Reason 4 of 10: The Show I Almost Scrolled Past

Part of my series: Everyone Told Me to Delete TikTok. I Refused. Here Are 10 Reasons Why.

I kept seeing it on TikTok. Heated Rivalry. Clips everywhere. People obsessing over it.

I dismissed it immediately. A romantic story about hockey players? Not for me.

But it kept coming back. And eventually — as TikTok always wins — I gave in.

Yes, it is a graphic love story about two hockey players. Yes, it is bold and unapologetic. But what I did not expect was how beautifully it captures something much deeper — what it feels like to love fiercely and completely while being trapped in a world that tells you to hide it. The pressure of an intensely masculine sport. The courage it takes to be yourself when everything around you demands otherwise.

I was hooked.

I got my friends onto it. They thanked me. I have since read the books.

But here is what I want to say about this one — it made me a better conversation partner. I learned more about the LGBT community not through a lecture or a policy document but through a story that made me feel it. That is the power of great storytelling.

Is it a guilty pleasure? Maybe a little. Is it beautifully made? Absolutely.

Don’t scroll past the things that make you uncomfortable. Sometimes that’s exactly where the good stuff is.

Next week: Reason 5 of 10.

#Leadership #Curiosity #HeatedRivalry #Storytelling #TikTok #10ThingsILearnedofTikTok