In this deeply reflective episode of Beyond Words, Najwa explores the longing so many of us feel when someone we love starts slipping away. What do we do when our instinct is to try harder only to lose ourselves in the process? Najwa unpacks the myths about “being the prize,” why begging for recognition only hurts us more, and how true courage sometimes looks like letting go, step by step.
Through personal reflections, hard truths, and poetic wisdom, she reminds us: your value doesn’t depend on whether someone else sees it.
Show Notes & Timestamps
0:00 – Introduction: What it means when someone begins to slip away
1:45 – The exhausting responsibility of trying harder than 100%
3:09 – Breaking yourself to fix what you didn’t break
4:26 – Relationships that require you to disappear are not for you
5:00 – The wrong belief that “relationships are supposed to be hard”
6:15 – Don’t audition for love: they are not the prize, your quality of life is
7:23 – Mila’s sweet cameo during recording 🐾
8:00 – Vulnerability isn’t desperation—it’s courage
9:32 – “Let them lose you” — stop forcing recognition of your worth
11:13 – Why attention after you pull away is ego, not love
12:08 – The truth of being a giver and what happens when you’re told to shrink
14:38 – Love Island reflection: when openness is unfairly labeled “too much”
16:06 – Shallow vs. deep love: why only going “in the shallow end” will never fulfill you
18:01 – If you’re only offered a tiny corner of their life, it’s not enough
23:52 – Courage isn’t always a leap—it’s the daily steps away
25:17 – Stop trying to make them regret losing you. Their choice is theirs, not yours.
26:07 – A poem from The Nectar of Pain: I will not wait for you to regret losing me
27:55 – Your worth is like gold: it remains whether or not others see it
29:11 – The right person will see all of you and feel lucky they found you
31:09 – Closing: Come home to yourself—your value is not up for negotiation.
Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, and leave a rating or review if Najwa’s words resonated with you.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.