Rising like Taylor

I am a Swiftie and I am not afraid to say it out loud.

On long drives with my daughter, we blast Taylor Swift and scream-sing every word. We are both off-key but it does not matter. The windows are down, the music is loud, and the joy is real. My daughter even went to not one but two Eras Tour shows.

For her, Taylor is not just a performer. She is a blueprint of how to rise, fall, and rise again.

Recently Taylor went viral for a podcast comment about energy. She talked about being intentional about where we place it and who we give it to. The internet quickly twisted her words into a call for cutting people out or deciding who is or is not “worthy” of our time.

But I think people missed the point.

Taylor was not just talking about eliminating. She was talking about choosing. Protecting your energy is not about walling yourself off. It is about deciding what you are going to create with it. She has lived this lesson herself.

Taylor has been mocked, betrayed, scrutinized, and dismissed. She has been called every name in the book. She has had her private life splashed across tabloids and her professional life stolen out from under her when her masters were sold. That moment alone could have been the end of her story.

But instead of folding, she fought back. Not with bitterness or revenge. With music. With art. With fire in her veins.

She re-recorded her albums and reclaimed her voice. She turned heartbreak into anthems. She turned loss into empire. She turned pain into power.

And here is the part that gets me: she did not just rise once. She keeps rising. Again and again. Every time the world tries to put her in a box, she burns the box and builds a bigger stage.

That is exactly what Rise Through It™ is about.

It is not about never stumbling. It is about what you do with the stumble. Where you decide to place your energy. Whether you choose to hide or to show up. Whether you let the world define you or you take the pen back and write your own lyrics.

When I hit my own rock bottom, I felt like all my energy had been stolen. My instinct was to pull away, protect myself, and disappear. But I learned that rising is not passive. It is a choice. It is standing up when you would rather lie down. It is opening your mouth when silence feels safer. It is choosing to direct your energy toward growth instead of fear.

Taylor shows us that resilience is not about hoarding your energy. It is about using it. Sharing it. Owning it. Letting it light the way through the storm.

Challenge to Rise

Think of one area in your life where you feel drained. Instead of asking who does not deserve your energy, ask how you can channel it differently.

What if you used it as fuel to create, to grow, or to connect?

Leading with Courage

Real leaders do not just keep their energy safe for the easy moments.

They show up when it is hard. They model what it looks like to rise through adversity with grit and grace.

Breakthrough Moment

Energy is not just something to protect. It is a force to direct.

You can let it leak, you can hide it, or you can turn it into something extraordinary.

Behind the Scenes

As I prepare for the release of my book, I keep coming back to this truth.

Protecting your energy matters. But what really changes you—and the people around you—is how you use it.

Taylor reminds me, my daughter, and millions of others that you can always choose to rise.

And sometimes, you rise with glitter on your face and a song on your lips.

We rise through it. Together.