Emotional Baggage

This morning, over lattes at Paper Plane in Montclair, my cousin and I - two entrepreneurs enjoying a brainstorm - spotted this bag casually parked beside us:
EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE.
Loud. Proud.

And honestly… don’t we all show up to work with a version of it? We’re all managing load, whether it's households, ambition, caregiving or burnout.

Here’s the truth organizations often overlook:
You don’t hire résumés.
You hire humans.
Humans with histories, hopes, and yes - baggage.

In healthy workplace cultures, emotional baggage isn’t something we hide. It’s something we’re allowed to place gently on the floor without judgment.

Because when people feel safe to be human, they’re free to be brilliant.

Culture isn’t about perks. It’s about permission.
Permission to pause. To pursue purpose. To build a life and a livelihood, not one at the expense of the other.

Following are some prompts for reflection:
🧳 What unseen baggage are your people carrying?
🧠 Do they have the psychological space to set it down?
💬 Are your leaders modeling honesty or perfection?

Because in workplaces where we can unpack, we don’t just stay - we grow.

Here’s to carrying what shapes us… and creating cultures that help us set it down.

P.S., if anyone can find one of these bags for me, I'll buy you a cup of coffee!