Category Archives: NOVi Stories

He paddled for 15 years.

Sunburnt shoulders. Split wax. Endless wipeouts. Chased the forecast across continents. And then it happened. The wave jacked. He dropped in. Locked eyes with the lip. And time folded. Inside the barrel, there’s no WiFi. No email. No ego. Just breath. Just pulse. Just presence. That’s what we’re all chasing. Not success. Not fame. But […]

June is Men’s Mental Health Month.

But this isn’t just about “checking in.”It’s about checking reality. 📉 4 in 5 suicides are men.🗣️ 77% of men report anxiety, stress, or burnout and never talk about it.🏥 The average man waits 11 years before getting help. And that was before the AI collapse.Before the layoffs.Before the identity loss.Before the fathers, husbands, leaders, […]

You Are No Longer Needed – Sincerely, the Algorithm

They didn’t just take your title. They took your reflection. Not just the office. The bio. The byline. The inbox full of “let’s circle back.” Gone. You used to be “Head of Product.” “Startup Founder.” “Director of Ops.” Now you’re just another ghost in the algorithm. AI didn’t lay you off. It erased the reason […]

They Didn’t Just Lose Jobs – They Lost Themselves

They didn’t just lose jobs. They lost who they were. In 2025, over 75,000 tech workers were laid off From Microsoft. Amazon. Google. Not junior devs. Not interns. Mothers. Fathers. Lifers. Dreamers. Providers. Gone. Overnight. AI’s not coming. It’s already here. And it’s not taking applications. It’s replacing them. You’re not just jobless. You’re unrooted. […]

The Founder Who Couldn’t Breathe After Success

He was the kind of guy everyone called a killer.20-hour days. Pitch decks at 3AM.“Let’s f*cking go” in every Slack channel. He raised fast.Scaled faster.Exited before 35. Then he built again.And again.And then… he broke. No crash. No scandal.Just a silent unraveling. His co-founder said he was short-tempered.His partner said he was gone, even when […]

She Rode to Escape — But Found Herself Instead

She doesn’t ride to prove anything. Not to beat the guys. Not to post the summit shot. Not to flex her Strava stats. She rides to breathe. Because when she’s clipping in, no one’s asking her to smile. No one’s calling her dramatic. No one’s telling her to calm down or be strong or “just […]

The Barrel Knows What You Won’t Say

He never talked much.Not to friends.Not to himself.And never, ever to a therapist. But the ocean?That’s where his voice lived. Not in sentences —In exhales.In the hush between paddle strokes.In the silence before a set rolls in and the whole world vanishes. They called him quiet.But he wasn’t quiet out there. He whispered things no […]

The Guy Who Didn’t Think He’d Make It to 40

He wakes up most mornings surprised he’s still breathing.Not because he wants to die —But because he never planned to live this long. He’s outlived friends.Outrun bad decisions.Outworked every damn voice in his head that told him he wasn’t shit. But now? Now it’s quiet.Too quiet. No more chaos to fight.Just the hum of fluorescent […]

The Teen Who Doesn’t Know Who They Are Yet

They’re 16.The world says, “Be yourself.”But doesn’t tell you who that is.Social media screams for perfection.Friends are there — but never all the way.Parents are trying — but they don’t get it. So they perform.Smile in the mirror. Cry on the inside.Keep the grades up.Post the right thing.Hide the panic. They’re not “in crisis.”But every […]