Somewhere along the line, we learned to shrink ourselves with apologies. For taking up space. For speaking. For simply existing. 

 

"PINEAPPLE!" is here to change that.

It all started on a retreat I took in 2025. Our facilitator told us to notice how often we say “I’m sorry” and to only use it when there was a real reason to. So of course, five minutes in, one of the girls slips and says, “I’m sorry,” and without a second thought, I blurted out, “We need a safe word!”—and immediately yelled, “PINEAPPLE!” It became our word for the week: a funny, loving reminder to check ourselves before we shrink ourselves.

 

Anytime someone started to apologize unnecessarily, someone else would just shout “PINEAPPLE" at each other. And the best part? It stuck. Long after the retreat ended — far beyond the coasts of Costa Rica — the "PINEAPPLE!" effect kept spreading.

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My community back home started using it.

Friends told friends.

Friends told STRANGERS.

 

A simple word turned into a movement. 

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Here's how this movement grows: hold onto your 'Pineapple card' until you notice someone else doing the same thing — saying "sorry" for simply existing — and then hand it to them!

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One reminder,

one laugh,

one reclaimed “sorry” at a time.

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Stand tall. Wear your crown. Stay sweet — but don’t you dare shrink.