An intruder in New York

Tuesday 22nd September, 2026 

My Dear Reader, 

I am writing to you from a seventh floor rooftop in New Jersey. It is beautiful up here. From this side of the river the city looks calm, serene almost. No one told me the best view of the iconic Manhattan skyline was just a few minutes away on the subway. One moment you are in a hub that looks exactly like the movies, and the next you appear in a new city, a new state and a new mindset.

New York has been a landmark for me for as long as this empathy journey has existed. To be honest I never dared imagine making it here because the city scares me. Perhaps it's the size, the never ending shouting or the eyes that dart anywhere but to meet your own. It feels lonely and grand all at once. I am not a suburbs girl for one moment, but a city this big asks for a kind of confidence I do not often have to lean into. Or perhaps, in truth, it is a confidence that I often doubted I had.

You see, the stage in New York this week felt big. An exciting proof point in my work, and for how far this movement can go, but as I landed I was not entirely sure I was ready. Was my content? Was the audience? It turns out the answer came sooner than I expected because before I knew it my first bite of a New York bagel had turned into the moment I was stepping onto that stage, and I was already on it. 'Too late now' I remember thinking.

The thing with fear is that it can disappear as quickly as it arrives. But here is what I have learned about making that a reality. Confidence can only come from stepping through the discomfort. For years I have found ways around the things that frighten me, but the fear will always be waiting on the other side. You cannot simply "decide" for it to 'go away' by 'mastering' the confidence to ignore it. The transition is something different. It's something you build, one action at a time. It is doing the thing, and not thinking about the thing. To move though imposter and reach comfort, you have no choice but to bravely put one foot in front of the other. Over and again.

When you do this consistently that walking becomes rhythm. It's not easy but it is simple. I did exactly this here, in this big global city this week, and because of those steps the empathy journey moves bravely on. I overcame the fear and so can you.

So walk firmly this week my friends. Whatever your 'New York' is, don't avoid it, head right towards it. Step in. I would love for you to reply and tell me about it.

In empathy,
Mimi

P.S If this is your first letter, The Empathy Letters are personal, simple, candid letters that prompt a new idea, share a stranger's story, or simply offer some refreshed empathy in your week. Never a newsletter, these letters - similar to a ‘penpal’ of old - are from me to you, and I would love your letter in reply.