Story time.

I had a client in her twenties who dated a guy for about six weeks. We’ll call him Ryan. On paper, Ryan had it all. Charming, good job in finance, emotionally present. He made her feel like the only person in the room. You know the type.

But Ryan was fresh off a messy breakup. He was still untangling from his last relationship, still carrying the weight of what went wrong. So even though their connection was intense, it ended just as quickly as it started.

She was heartbroken. Not because he was awful, but because it felt like bad timing. She was convinced that if they had met later, when he was more healed, the ending would have been different.

Here’s the part she didn’t see right away. Timing wasn’t the only issue. Ryan wasn’t actually ready to build anything. He wasn’t stable, and she had been ignoring parts of herself to keep the fantasy alive.

When it ended, she had a choice. Stay stuck in the “what if,” or deal with what was actually happening.

She chose the second option.

She poured herself into work. Not to avoid the pain, but to ground herself again. She started saying yes to harder projects. Took a few online courses. Started a side hustle she had been putting off for years.

She got serious about her life. Slowly, things shifted.

Her friendships deepened. She traveled more. She learned what she liked outside of relationships. She stopped trying to be someone’s muse and started being her own damn main character.

Months later, curiosity got the better of her. She Googled Ryan. He had lost his job. Things weren’t going great. And even though she felt a flicker of sadness for him, she mostly felt something else.

Relief.

If they had stayed together, she might have put her needs on pause. She might have tried to rescue him. She might have dimmed her light to make him feel less behind.

The breakup wasn’t a tragic loss. It was a pivot.

So here’s your unsolicited advice for today:

If someone isn’t ready, they’re not right. Full stop. The timing doesn’t make them a missed soulmate. It makes them a chapter. Learn the lesson, but don’t keep rereading the same page.

You deserve someone who shows up when you’re both ready. No conditions. No waiting. Just two people, fully present, choosing each other in real time.

Until then, be your own hype squad.

You’ve got this.
— Your Solo Hype Squad