thinking about pride...

Let’s talk about pride.

So here’s something weird:

I’ve always had a lot of love for India.

I know that might sound random, but if you know me, it tracks.

I go through seasons - with music, books, shows, everything.

And when I love something, I’m in. Fully.

I binge. I obsess. I know names. I know timelines. I know backstories. And during one long, very formative season in my teenage years, I fell headfirst into Indian movies.

I mean proper immersion.

Zee Cinema every single day. Song lyrics. Actor names. Plotlines.

I watched them with the kind of focus most people reserve for PhD research.

And over time, something started to stick.

Not just the movies, but the feeling in them.

Especially when they talked about patriotism.

The kind of pride that’s hard to fake

There’s just something about how Indian films show love for country:

The music swells. The actor’s eyes glisten. The monologues go on forever.

And by the end, I’m like, “Yes. Yes. Jai Hind. India forever.”

And I’m not even Indian.

But it moves me.

Because what I see in those scenes is pride.

It’s not arrogance. It’s not even superiority. It’s just that deep, swelling, heart-filling love for something that’s yours.

You chose it. You carry it. Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s yours.

And all that got me thinking:

Where’s that kind of pride… in some founders while they build their startups?

Founders, we need to feel your love

I worked with a founder a while back. Amazing person, great product.

You could tell he believed in what he was building.

But it just never seemed concrete in the places and instances that mattered.

He posted about it once in a while, but the energy felt… distracted. He struggled with communicating it. Everything felt repetitive.

His passion for a side project came through clearer than the product he was trying to grow.

He was saying and doing things, and they seemed like the right things, but not the kind of things that made me feel like he absolutely believed in the thing he was building (do you get what I mean? 😅).

Eventually, that started to affect me too.

I was working on content, trying to help bring this product to life in people’s faces, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was carrying more passion than the person who started it.

I know that’s probably not true.

But the truth is: if your passion doesn’t show up where people live (your team, your users, your community), they’ll assume it’s not there.

Even if it is.

And it will affect trust, energy, and the vibe of the entire team.

So how can founders fix that?

Here’s the part my sister, who read the first draft for this issue, wanted me to spell out clearly (rightly so 😅).

Here are 5 top things you can do to show up for your product publicly and internally:

1. Write publicly about the problem you’re solving.

Before you pitch your product, talk about the problem that bugs you.

What made you want to fix it? Why does it deserve your time?

2. Share your “founder’s lens.”

Post once a week about what you’re learning, noticing, or wrestling with.

You don’t need polished lessons. Just give people a peek inside your brain.

3. Be visibly involved.

Join user interviews. Give feedback in Notion. Ask questions in Slack.

Show your team that you’re not just delegating but carrying this with them.

4. Talk to your team like a user.

What would you say if you were trying to convince someone to use this product?

Start saying that to your own team. Out loud. Regularly.

5. Choose one place to show up consistently.

LinkedIn? A newsletter? Your team’s weekly huddle? Pick one and show your love there. Consistency > volume.

Real love is visible, even in silence.

That experience was such a contrast to what I have at my 9-5.

There, I work with a founder who’s not actively building publicly, but you feel his passion in the fact that he shows up, and in how he shows up.

It’s all in the details. The late nights. The questions no one else asks. The ideas he shares without devaluing efforts. His excitement to try new things and show support in any way he can.

He carries the product on his head (and I mean that in the most respectful way possible).

That love? It spills over.

When he’s into it, we’re into it. Not out of obligation but plain instinct.

It creates momentum that metrics alone can’t generate.

It’s not forced or performative.

It just... happens.

You start to believe in the product because you see them believing in it too.

Now, I’m not saying every founder needs to be loud.

Or post three times a week. Or try to be Alex Hormozi.

But if you’re building something, your team should be able to feel your love.

They should see it. Somewhere.

In your questions. Your feedback. Your attention to detail.

In the way you respond to problems. In how you fight for the product, not just when things are working, but when they’re not.

Because the way you carry your product is how others will too.

It sets the tone and creates the culture, affecting everything, from copy to visuals to how your team even talks about the thing you're building.

And more than that?

It shows your team that they’re not alone in carrying it.

So yeah. Maybe this newsletter is just me processing all of that.

Or maybe it’s a love letter.

To founders.

To anyone building something real.

Carry your product the way you want others to because people can't carry what you won’t hold. You give your product context.

And love—real love—is visible.

Even when you’re not saying anything.

💭 Stuff I Can’t Shut Up About

🥷🏾 Never Knew There Was a Samurai Saint

_eganism

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I’m a Christian. I’m a weeb. So naturally, when I saw a reel by Egan, an IG creator I follow, about a Christian samurai who’s about to be named a saint, I paused everything. An actual Samurai of Christ existed. Too cool.

It’s giving anime character arc, and I love it!

💜 BTS is back

The last five are officially out of military service! There’s a fresh energy to the group, and we ARMYs are lapping it up. My blood is purple again.

Thanks for reading.

See you in the next issue!

(And sorry this one came months late 😬)

—VII

Content & Context