Aligned and Unapologetic

A Reflection | IYKYK Playlist(s) | Somatic Practice

Leah Hill
May 12, 2025

Isabela and I saw Kendrick last week, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Hands down the best show I’ve ever seen. Visually stunning. Sonically flawless.

Kendrick moved through rage and reflection, old beefs and old truths. A reminder that complexity doesn’t need to be explained—just lived.

I cried. I flew.

But this newsletter isn’t really about the show, though you can check out the setlist if that lights you up.

Today is about my own journey with self-fidelity—realigning with my heart and spirit as I keep evolving.

As always, you’ll find a reflection, something new to listen to, and a somatic practice to anchor you and maybe to metabolize something.

I love hearing from you. Tell me how self-fidelity is showing up in your world—and what it means to you.

🫶🏼 Leah

The Version that Fits, Now

In November 2023, Isabela and I saw André 3000 perform his new album at the Blue Note in NYC.

If you know me, you know I rep Atlanta hard. So to see him in that kind of setting, felt rare. No flash. Zero production value. He was a little awkward. A little nervous. But fully present. Just a man doing what made sense to him now.

In the time that has followed his new musical exploration LITERALLY EVERYONE kept asking the same question: Why?

Why walk away from one of the most iconic rap careers of all time to play the flute?

His answers made people uncomfortable. Especially the ones still clinging to an older version of themselves. But in that room, I didn’t see confusion or loss. I saw clarity.

A few months ago, I shaved my head. Let my “old-lady” freak flag fly.

Not as a statement. Not to make a point. I had spent the last two years chasing a version of myself that stopped feeling real. Blonde, red, chocolate, platinum. None of it landed. I was seeking accuracy.

I’ve been shaving my head since I was fourteen. I used to cut my own hair. I cut other people’s too. Still do. Beware. lol.

I stopped wanting to maintain my hair in this way. It’s no longer on my list of priorities.

Not because I’ve let go of vanity. I care how I move through the world. But this wasn’t about looking good. It was about telling the truth.

I get more sideways glances now. Mostly men. Some stare. Some scowl. But women, especially younger ones, often smile. Sometimes they say something kind or something unexpected.

This wasn’t about making a statement. It was about not performing something I no longer believe in.

Self-fidelity is not ALWAYS about reinvention. It might be about noticing when the performance creeps back in and choosing to stop. Even if it makes you harder to explain.

Kendrick’s show was the opposite of that Blue Note show in every way—big, cinematic, visceral—but the throughline was the same. A refusal to dilute.

It’s choosing what fits now. The flute over the legacy. The grey over the disguise.

At some point, what used to feel like a risk starts to feel like relief.