How strongly you project your thoughts and emotions into the world.
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Volume
Volume — Say what you actually believe about the situation clearly and on record, even when the outcome goes against you.
Volume controls how strongly you project your thoughts and emotions into the world. Brian Bouffard turned his up as high as it would go throughout this trial — from his closing arguments described as reaching Atticus Finch levels, to standing outside the courthouse telling reporters the government was endangering everyone. Losing the case didn't turn the volume down. He walked out promising appeals and calling the verdict wrong, loudly and on the record.
Brian Bouffard is speaking outside the courthouse mid-trial, turning up the volume on his outrage at what he sees as the political weaponization of the Justice Department.
"i've got i've got a lot tied up in this for me i find the the corruption of the justice system to be just just horribly..."
Volume
Volume — Send the message you've been holding back instead of waiting for a safer moment that never comes.
Volume is about how strongly you project your thoughts and emotions into the world. Gael had his turned way down at 19 — deliberately staying quiet, holding back texts, performing indifference. The shift he describes is turning it back up: texting people directly, inviting near-strangers to events, and sending a third message even when the first two went unanswered. He went from muted outreach to actively projecting his interest.
Gael lays out his current philosophy of open, repeated outreach — a direct contrast to the year he spent staying deliberately quiet and holding back.
"i'm also a big believer in like just texting people invites to everything and like personally inviting them to things an..."
Volume
Volume — Stop calibrating your output to what others expect and perform at the level that feels true to what you actually have to give.
Volume controls how strongly you project your thoughts and emotions into the world. Alyssa Liu turned this dial all the way up — not to be louder than the competition, but to finally perform as a full expression of herself. Before stepping away, she may have been performing with the volume partially muted, calibrated to what was expected of her. Coming back, she cranked it: 'That's what I'm fucking talking about.' That's full projection. Nothing held back.
Carmen describes the moment she and Lauren both independently broke down watching Alyssa Liu's performance — the full emotional release of witnessing someone perform at the absolute top of their own internal volume.
"i was like i love i know this feeling i recognize that feeling i love that feeling where i've been like i did it i mean..."
Volume
Volume — Stop letting intermediaries carry your message — say it yourself, directly, in the clearest and most personal terms possible.
Volume is about how strongly you project your thoughts into the world. Callie Zahir had been turning her own volume way down — softening her scientific background, hiring others to speak for the brand, keeping the personal story out of the front. Jenny Britton essentially told her to turn it back up: go on camera, say who you are, explain why you did this, in your own voice. The personal signal needed to be louder.
Jenny Britton tells Callie Zahir to turn up the volume on her own voice — to stop hiding behind brand ambassadors and say plainly who she is and why she built this product.
"i just wanna say like you said i'm a full time scientist at ucla like wanna hear that i'm a full time scientist at i sta..."
Volume
Volume — Root your ask in a principle that is bigger than you so you can hold the line without wavering.
Volume is about how strongly you push your thoughts and position into the world. Emmy Rossum had already backed down once in an earlier negotiation — her volume was turned way down. This story tracks her dialing it back up, not by getting louder or more aggressive, but by getting clearer. Once she grounded the ask in fairness rather than personal desire, she stopped apologizing for taking up space.
Emmy Rossum responds to a question about the fear of being labeled difficult, articulating how she stopped organizing her negotiation around likability and instead projected her position from a place of principle.
"when men advocate for their worth they seem strong and it's kind of you know they're competitive and it can even be stra..."
Volume
Volume — Stop shrinking your output in response to pushback — turn up the volume on what you actually believe about yourself.
Volume is about how strongly you project yourself into the world. Chloe Bailey had been dimming herself in response to online criticism — unsure how much of her real self to put out there. Writing and releasing 'Have Mercy' was a direct Volume increase: she turned herself all the way up, performed at the VMAs, and put her full self on the biggest stage she'd ever stood on alone. The louder the criticism got, the louder she turned herself up in response.
Chloe Bailey is describing the moment 'Have Mercy' took off before it was even released — a surge that came directly from leaning into the very thing critics had been attacking her for.
"so i put that out on my birthday it goes viral everyone's doing the challenge the booty so big lord have mercy the song..."
Volume
Volume — Act on a belief you've been holding privately without waiting for others to validate or join you first.
Volume is about how strongly you project your thoughts and emotions into the world. George Kittle had been keeping a bold idea at near-zero volume for nine years — a photo saved on his phone, a statement he admired but hadn't made. Wearing the shirt alone, in front of cameras, on game day turned that volume all the way up without anyone else joining him.
George Kittle describes finally wearing the 'Fuck Dallas' shirt after nine years of holding onto the idea — buying one for the whole tight end room, being the only one who wore it, and deciding to go for it alone.
"i got learned the history of the niners and like one of the images that was shown to us was gary plummer he was a lineba..."
Volume
Volume — Project your position clearly and publicly before fear has time to build a case for silence.
Volume controls how strongly someone projects themselves into the world. For two weeks, Bushra had been invisible — sheltered inside, offline, quiet. The bike ride was a deliberate act of maximum volume: a public highway, a Facebook invitation, a camera, and a sign that said she was there and she was doing this. Men screamed at them from cars. She completely blocked it out because her own signal was louder.
Bushra describes standing alone on a bombed-out highway with five bikes and a camera, having deliberately chosen maximum visibility — she wanted everyone to see them.
"i knew it was dangerous but i wanted us to be very visible for everybody and i just want everybody just to see us but th..."
Volume
Volume — Say what you actually want early and directly, instead of waiting until silence becomes resentment.
Volume controls how strongly someone projects their thoughts and emotions into the world. For most of her dating life, Aly Raisman had her volume turned almost all the way down around her own needs — staying quiet about what made her uncomfortable, never rocking the boat, hoping things would just work out. The shift she describes is turning that dial up: saying what she wants from the first date, bringing things up quickly and clearly instead of waiting until they've become a big problem.
Aly describes how she finally started letting her real needs out early in dating — turning up the volume on what she wants instead of keeping it silent to avoid rocking the boat.
"i feel like now i'm finally at the point where i feel like when i was younger dating in my early twenties it was so hard..."
Volume
Volume — When you've been wronged and don't know how to speak up, put it in writing — it forces clarity and creates a record that's harder to dismiss.
Volume is about how strongly you project your thoughts and emotions into the world. Before Don Farmer stepped in, Katie Couric's volume on this issue was effectively at zero — she had no idea how to respond or whether she even should. Writing the memo was a deliberate act of turning the volume up: putting her objection in writing, naming what happened specifically, and demanding a response. She went from silent to clear and direct.
Katie Couric recounts the moment a CNN executive humiliated her in front of a room full of male colleagues, and how Don Farmer's immediate response turned her from frozen silence to direct action.
"i walked in i don't know what they've been talking about but he said something like that's not like katie she's been suc..."
Volume
Volume — Say the hard thing clearly and directly to the person with the power to fix it, using specific and credible language.
Volume controls how strongly you project your thoughts and emotions into the world. Ophia Begum Ali had spent a childhood being quiet at school, hiding their real experiences because nobody wanted to hear them. At the hospital, they turned the volume up. They walked into the patient advocate's office, explained everything from the silence to the language barrier, and used the language of rights and policy to make the system move. One message to the care team changed everything.
Ophia Begum Ali describes walking into the patient advocate's office and making their case clearly, turning a quiet, targeted intervention into real change for their father.
"so i go back to the hospital to visit my father and to speak with the patient advocate and i am careful not to lose my t..."
Volume
Volume — Project confidence and clear direction when your team is facing uncertainty and fear.
Volume controls how strongly you project thoughts and emotions into the world. Cameron Hamilton adjusted his Volume when addressing his demoralized team. He projected confidence and determination rather than uncertainty and fear, turning his team's panic into purposeful action through his strong leadership messaging.
Cameron Hamilton projects confidence and determination to his demoralized team after Trump threatened to abolish FEMA, turning panic into purposeful action.
"i assembled a leadership team and said guys and gals this is our moment this is our make or break testing period here we..."
Volume
Volume — Project yourself boldly into opportunities while accepting the consequences of high-volume presence.
Volume reflects how strongly Pablo Manriquez projects himself into the world. He crashed a Frederick Douglass ceremony, inserted his painting among official artifacts, took selfies with lawmakers, and got a C-SPAN interview - all without official permission. When told he was 91-92% ego-driven, he owned it completely and said humility could never have created those scenarios.
Pablo Manriquez acknowledges that his motivation is overwhelmingly driven by ego and owns this aspect of his personality completely.
"maybe like 91 92% i definitely wake up every morning excited to be pablo marquez ego it's what makes you pick up a box o..."
Volume
Volume — Exist at your natural volume instead of automatically turning yourself down for others.
Volume adjusted as Brandon stopped turning himself down in every interaction and began projecting his natural presence. For years, he'd kept his volume low — jumping out of the way, deferring constantly, trying not to take up space. Through the no pretending practice, Brandon learned to exist at his natural volume, whether walking through a door or having a conversation. He stopped automatically dimming himself for others' perceived comfort.
Brandon gives a specific example of how he used to minimize his presence in everyday interactions and how he's changed.
"if i'm walking up to the door of a gas station we're going into the gas station and there's a stranger walking in at the..."
Volume
Volume — Project your confidence loudly when the moment demands it rather than keeping your potential quiet.
Volume controls how strongly you project your thoughts and emotions into the world. Caleb Williams cranked his Volume to maximum when he declared 'The legend of Caleb begins.' He projected absolute confidence and certainty into the world rather than keeping his hopes quiet or playing it safe. His bold declaration before stepping on the field shows someone who turned up their internal Volume to match the magnitude of the moment.
Caleb Williams describes the bold declaration he made to his friend while watching his team struggle, projecting absolute confidence before even stepping on the field.
"we were standing on a bench right next to each other on top standing on top of them the big old white benches we're like..."
Volume
Volume — Project your authentic self more boldly instead of hiding what makes you different.
Volume increased when Harjas Singh decided to stand out instead of blend in. He had been keeping his identity quiet and hidden under baseball caps like other Sikh kids, but chose to project his heritage boldly by wearing his turban to graduation. He turned up how strongly he expressed his identity to the world.
Harjas is describing the morning of his high school graduation when he chose to wear his turban instead of his patka.
"on the morning of my high school graduation i woke up and i went through my morning ritual again i oiled my hair combed..."
Volume
Volume — Increase the strength of your professional voice when advocating for those who can't advocate for themselves.
Volume demonstrates how Leonard Saltz adjusted how strongly he projected his medical opinions into the world. Previously, he kept his concerns about drug pricing within the medical community. When faced with Zaltrap's outrageous cost for minimal benefit, Leonard turned up his volume by writing a public op-ed in the New York Times and announcing Memorial Sloan Kettering's boycott. This louder projection of his professional judgment immediately got Sanofi's attention and resulted in a 50% price reduction.
Leonard Saltz is describing how Memorial Sloan Kettering's public boycott resulted in Sanofi offering a nationwide 50% discount on Zaltrap within a month.
"little less than a month after the op ed piece came out the company that makes sal trap they went to individual doctor's..."
Volume
Volume — Turn up your volume when advocating for something you know matters, even if others dismiss it.
Volume increased as Bentley Brown projected his conviction about his father's importance more strongly into the world. Instead of quietly accepting gatekeepers' dismissals, he spoke directly and emotionally about Frederick's significance, saying things like 'it's like, man, fuck you' to those who dismissed the work. His volume turned up when describing the painting as his father calling out to be saved.
Bentley turns up his volume to project his conviction about his father's importance more strongly into the world.
"so much color so much emotion so much beauty and you you too recognize it the the the painting definitely called to me y..."
Volume
Volume — Amplify your presence by becoming an educator and thought leader rather than just a service provider.
Volume controlled how strongly William Carroll projected his business into the world. He was operating quietly as a traditional rental service when David Neeleman suggested he 'become the Mr. DIY at home' and create educational content showing people how to save money with tools. William realized he needed to turn up his volume significantly - not just delivering tools but actively teaching, demonstrating, and building awareness through social media and educational content.
Guy Raz is encouraging William Carroll to turn up the volume on his marketing by actively demonstrating cost savings through educational content rather than operating quietly.
"i would really lean into those use cases and see if both on your website social media you can basically do videos on it..."
Volume
Volume — Control how forcefully you project your power - sometimes the strongest stance is choosing not to use what you have.
Volume captures how Betty adjusted how strongly she projected herself into the world. For two years, she had been trying to turn her volume down, to avoid provoking her neighbor's harassment. When she found his personal documents, she could have turned her volume all the way up - destroying his credit, his reputation, his life. Instead, she chose to keep her volume at exactly the right level: powerful enough to feel in control, quiet enough to maintain her moral compass.
Betty and Julia are explaining how they chose to keep their neighbor's personal documents as a secret power rather than use them for revenge.
"we had the thoughts that we never did anything oh wow so so so so so it was just nice to hold on to them in in the speci..."
