Congrats, You're a Creator—Also, a Leader

This week we switched gears from chaos to clarity — talking about leadership, creators, and why not everyone with a platform should lead. Christi breaks down the difference between having influence and having integrity, reminding us that leadership means responsibility, not just reach.

We’re asking the real question: What’s your line in the sand? Christi shares hers — freedom of speech, body autonomy, humanity, respect, equality, due process, separation of church and state, and truth.

Listen on: Apple, Spotify, YouTube
Follow: @ChristiChanelle
Support: BuyMeACoffee.com/ChristiChanelle
Connect: skylight.bio/christichanelle | BlueSky: @ChristiChanelle
Website: ActivistChain.com 

Chapters

• 0:00 A Different Kind of Episode
• 0:22 Creators As Modern Leaders
• 1:24 Words, Influence, And Responsibility
• 2:35 The Trust Crisis
• 3:19 Non‑Negotiables And Moral Lines
• 4:08 Leadership Starts Inside
• 4:32 From Fear To Safety
• 5:13 Mirrors, Not Just Storytellers
• 5:23 Next: ICE, Raids, And Systems
• 6:05 Empathy Over Authority
• 6:34 Quiet Acts Of Leadership
• 7:09 Felt, Not Followed
• 7:50 Steadfast Destination
• 8:11 Mindfuck Monday Preview And Sign‑Off

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Today's gonna feel a little different. I'm not breaking down headlines or court cases this time. This one's about leadership and what it means to be a creator, an influencer, or just a human trying to lead from a place of integrity. I just got back from a leadership conference and I'm only a third of the way through. And I go back in December and again in February. But even after that first week, I walked away with a new kind of awareness about myself, about others, and about how leadership shows up everywhere. From your job to your community to the creators you follow online. Because whether we want to admit it or not, creators are leaders now. And I don't mean politicians or CEOs. I mean the people you listen to every day on your feed or on a podcast. The ones who make you laugh, cry, rage, or reflect. They're shaping how you feel, how we see each other, and how we respond to the world. That's power. And power without reflection, that's how movements get lost. I'm Christy Chanel, and this is Sassy Politics. A good leader isn't the loudest person in the room. It's the one who listens while everyone else is shouting. Leadership is presence, it's influence, it's the responsibility that comes with being seen and heard. And here's the truth. The more people follow you, the more your words matter. You don't have to be perfect, but you do have to be conscientious. Because every post, every comment, every hot take ripples through someone else's emotions and beliefs. That doesn't mean you silence yourself. It just means you speak with intention. Now, I'm not an unbiased person. I don't even pretend to be. I speak from experience, from emotion, and from the world I want to see. If that version aligns with yours, then we're probably walking the same road. Everything I do, every piece of content, every conversation, it all comes from one root. Humanity. From caring about people, fairness, and freedom. But lately I've been thinking about the crisis we don't talk enough about. The trust crisis. No one trusts anyone anymore. Not the media, not the government, not even each other. And I get it, I've felt that same hesitation, that wait and see before you believe somebody's intentions. But if we don't trust anyone, how are we ever supposed to build freedom for everyone? Sometimes leadership means choosing to trust again. Carefully, conscientiously, but courageously. It means holding out your hand and saying, okay, let's see if we can walk through this together. And before we do, we have to know what we stand for. What's our line in the sand? For me, it's this freedom of speech, bodily autonomy, humanity, respect, equality, due process, the separation of church and state. And finally, truth. Those are non-negotiable. Those are the principles I measure everything against, the lens I see the world through. And when I see those lines being crossed, I can't stay quiet. Because what we're living through right now isn't just political. It's moral. It's spiritual. It's about how we treat each other. And I've realized that leadership doesn't start at the top, it starts inside. In your kitchen table conversations, in your TikToks and your tweets, and how you talk to your coworkers, your kids, and even the people you disagree with. That's leadership. It's not about being right, it's about being real. When I was at the conference, one of the biggest takeaways was that great leadership creates safety. Not comfort, safety. A space where people can be honest even when it's messy. And that's what I want to do and create here. Because look around. Fear is doing the leading right now. Fear is what divides us. It's what keeps people from speaking up. And that's why I believe creators, all of us, have a role to play in shifting that energy. We're not just storytellers. We're mirrors. We show people who they are and sometimes who they could be. And that brings me to where we're headed next. Because next time we're diving into something heavier: Ice. We're going to talk about how IC operates inside U.S. cities like Chicago, LA, and DC, how raids are happening in places you would never expect. Businesses, schools, parking lots, and how entire families are being torn apart. We're going to go deep into how these systems were built, who profits from them, and how fear keeps them alive. And yes, we'll talk about the human cost, the psychological toll, and the question every American should be asking. But before we get there, I wanted this moment to reset, to ask myself and you what kind of leaders we're becoming. Because leadership without empathy is just authority. And authority without accountability becomes oppression. So maybe the work starts here, with awareness, with remembering that your influence, however small, matters. Maybe it's how you respond to hate online. Maybe it's how you comfort a coworker. Maybe it's just how you show up when nobody's watching. That's leadership too. I don't have all the answers, and I'm not trying to be anyone's guru. I'm just trying to stay human, to learn, to listen, to lead in a way that leaves more light than darkness. So if you're here and you're still watching, thank you. Thank you for trusting me enough to think this through together. And before I sign off, I'll leave you with this. Leadership isn't about being followed, it's about being felt. It's about the energy you leave behind, the words that echo after you log off, and the choices you make when nobody's clapping. So yeah, I'm steadfast in the goal, not necessarily the path. I'm open to different roads, different voices, and different ways of getting there. But the destination that never changes. Freedom, dignity, and truth for all of us. I'll see you in the next Mindfuck Monday, where we'll dig into ICE, immigration, and the systems that define what freedom really means. Until then, take care of your energy, stay aware, and don't forget, your voice is leadership.