a week, the meaning will probably change again. That’s the whole point —  the path isn’t about the world, it’s about our perceptions of it. As our perceptions change, so will our definitions of the things we know. Blue represents the uniqueness of our journeys. And the walk represents the intentionality behind our actions along the journey. Walking the Blue Path is not just about attaining personal fulfillment but doing so with the help of others. It’s about community, mindfulness, and understanding — perseverance. It’s a philosophy that will evolve as I do, so it’s a little confusing right now.

DPP: Have you ever struggled with people-pleasing? If so- what has helped you in healing?

BG: Oh, 100% —  I mean, who hasn’t? I was 21 before I said “no” to an adult… I’ll rephrase. I had already become an adult before I could say “no” to an adult! Before that, I did everything I was told, even when I didn’t see a reason. I was CONDITIONED to live my life for the benefit of others. This also forced me to apply my value to the value others placed on me, and the sad part is no matter how much praise I got, I never felt good enough. My imposter syndrome and people-pleasing were in cahoots.

I’m still a work in progress, but I definitely think defying all perceived expectations helped. At 24, I became the CEO of my own company, and as a business leader, there is no such thing as making everyone happy. Being caught in that whirlwind forced me to side with “what’s best for the company.” Not long after being traumatized by making these repeated decisions, I rationalized that not everyone had my best interest at heart. That’s the moment when I started to hold all my relationships to a certain standard and applied a zero-tolerance policy for anything below that. If people couldn’t respect me and remain empathetic… I had no energy to give them. So, in a nutshell, mastering self-respect helped with my people-pleasing, and mastering self-love is helping with my imposter syndrome. Like I said, I am a work in progress.

DPP: What is a simple pleasure that brings you JOY?

BG: Hmmm, this one is hard K. I find pleasure and joy in almost everything I do now! Having an attitude of gratitude has completely changed everything, I have even started to appreciate my challenges… but if I had to pick one thing, I’d say learning new perspectives. Nothing brings me more satisfaction than connecting the dots between what I know and what I learned. I get excited to share what I learn and help others get that same connection that I had. That also brings me joy. When others feel the same passion about the connections I made or learned about. Feeling like part of a collective is very fulfilling.

DPP: (Just for fun) What is your biggest pet-peeve?

BG: Oh, this is easy! I absolutely HATE when my socks get wet. It just ruins my day. Thankfully, it hasn’t happened in a really long time. I am very cautious around water and wet surfaces for that very reason. But I’m sure you are looking for more substance than that, haha. I’d say a big pet peeve is people who live low EQ lifestyles. They manipulate endlessly, they angrily honk in stand-still traffic, they litter on the street, they blame everyone for everything… I just don’t like to be around that type of energy. Don’t get me wrong, EVERYONE has low EQ moments, but those who knowingly choose not to care about other people really rub me the wrong way. We all have to share this space, you know? Why can’t we each do our part to make it a little nicer for others, even if it does nothing for us? Is that too much to ask for, a little selflessness? Yea, probably unreasonable haha!

DPP: What will people-pleasers gain from reading your content? 

BG: Much of my content is centered around my daily journey to building a brand: what I learned, struggled with, and what didn't work. Whatever I go through for the day, I try to be as authentic and honest as possible. I hope to be a tether to reality for whoever feels alone in their building process. I want to show people that it's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to do things unconventionally. It's okay to be imperfect. I fail practically every day at being perfect, and I hope that sharing my journey will help other people feel comfortable. All that, along with sharing tips for building a personal brand as an introvert—an underserved community in the social space.

DPP: Thanks so much for your time, B. Where can we find all things Blue Path? 

BG: Sure thing, K!

I always have something going on, and now I have something for every type of reader:

• My biweekly newsletter and daily journal here on Substack—thebluepath.substack.com

• I also post daily articles on Medium— medium.com/@BoysieG

• And I recently started an X/Twitter account— twitter.com/BoysieGordon

**DPP readers, be sure to check out Boysie’s work here on Substack and subscribe! Boysie was kind enough to interview me as well- to see what we chatted about follow his page: thebluepath.substack.com.

Digital Hugs,

K. Alexandra