You Gotta Be You book review

Y'all, we are done with the boxes, we're done with the limits, we are done with all of it. As soon as we convince ourselves, all right? Keep watching to find out what I'm talking about today. 

Hey, everyone. This is Kyla Denanyoh, and today we are talking about why You Gotta Be You. This book was written by Brandon Kyle Goodman. Okay. Kyle means chief. My name is Kyla. So I'm the female version of the chief. So we're vibing there. The book's genre is nonfiction. The theme of the book is memoir self-motivation. 

So, Brandon, I had no idea who he was, where his reach was, or the importance of it all. I saw a man with this cute top on and this skirt, and I was like, okay, what is this about? It's giving Spike Lee, and I thought, ' Let's just read it. ' 

There is a quote on page 57, and I just gotta read it to you. "Instead of choosing to fit into a box, I choose to expand into my life." Expand into my life, and so that's a couple of chapters in. So you're reading. Brandon talks about how he knew he was gay, when he told his mother what it was, and what it felt like growing up knowing that he was an other. Later on, he talks about being married and what happened when he felt that he was non-binary–how does that change everything when he's this huge advocate for gay black men? And now he feels that he's non-binary, is that going to take away from his story? Will it add to his story? And so, you're reading it, and then you're just like, 'He literally could have written that quote at the beginning of every single chapter.' I choose to expand into my life. 

So first of all, what does it mean to expand into your life? Brandon goes on to discuss how, yes, it's a great thing to be a black gay icon, but some others are still confined to a box. Yes, it's great to be a New Yorker; that's a box. It's great to be a preacher's kid; that's a box. It's great to be married; that's a box. Box box box boxes everywhere. This is profoundly meaningful to me because often, we put ourselves in these boxes without even realizing it. 

So, I went to law school, and my whole thing was, 'I'm about to be a lawyer; watch out, here I come.' And my path took a slightly different turn. I did end up working in big law, but I was not working as an associate or partner. I did not receive my Barrow number. However, I was still influential, still making an impact, and still making a difference. I was still living a great life. However, it took me a long time to appreciate that because I had not achieved it. I was still outside the attorney's box.

And so then I started podcasts. Oh, this is great! Oh, but I'm afraid because I don't see that many other black women podcasters. Definitely not in the legal space. Will it work? Is it a viable option? What's gonna happen? Yeah. I created this box. And so then I wanted to get into YouTube. Well, I don't really see many people on YouTube discussing what I want to discuss, who look like me. That means I need to do it. I need to create it. And so, I can expand to fit my life. 

Currently, my life resembles that of YouTube videos, podcast hosts, and podcast coaching for small businesses. But that's right now. My life could expand even more. Y'all, my life could expand in 2026. It could grow in 2027. It could expand this year. Who knows? And so I love that quote because it gives you permission to do all the things. 

So the things that serve you right now, the things that'll serve you in the future. Because your life is ever-changing, ever-growing, and you can continually expand to fit your life. I know I'm giving y'all all the repetition, but Brandon got me together, and I just had to share it with y'all. 

Until the next book review, Kyla