Authentic Living in a Content-Driven World: Are You Performing or Being?

Have you ever stopped to consider which parts of your life are authentic versus performative? We tackle this thought-provoking question in our latest episode, inviting you to examine your social media habits and daily activities through a refreshingly honest lens.
 

"Would I still be doing this if no one was watching?" It's not about judgment but rather a genuine curiosity about our motivations in today's content-driven world.

The episode also addresses why this podcast remains audio-only, despite requests for video content. This episode discusses how cameras fundamentally change our behavior and energy - something we've all experienced when someone pulls out a phone during an authentic moment. 

This bite-sized episode packs a powerful punch, offering exactly the kind of reflective pause many of us need in our busy lives. Subscribe now and join our growing community of listeners committed to building unbreakable minds and bodies through authentic living.

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Disclaimer: This show is for education and entertainment purposes only. This is not intended as a replacement for therapy. Please seek out the help of a professional to assist you with your specific situation.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to the Unbreakable Mind and Body
podcast.
I am your host, tiana Gonzalez,a multi-passionate, creative
storyteller and entrepreneurwith a fierce love for movement.
This is our space for powerfulstories and actionable
strategies to help you buildmental resilience and elevate

(00:28):
your self-care practice.
Together, we will unlock thetools that you need to create an
unbreakable mind and body.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Welcome back to the show.
I am your host, tiana, and onthis episode I want to talk to
you a little bit about doingthings that are performative,
and I want you to sit withyourself, maybe while you're
listening to this episode orafter, and think about some of

(00:59):
the things you do and what youchoose to share on social media.
Now, please know I am notjudging anyone for anything.
This question comes from aplace of curiosity and I'll fill
you in in a moment on where thequestion comes from.
But I want you to think aboutwhat you choose to share to the

(01:21):
internet, for whatever reasons,and I want you to ask yourself
would you be doing those thingsif no one was watching you?
Would you be doing those thingsif you weren't going to create
content and post about it?

(01:42):
I want you to really sit withthat and think about it.

(02:07):
This question has come up in mylife a few times because, well,
coming from being a performer asa kid, I was a musical theater
kid, I was in the band and inchoir and then, later on, I got
into bodybuilding, which alsothe competition takes place on a
stage, and I love being onstage.

(02:31):
I love dancing.
You know I danced most of myteens and into early adulthood
performing, and the idea ofdoing something because you're
going to perform it in contrastto doing it for the simple
pleasure and enjoyment in themoment of doing it.
You can have both and they cancoexist simultaneously.
However often especially now in2025, we're in a time where a

(02:54):
lot of us are doing thingsbecause we need the content.
We're selling something and wewant to post about it, and we
want to post about it.
Now, why do I have thisquestion top of mind right now?
One of my listeners asked me ifI was ever going to make this

(03:18):
podcast a video podcast, and Iwill say yes, the idea sounds
really cool and I would love tohave beautiful videos showing my
listeners what it actuallylooks like when I'm in my
creative zone recording theseepisodes.
But there is an element that Ifear will go missing if I choose

(03:46):
to switch from audio only to avideo podcast and you lose some
of the intimacy.
When we are doing something anda camera is pulled out, and a
camera is pulled out, or when weknow cameras are on us, our

(04:07):
behavior changes.
You cannot tell me I am wrongthe moment you are at a party,
at a wedding, at a bat mitzvah,at a sweet 16, at a barbecue,

(04:31):
and you're in the zone, you'redancing, you're having a good
time with your friends, yourfamily, you're getting down on
the dance floor or you're takinga shot, or whatever it is.
The moment a camera is pulledout, it changes the energy.
You can't deny it.
You know, it's true.
True.
How many times have you beendoing something, acting a fool
or just being giggly and giddyand playing, and then you stop.

(04:54):
Why?
Because somebody wanted to takea picture or somebody wanted to
record a video?
Because, whatever the intentionis, it's a moment they want to
remember, so they want tocapture it.
But in the act of capturing themoment, you're removing
yourself from being present inthe moment.
It changes the energy, likeI've already said a couple of

(05:15):
times.
So do I think that maybe somedayI might turn this into a video
podcast?
Potentially, but for right now,I love having this intimacy
with you.
I love being able to be in yourears so you can listen.

(05:35):
Some of us are multitaskers,I'm a multitasker.
Some of us are multitaskers,I'm a multitasker.
So even for podcasts that Ienjoy listening to, that have
both a video component and or alistening component.
I will always default to thelistening component.
My eyes start to bother meafter a while from looking at

(05:59):
screens so much throughout theday, and I do in-person work
where I'm not forced to look ata screen all day, so I could
only imagine what it would feellike if I still had a desk job
where I had to look at computerscreens During the debacle of
2023, when I had the worstcommute in the world to JFK

(06:21):
every day.
You want to talk about screens?
I had three monitors in frontof me at all times, plus my
phone.
No, thank you.
Never going back to that, notnow, not ever.
That sucked.
I would come home at night andmy head would just be pounding.

(06:42):
That sucked.
I would come home at night andmy head would just be pounding
and it was from all the bluelight.
So I want you to think aboutthe things that you're doing in
your life and ask yourself ifnobody was watching me, would I
still be doing this?
If nobody was watching me,would I still be doing this?

(07:05):
If nobody was watching me,would this still be top of my
priorities?
If nobody was watching me,would this be a part of my
routine, a part of my day, apart of my practice, a part of
my life?
Again, there's no judgment.
This is purely out of curiosityand there's no right or wrong

(07:26):
answer.
It's just to give youperspective.
Bodybuilding is a performativesport.
However, the day in, day out,activities that create the
successful figure that youpresent on stage nobody cares

(07:48):
about that.
It's the day in, day out.
It's the mundane, it's aroutine.
I've talked about this onseveral episodes already.
It's not glamorous.
It is a choice that is made andit's like going into the lab.
You're working on something,you're creating something,

(08:08):
you're sculpting something, andduring the process it's messy,
it's not always pretty, it's notalways packaged nicely and
presentable.
Packaged nicely and presentable, it's just the grind.
Wake up, eat healthy, stick tothe plan, do your cardio, lift

(08:38):
your weights, go to work, repeat.
So what are the things in yourlife that you're doing, that
you're posting about, and arethey truly important to you?
Are they stemming from a placeof genuine sharing?
You want to share your joy, orshare your excitement, or share
positivity?
Perhaps you want to share yourstory because you know that

(08:58):
there are other people out therethat could benefit from hearing
it, kind of like this podcast.
You know, I share things onhere because I have listeners
who tell me they need help withthings.
And can I talk about this on mynext episode?
Or can I talk about that on anupcoming episode?

(09:21):
And that is performative andthere's nothing inherently wrong
with it.
But where will you choose todraw your lines and where will
you prioritize what's reallyimportant to you and what's not?
So are you always performing orare you doing?

(09:46):
And, as I always ask, why?
Because if the why is notimportant, if it doesn't align
with the goals, then it's timeto reassess.
I hope you found this episodehelpful.
This is a bite-sized one.
Enjoy it.

(10:06):
Maybe come back and listen toit again, but think about why
you do what you do, and are youdoing it because you're
performing or are you doing itbecause it's important to you,
and maybe sometimes it's alittle bit of both.
Thank you for being here.
I appreciate your time and yourattention and, as always, I
will catch you on the next one.