Just a shell

What Burned Me Built Me

I used to believe that the place I worked for meant something. That our mission was shared. That our values were real. That if you showed up with honesty, effort, and a willingness to carry more than your share — you’d be met with respect. Or at least, fairness.

I was wrong.

Disappointment

What hurts isn’t the exit itself. What hurts is realizing that the foundation I stood on was never really there at all. That the culture I believed in — the one I helped build — was, in the end, just an image.

That when things got hard, the masks stayed on, and the people I trusted turned away.

The Pull to React

For a while, I wanted to fight. Not because I love conflict, but because the silence felt like betrayal.

I wanted to prove something. To show them they were wrong about me. To remind them that I was worth more than the way they let me go.

But I’ve chosen a different path.

Stillness

I won’t drag names through the mud. I won’t post receipts or pass around whispers. Not because they deserve protection — but because I deserve peace.

What I build next will be louder than anything I could say.

What Comes Next

I have ideas. Good ones. Open source, threat hunting on a budget, monitoring stacks that actually work, stories about real resilience in the face of bullshit.

I know what I’ve built. I know what I can offer. And I’ll keep showing up — not for them, but for the part of me that never wanted to be anything but real.

Final Note

To those who watched in silence as I burned — I hope the quiet served you well.

To those who ever believed in me — I’m still here.

And to myself — This is where it begins again. With truth, and with clarity.

“The fire that consumed my old world is now the light that guides me forward.”

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