Why Culture Changers Came Back (And What That Means for You)

You can feel when something isn’t aligned anymore.
You don’t always trust that feeling.

Especially when the thing still looks good to everyone else.
It still makes sense. People still understand it.

I ignored that feeling longer than I should have.
Until it stopped being quiet.

I’ve hosted a podcast since 2019. Over the years, I changed its name five times. That wasn’t confusion. It was me trying to make the work easier to explain instead of paying attention to how it actually felt to be inside it.

There’s a point where you realize you’re shaping something for approval instead of truth. You’re translating yourself. Softening edges. Making it neat. And the more understandable it becomes to others, the further away you feel from it.

That’s a hard thing to admit.

When Explaining Becomes a Clue

One of the clearest signs something is off is how much explaining you’re doing. Not teaching. Not sharing. Explaining.

You start giving context before anyone asks. You brace for confusion. You talk around the thing instead of from it. Over time, that creates distance between you and the work you once cared about.

I see this happen to people all the time. In their careers. In businesses they’ve built. In relationships that technically work but feel hollow.

Nothing is “wrong” enough to leave. Nothing is “right” enough to stay fully present.

So they linger.

Why Pop Culture Is Where Truth Shows Up

Pop culture is where people show you who they are without realizing it. What they binge. What they defend. What they mock. What they love out loud.

We learn how to behave from the stories we consume. We learn what’s rewarded. What’s tolerated. What’s shamed. Movies, music, celebrities, social media moments. These things shape how we see power, success, love, gender, money, and belonging.

That’s why pop culture matters.

It’s not shallow. It’s revealing.

When you look at culture closely, you see what people are hungry for and what they’re afraid to name. You see where empathy shows up and where it disappears. You see how quickly we turn complex humans into symbols.

Talking about culture gives us a way to talk about ourselves without hiding.

The Exhaustion No One Wants to Name

A lot of people feel worn down right now. Not because they’re failing. Not because they’re doing it wrong. Because they’re absorbing too much for too long.

The constant swing between crisis and celebration. The speed of information. The pressure to have a take on everything. The quiet expectation to stay composed while things feel unstable.

That kind of environment drains people.

What helps isn’t another list of habits to optimize yourself. What helps is making sense of what you’re living inside. Naming what you’re reacting to. Choosing what you let shape you.

That’s part of why this work matters to me.

Speaking Without Performing

There’s a difference between having a voice and using it. A lot of people know what they think. Fewer people say it plainly.

It’s easier to stay agreeable. Easier to listen well and stay quiet about yourself. Easier to keep conversations safe.

I realized I’d gotten very good at holding space for others and very careful about letting myself take up any. That kept me respected. It also kept me distant.

Real connection asks more of you.

It asks you to speak before you have it perfectly packaged. To risk being misunderstood. To trust that the right people will stay in the room.

Remembering How to Have Fun Again

Somewhere along the way, play gets treated like a luxury instead of a need. Creativity gets shelved. Humor gets muted. You start editing yourself before you even try.

That doesn’t mean you’ve lost it. It means you stopped giving yourself room.

Shared joy matters. Laughter matters. Collective experiences matter. They remind you that life isn’t only something to manage. It’s something to feel.

Pop culture does that when it’s at its best. It brings people together. It creates a shared language. It gives us relief without asking us to check our brains at the door.

What Culture Changers Means Now

Culture Changers has always been about paying attention. About staying awake. About choosing engagement over numbing out.

It’s about looking at the world through the stories we tell and consume, and asking better questions about what they’re shaping in us.

It’s about having conversations that don’t fit neatly into boxes. About speaking honestly without turning it into a spectacle. About letting curiosity lead instead of certainty.

If something in your life or work feels slightly off, you’re not late. You’re not broken. You have outgrown your container.

And you're ready for more.

If you want to go deeper, listen to the full Culture Changers episode and see what comes up for you. And if you're wondering what to do with all of this, you might just be a culture changer. Let's fuck some shit up together!

Listen Now: The Culture Changers Podcast

Watch Now: Culture Changers on YouTube

If you’ve got a podcast or an idea that won’t leave you alone, here's your sign to take it seriously. Not just because it's fun (it is), but because it can change how people see you, connect with you, and trust you. That's the magic.

And if you're wondering how to make it actually work? Book a free clarity call with me at allisonhare.com/freecall. I'll help you turn that idea into a tight, bingeable, client-attracting machine.