In this episode I talk about contrast and how we hate it. Let’s be honest about that. We resist it, curse it, and do everything in our power to avoid it. We want the smooth road, the easy win, the feeling of certainty and flow without the jagged edges of struggle. We want warmth without ever feeling the cold, success without failure, love without heartbreak.

But here’s the paradox: contrast is exactly what we need. It’s the friction that sharpens us, the tension that reveals our strength, the resistance that forces us to grow. Without contrast, we drift. We stay in the comfortable, the familiar, the lukewarm. And nothing great—nothing truly golden—comes from lukewarm.

So, when contrast shows up in your life, don’t run. Don’t numb it with distractions. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that just because something is hard, it’s wrong.

Stand in it. Let it teach you. Let it strip away what isn’t you, so that what remains is gold.

And then? Rise. Rise with the lessons. Rise with the clarity. Rise with the fire that only contrast can ignite.

Because the ones who rise aren’t the ones who avoid the storm. They’re the ones who walk through it—and come out the other side, shining.