Lead with Love: Choosing Depth in a Surface-Level World

There’s an unspoken weight people carry. It’s there in the rushed stranger who brushes past without a glance, in the loved one who snaps over something trivial, or even in our own moments of self-doubt or frustration. A question I often return to when confronted with these moments, whether with others or myself, is this: How does love respond here?

This question isn’t easy to answer, especially when we feel triggered, insecure, or doubtful. In fact, love often feels hardest to choose when it’s most needed. But like any skill worth mastering, the more you practice, the stronger it becomes. With time, this response of love becomes a part of you—not your immediate reaction, perhaps, but eventually your default, if you commit to it.

Every behavior we encounter, good or bad, is an expression of some need. We don’t know the stories, the struggles, or the pain that underlie these behaviors. Each person, from the stranger in passing to those closest to us, bears their own untold burdens, carrying hidden scars and private dreams.

This kind of thinking and feeling, this openness to see beyond the surface, requires a strength that isn’t often talked about. Depth comes with a price. It asks us to go beyond judgment, beyond assumption, and instead choose curiosity, openness, and a willingness to explore the layers beneath each interaction. It asks us to go beyond what is easy or comfortable and instead enter the swamps and shadows of our own hearts and those of others.

Depth means choosing love over judgment, choosing to ask questions rather than make assumptions. It’s a choice to embrace the raw, messy reality of human existence and to honor the vast complexity within every person. To feel deeply, to engage openly, and to allow oneself to be moved, even when it’s uncomfortable or painful—this is not for the faint of heart. But isn’t this the real work we’re here to do?

We weren’t placed on this earth simply to go through the motions. I learned this in one of the hardest ways possible, through the passing of my daughter. That loss knocked me down and showed me just how fragile and fleeting life is. But it also ignited a fire in my heart, a reminder to embrace each day with a commitment to love at the deepest level. It’s the reminder that fuels me to see people not just as they are on the surface, but as fellow travelers with hidden stories and unspoken dreams.

So, let’s lead with love. Let’s be bold enough to feel deeply, even when it hurts. In a world that often values surface-level understanding, let’s commit to love, to curiosity, and to depth. One day at a time, one interaction at a time, we can choose to make this life a testament to the greatest gift we have—our capacity to love deeply, bravely, and unapologetically.