Power, Purpose, And The Pour

The countdown season loves theatrics—new mantras, loud goals, recycled pressure. We’re not doing that. This episode flips the script and talks about what power actually looks like before the applause shows up. No permission slips. No waiting on the algorithm to validate the vision. Just intention, alignment, and choosing your people while the work is still delicate.

Brooklyn Rayne pulls up to break down how one honest reach-out to Styles turned into real momentum—not because the numbers said yes, but because belief did. We unpack the psychology of validation, how algorithms quietly tax your confidence, and the daily decisions that put power back where it belongs: with people, not platforms. Support isn’t a feeling—it’s a choice made early.

Styles brings the lesson to the glass with a pour inspired by the Brunch Behavior Summer Pack: dark rum for earned depth, lime for clarity under pressure, brown sugar syrup for truth with no aftertaste, ginger beer for forward motion, and an orange peel for the part of the story you can actually see. Timing matters—but belief moves faster. This drink becomes a ritual: stop asking if it’s your turn and start moving like it is.

We also draw a clear line between support and speculation. If you only invest when the return is guaranteed, that’s not support—that’s hedging. Community runs on risk, not receipts. Confidence is the starter fluid for collective wins. As midnight hits and a new project drops, the invitation is simple: use the same power you’ve always had—just use it on purpose.

If this conversation hit, tap follow, share it with someone who needs the push, and leave a review so the circle gets louder. Then press play on the drop and tell us—whose work are you backing before it’s big?

Chapters

• 0:00 Rethinking New Year Pressure
• 0:44 We Are The Machine
• 1:07 Support Beyond Hashtags
• 1:28 Community As A Decision
• 1:56 The Cocktail As Metaphor
• 2:44 Confidence Versus Permission
• 3:42 Risk, Not Receipts
• 4:35 The Takeaway And The Drop
• 5:06 Gratitude And Launch Hype
• 5:54 Refill With Intention CTA

Transcript

Styles: 0:00

New Year's Eve always comes with that fake pressure. New Year, new me, new goals, new promises we may or may not keep past February. But tonight feels different. Tonight feels like ownership. Because somewhere along the way, we let the machine decide what matters, what gets pushed, what gets funded, what gets heard. And I think that's wild. Because we are the machine. Our dollars, our shares, our conversations, and our belief. So if I'm stepping into 2026 with anything, it's this. I'm done waiting to be picked. Word to everything I love. I'm building with people who already showed up.

Brooklyn Rayne: 0:44

Welcome to Brunch Behavior, The Poor Report. I'm Brooklyn Rain, and tonight's episode is about power, purpose, and what happens when your circle actually circles back. Let me break this one down for you. Support sounds cute when it's a hashtag. It sounds real different when it requires action. We say, put me on, but don't ask who we're putting on. We say the system is rigged, but still wait on the system to validate us. Meanwhile, the machine keeps humming. Offer our attention, our silence, and our wallets.

Styles: 1:19

Side note, support doesn't happen when something goes viral. Support happens when it's still fragile. Keep that in mind.

Brooklyn Rayne: 1:28

When I reached out to Styles, it wasn't some grand rollout. It started small, honest. A conversation about art, about expression, about my album, my turn. There was no need to downplay it, rename it, or dress it up for approval. It was met at face value. What mattered was this. He didn't wait to see if it was worth it. He decided it was. That's what community does. He stopped asking permission and stopped building momentum.

Styles: 1:56

Let me break this down in the glass for them. This drink was inspired by the Brunch Behavior Summer Pack. And since today we're talking about ownership, support, and taking the will, it's only right that we pour my turn at midnight. The kind of drink that reminds you that timing matters, but belief moves faster. Here's what's in the glass Dark rum, because depth comes from patience. Sounds like I said death, right? I didn't. I said depth. Fresh lime juice. Pressure brings clarity. Brown sugar syrup. Earned sweetness, no shortcuts. A splash of ginger beer. Momentum hitting its dried. Orange pill garnish. That's for those who know how to do it. Because presentation still counts. This is the kind of drink you sip when you stop asking if it's your turn and start acting like it is.

Brooklyn Rayne: 3:04

Before anybody else does. When I reached out to Styles, there was no pressure, no pitch deck, no expectation of instant results. Just respect, just alignment. Just two creatives recognizing each other's lanes and saying, let's move. And that's the part we don't talk about enough. Because the machine doesn't just control visibility, it controls confidence. It convinces you that your work needs permission, that your art needs validation, that your ideas need a bigger budget before they observe belief. But what Sal showed me was simple. Support isn't about scale, it's about decision. He didn't ask how big it was going to be, he asked how real it was.

Styles: 3:42

Side note, if you only invest when a return feels guaranteed, you're not supporting. You're speculating. Community is built on risk, not receipts.

Brooklyn Rayne: 3:54

This is where we get it twisted. We complain about the lack of resources, but we don't pull what we already have. We talk about ownership, but we still outsource belief. Every time you stream instead of scroll, every time you share instead of watch silently, every time you show up instead of waiting for the right moment, you're shifting power. And that power compounds. Because when one project wins, the circle wins. When one voice gets amplified, the room gets louder. When one person says, it's my turn, it quietly gives everyone else permission to say it too. That's not hype. That's infrastructure. And that's how we walk into 2026 differently. Final core. So what's the takeaway? Stop waiting for the machine to bless what you already believe in. Support isn't passive, it's participation. And when we choose each other early, we change the outcome together. Sip happens. Every sip tells a story. That's your poor for today.

Styles: 4:54

Okay, so this is the part where I love bomb the hell out of Brooklyn Rain. My sister for life, we're locked in beyond projects and beyond moments. This wasn't just a collaboration. This was trust. I'm genuinely grateful and honored that she invited me to be a part of this project. Even if it's just in a small way. I'm not taking it lightly and I respect it fully. That's why tonight matters. And at midnight the project drops. This is her moment, her vision, her work, and I'm honored, like I said, to be just a small part of it. Make sure after you take that celebratory sip of champagne at 12 o'clock, you're ready to indulge in. I'm just trying to say this eloquently. Hit play. You will not be disappointed. I promise you. By track three, you should be on your way to Mars. Cause we're leaving Earth. Real shit. And now my favorite part to mess up. Listen, if you're running on empty, do what we do. Refill with intention. That's where the brunch behavior comes in. The free pour pack. Five drinks, five sermons, and a moment to breathe. And when you're ready to toast the balance and boundaries, look at that, look at that. Anyway, sip the brunch behavior summer pack. Links in the description. New year, same power. I'm just finally using it right. From your boy Styles. Catch you on the next pour.