Nobody handed it to you. You just decided you needed it, and then spent the next two decades running after it. Is it worth it, though?

In Episode 2 of Off The Agenda with TLC, Tonichi, Larah, and Claire trace it all the way back: to gold stars on homework, to recitation ribbons, to being the reliable one, the academic one, the entertainer in the family. Before any of them had a title or a corner office, the chase had already begun.

This is the origin story. The one that explains how three high-achieving women got wired for ambition before anyone sat them down and told them to be ambitious. And the more interesting question they sit with: was it ever really about achievement, or was it always about approval?

From Larah's quiet internal competition with her sister, to Claire's early years running her lola's business at 12, to Tonichi's childhood prayer to just finally be happy. This episode is honest, funny, and will make you question your decisions.

By the end, they land on three questions worth asking before chasing any gold star: Did it make you better? Did it make you richer? Did it make you healthier?

Sunshines, this one's for you. 🌟

Off The Record, On Your Heart:

• Nobody Told You To Chase It. You built the competition yourself, set the standard yourself, and moved the finish line yourself. Which means you also get to decide when enough is actually enough.
• The Gold Star Was Never Really About the Gold Star. At the bottom of most achievements is an approval you were looking for. Naming that is not weakness. It is just finally being honest.
• Chasing Everything When You Are Young Is Not a Mistake. It is how you figure out what actually matters. The regret is not in the chase. It is in never stopping to ask who it was for.
• You Were Not Competing With Them. You Were Competing With a Version of Yourself You Had Not Met Yet. And most of the time, the person you were measuring yourself against had absolutely no idea.
• Not All Gold Stars Were Worth the Lost Sleep. Some of them built you. Some of them just kept you busy. You are allowed to tell the difference now.
• The Best Achievements Are the Ones Nobody Asked For. No audience. No comparison. Just you, deciding to be good at something because it matters to you. Chase more of those.

Your Younger Self Would Be Proud. Not because you got everything right. But because you got back up every single time you did not.

© 2026 A Team Dklutr Production

We'd Love to Hear Your Stories!

We checked in on ourselves, now we want to check in on you.

Have you ever kept it all together for everyone else while quietly wondering if anyone would notice if you didn't? Were you ever the high performer who was also, behind closed doors, just trying to survive the week? We want to hear it. The real version. Not the LinkedIn one.

Drop your story in the comments, send us a message on Instagram, or tag us in your own check-in moment.

What does it actually cost to look like you have everything together?

Welcome to the very first episode of Off The Agenda with TLC — the podcast where we, Tonichi Achurra-Parekh, Larah Diaz-Sta. Maria, and Claire Sommereux-Alfonso (or TLC!) finally stop performing for the room and start talking to each other (and you) for real. This is the one we've been building to: raw, unscripted, and honestly overdue.

In this maiden episode, we introduce ourselves (not the LinkedIn version) but the real ones. The ones who showed up to work while quietly grieving, hustled through promotions while losing sleep, and kept the team inspired while nobody thought to ask, Are you still okay?

From Claire's journey of rebuilding after loss, to Larah's intersection moment between ambition and guilt, to Tonichi stepping into a new kind of courage. Episode 1 is a check-in that's years in the making.

Spoiler: nobody checked on us… so we’re checking it now.

If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right but somehow still running on empty… this one's for you. Like, follow, and subscribe on all platforms. Welcome to Off The Agenda. We're so glad you're here.

Off The Record, On Your Heart:

• Nobody Was Going to Check. Waiting for someone to ask "are you still okay?" before you pause is a losing game. The check-in you've been waiting for? It was always yours to give yourself.
• The LinkedIn Version Is Not the Whole Story. Every polished bio has a cost behind it: lost sleep, processed grief on a deadline, and promotions earned while quietly falling apart.
• Keeping It Together Is Not the Same as Being Okay. Functional is not fine. Showing up is not healing. There is a difference, and you are allowed to name it.
• The Cape Was Never Yours to Keep. Nobody handed it to you in a ceremony. You just picked it up one day because someone needed you to, and you forgot to put it down.
• Your Definition of Success Has an Expiry Date. What drove you at 30 is not supposed to drive you at 45. Changing what you want is not failure. It is just growing up.
• Choosing Yourself Is Not Selfish. It is overdue. If not now, then when?
• You Are Not Behind. Some of us get there at 40. Some at 45. Some are still buffering… and that is also a valid place to be.

© 2026 A Team Dklutr Production

We'd Love to Hear Your Stories!

We checked in on ourselves, now we want to check in on you.

Have you ever kept it all together for everyone else while quietly wondering if anyone would notice if you didn't? Were you ever the high performer who was also, behind closed doors, just trying to survive the week? We want to hear it. The real version. Not the LinkedIn one.

Drop your story in the comments, send us a message on Instagram, or tag us in your own check-in moment.