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Be Cringe, Be Free
Kill the part of you that cringes, not the part of you that’s cringe
Kevin Hubschmann
September 04, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Yesterday, I left NYC at 8:45am bound for London. Three and a half hours in, the pilot came on: we were turning back for a maintenance issue. We landed at 3:30pm… back at JFK… and JetBlue generously gifted us each a $12 meal voucher. Just like my ancestors, I arrived in America with only twelve dollars to my name.
So, my apologies to our diligent readers who expected a timely issue. But alas, here we are - and it’s a good one. No cap.
LAUGHING & DEVELOPMENT
Be Cringe, Be Free
As a Millennial, I’ve been introduced to a bunch of new words that have been an overall net-negative on both my life and the culture. There’s “mid,” “cap,” “the ick,” “delulu,” and a laundry list of deprecating terms that only make existence harder. The worst violator is “cringe.”
When I started posting consistently on LinkedIn - comments, posts, a litany of experiments - a friend texted that my activity was “cringe.”
My first reaction: “Okay, I need to stop - people are judging me.”
My second: “F*ck that.”
Cringe isn’t feedback - it’s a stop sign. It polices risk-taking - the exact muscle you need to build anything good. You know what’s cringe? Not trying.
I felt validated hearing Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney (SNL legends) say on their new podcast that cringe is out. As Beck put it:
“Kill the part of you that cringes, not the part of you that’s cringe”
Comedians are ideal role models for leaving “cringe” behind. Here’s how you can kill the part of you that cringes:
Keep the momentum going with “Yes, and”
“Yes, and” is the classic improv term, often misunderstood as “agree to everything”. It actually means accept what’s here and add something to it so ideas keep moving. (Tina Fey’s rule of improv says exactly that).
Don’t stop the train because an idea might be from another planet. Engaging in “Yes, and” has shown to boost divergent thinking and tolerance for uncertainty.
Free yourself knowing you’re not the main character (in their story)
It’s natural to think everyone’s watching, but most people are too busy starring in their own mental movie to notice your cameo.
Psychologists call this the spotlight effect - we wildly overestimate how much people notice us. Once you internalize that, putting yourself out there becomes easier.
“Rid yourself of the wall that worries what others think… Don’t try. Be.”
Effort should never be an insult. Cringe isn’t the problem; cringing is. So let your freak flag fly, let others fly theirs, and see how much better things get once everyone starts showing up as themselves.
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WORKPLACE MEME OF THE WEEK
Disclaimer: These are memes submitted by real attendees from Workday Update describing their year. If you relate to them, please take a lunch break (or a Laugh Break).
We’ve all got things to do…
TAKE A LAUGH BREAK
Disclaimer: No offense is ever meant—just a laugh I couldn’t keep to myself.
Since Beck and Kyle hit us with some words of wisdom, we dedicate our Laugh Break.
See ya next week,
