I’m Breaking Up With Brand Culture (A Creator’s Manifesto)

Last Updated on February 6, 2026 by TLWT

I’m breaking up with brand culture. Not a specific brand, the entire system. And it’s you, not me.

For too long I’ve allowed myself to be bullied by you, accepting that something had to be wrong with me. Why else would our relationship be so tumultuous? You took so much from me and told me it was not enough, then turned around and used what I gave you to build an empire. You made me feel small while extracting everything I had. Despite my creativity and persistence, year after year I’ve been begging to be seen, heard, paid, paid on time.

I’ve been creating content for 5 years, and I can count on one hand the times I’ve been treated with respect from a brand, yet I’d need more than my fingers and toes to count the times my community has shown me respect.

Daily I receive messages from women all over the world saying that my content has inspired them to live their best lives, either by taking their first solo trip, eating out by themselves without shame, or moving across the world. Do you know what it means to have an entire group of people spend money and time (a resource that can never be returned) based on one video? People have uprooted their lives because of me. My content did that. My energy, my creation, my edits, my voiceover.

Your content cannot even inspire people to click a link, yet mine shifts entire bloodlines.

My work makes people feel seen, inspires them to take up space, travel to the ends of the world, and show up as their authentic self. And you know that. That’s why you reach out to me or entertain my pitches. The problem lies in your motive. The motive is to see how much you can extract for the lowest price, not to build a symbiotic relationship between a creative and a corporation.

The Lies They Tell

“You Don’t Have The Numbers”

Whenever creatives bring up these issues, marketing executives who’ve never made anything say it’s not because the creative isn’t good, but because they don’t have the numbers. This is simply not true. Plenty of times throughout my career I have had “the numbers.” I have the portfolio, I have the audience, and I have the voice. I’ve had the analytics, the page views, the link clicks they require. My videos have spiked Google Trends and introduced destinations to a new demographic that would not have known about them or felt comfortable traveling there without my presence. But it’s never enough. So what am I supposed to believe when I have everything they asked for?

“It’s not the right time.”

Another lie. I pitch on average 10-15 times a week. My pitches are customized, tailored for specific timing and campaigns. Some are warm leads, with notes from previous conversations or from other times where our stars didn’t align. So again, if I’m contacting everyone regularly, pitching new leads, pitching with customized ideas, what else do you want?

The Disrespect is the Point

Payment: Or, How I Learned to Hate “Net-30”

If I had it my way, I’d never respond to a net anything ever again. Often even when negotiated meticulously on the front end, businesses tend to be lackadaisical when it comes to keeping their end of the bargain.

Too many times have I been faced with harsh life decisions because Sarah, who was managing my contract, went on PTO. She forgot to send over my invoice to finance and didn’t respond to my email until 3 days after she came back to work. So the invoice that was supposed to be paid out on the 1st wasn’t processed until almost thirty days later.

I have had deals fall through because Casey decided to log off for PTO without forwarding our conversation to her colleague who was taking over the campaign. During our intro call, she told me all about her upcoming island vacation. She even got inspiration to go there because of my videos. That’s why she thought I’d be perfect for the campaign.

What she didn’t do was tell her colleague about me. So when I follow up a week later, excited to move forward, I’m hit with an out-of-office auto-reply. The colleague has no idea I was selected. By the time Casey gets back, the roster has been finalized and I’m out of a gig. Casey apologizes and says I’ll be considered for the next one. Another quarter passes and we complete the cycle again.

I’ve done this several times over, a rollercoaster of emotions. I do the cardinal sin of freelancing, counting how I’ll spend the money before it’s under contract, and all of a sudden the potential ends up in the trash and I have to start again.

Access: The Algorithm Is Biased and They Know It

If you go on LinkedIn and connect with the gatekeepers who have the keys to the brand deals, you’ll often see them regurgitating lies such as “I had a five-figure deal ready for a creator, but they didn’t have their email in their bio, so they lost out on this opportunity.”

I call BS.

For every creator who “didn’t have their email in bio,” there are hundreds if not thousands who do have their email listed, have the right analytics and brand fit, and are ready to work. And let’s be honest, most creators without visible emails are probably avoiding the crappy AI systems that scan bios and send incessantly terrible business opportunities. But you decided it’d be more fun to go on your computer and type out a message to your colleagues to get a virtual high five instead of finding the right fit for your company. You wanted the acknowledgment. Enjoy your cookie.

The systems these brands use to discover creators are flawed. They’re based on numbers alone, coupled with implicit bias. Many gatekeepers recruit off their own feed, not the feed of their target customer, which oftentimes isn’t aligned.

And let’s name what that means: People like me who aren’t white, aren’t thin, and aren’t posting consumer-driven content fall through the cracks. That’s not an accident. It’s the system working exactly as designed. Hence why I pitch so much, to widen my chances of being chosen despite the algorithm.

What Happens Now

To the brands reading this (and I know you are, because you’re always watching): You’re about to lose an entire generation of creators who are tired of being gaslit. We’re building direct relationships with our communities. We’re launching our own products. We’re realizing we don’t need you nearly as much as you need us. The power is shifting. Adjust accordingly.

As for me?

I will refuse to partner with those who cannot meet me on my terms. No more net-90. No more last-minute ghosting. No more “we love your work but don’t have budget.” If you can’t respect my labor, we have nothing to discuss.

I will use my skillset to create offerings that speak to the needs of my community. I trust that those who need them will find them and purchase. Like my workshop on making money online and moving to Albania that I hosted a few weeks ago. Replay is available now.

I will continue to create content that aims to inspire my audience and uplift the communities of the places I visit. I will encourage people to see how similar we are instead of focusing on the differences being used to turn people against each other. I will speak up for injustices happening all over the world.

I will partner with organizations that have mutually beneficial opportunities, where respect flows both ways.

If you’re interested in following along on this journey, feel free to subscribe to my email newsletter

Stay Bold,
Abigail

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Abigail is a travel show host with an audience of 230K+ across platforms. As the founder of The Lady Who Travels, she’s inspired women around the world to travel solo, ethically, and live authentically. You can follow her work at theladywhotravels.com.