The Domino Effect (A Personal Update)

Issue #19 Of The Chidera Peters Dispatch

Hi friend,

Today’s newsletter will be more of a personal update, rant, or reflection—and less about finances. But stay with me; hopefully, there’ll be something you can take away from this (no promises though 😒).

Phew! I literally just took a big exhale — I am exhausted. I'm not even sure if “exhausted” fully captures it. Since last Wednesday, my mental health has taken a lot of hits 😓. In Nigeria, we call it gbas gbos.

It started Wednesday night when I received some devastating news—something I was counting on, and which several other important things were hinged upon, fell through. I didn’t see it coming at all. That same morning, I’d also received a health update about my blood and iron levels. They were at critical levels, and I was prescribed medication immediately. So, by the time Wednesday night rolled around, it felt like everything was crashing at once. My mind couldn’t take it. I cried—wailed—for several minutes.

Then Thursday morning came with more bad news. I got another call from the hospital saying they found something else in my previous test results that required immediate follow-up testing. I had to book it ASAP.

That same afternoon, I received an email from YouTube saying one of my videos violated their community guidelines—that it was considered “harmful or dangerous content.”

Now here’s where it gets baffling:

• The video in question was an educational explainer showing how to open a Cash ISA account using a UK-based money app.

• The content had been reviewed and approved by the compliance team at the fintech app—which is FCA-regulated and FSCS-protected.

• There are countless similar videos still live on YouTube, which makes me believe my video was taken down either by an automated system or via an unfairly biased review.

The timestamp of the video, which shows the content/ what the video covers

YouTube allows you to appeal the decision, so I clicked “Appeal.” But to my surprise, it didn’t let me type or explain anything—it immediately submitted the appeal. Within 10 minutes, it was denied. I wasn’t shocked, because technically I didn’t appeal. I wasn’t even given a chance to explain.

I reached out to YouTube Creator Support and was told nothing could be done since the appeal had already been rejected. After insisting, I was connected with a customer support manager. She said I could send in a written explanation, which she’d forward to the internal team. I did, and a few hours later, I got another rejection—this time with this generic response:

“Just to share, YouTube prohibits videos that encourage dangerous or illegal activities. We look at a number of factors when reviewing this type of content, and certain videos can remain on the site based on considerations including—but not limited to—the following: if there is no immediate risk of serious injury or death, if the individuals involved are trained professionals, or if the content is supported by appropriate educational or documentary information. We take great care when enforcing our policies and try to allow as much content as possible while still ensuring the rules are followed.”

Nothing in that response addressed any of the points I raised. The video did not pose any immediate risk of serious injury or death, the video is supported by appropriate educational or documentary information . A Cash ISA is a government-backed, tax-advantaged savings account. I reviewed the policy they claimed I violated and couldn’t find anything that applied to my video.

I genuinely don’t believe my appeal was reviewed by a human—or at least not someone with UK context. I’ve been creating content for over five years, and if there's one thing my content is not, it’s harmful or illegal. This whole process feels discriminatory—and dare I say, borderline racist.

I’ve tried everything to get a real human response from YouTube. Nothing.

You might be thinking, “Why are you so bothered? It’s just one video—it’s not like your whole channel got removed.”

Well, here’s why:

1. Reputational Damage:

That video was a sponsored post in collaboration with a UK fintech brand. It had been up for over a month. Now imagine being that brand—would you want to work with me again?

2. 90-Day Channel Deprioritisation:

To lift the strike from my channel, I had to watch a “training video.” But even after that, the strike stays on my channel for 90 DAYS. During this time, YouTube will deprioritise my content, meaning fewer people will see my videos—even those who are subscribed. The video I uploaded yesterday is barely at 5K views—when, by this point, it would typically have around 15K. And yet, the engagement is through the roof, with over 115 comments already.

3. Risk of Losing My Channel:

If I get another strike within these 90 days, my channel will be suspended for one week. And two subsequent strikes after that means permanent deletion. The scariest part? I don’t know why the first video was flagged, so how do I avoid a repeat? Or how do I even trust that another video won’t be wrongly flagged?

4. Loss of Motivation:

This whole ordeal is demoralising. I put so much effort into my videos—research, scripting, filming, editing. The removed video took me weeks to prepare. I currently have other content lined up, but I’m so discouraged that I don’t think I’ll upload anything else—at least until the 90 days are up. It’s heartbreaking. I feel like YouTube is sabotaging my hard work, and I don’t even know if I’m fully capturing how heavy this all feels.

5. Potential Earnings Loss:

Fewer views = lower revenue. It also means fewer brand opportunities. I’ve already received part-payment for a sponsored video that’s meant to go live this month, but I’m considering refunding them because I can’t guarantee performance. As someone who works in marketing and manages influencer partnerships, I know how important ROI is. I can’t, in good conscience, take the money if I can’t deliver.

And just this morning, I got an email from a brand I’ve always wanted to work with. A full-circle moment! I was excited… then remembered I probably have to pass on the partnership—unless they’re willing to wait the 90 days.

There’s another brand that recently accepted my proposal too. I’ll have to go back and revise the timeline—if they’re still interested.

So yeah… not fun being in my shoes right now 🥲

Beyond the YouTube issue, the next morning—Friday—I found myself in another frustrating situation. I was going back and forth via email with a brand that advertised “30-day FREE returns” on their website but was now refusing to honour that promise. They were unwilling to let me return an item for free, despite what their policy claimed. I had to escalate the matter by raising a dispute in my banking app to challenge the payment.

This whole cascade of events, one hit after another, eventually led me to post the following tweet:

I actually paused writing this to figure out how to end the email or what the “lesson” might be. Truthfully, I don’t know 🤷🏽‍♀️.

But to tie it back to the title — the domino effect is a chain reaction where one event triggers a series of related events. It can be positive or negative, depending on the initial trigger. I’ll talk more about how this applies to your finances—and how one decision can shape your wealth trajectory—in the next email.

In the meantime, please say a prayer or two for me 🥺. It’s been a lot. I had my follow-up test today and I’m hopeful for the results. Also, if you know anyone at YouTube, please help me 🙏🏾. I deserve a fair and honest review.

Till next time, thank you for sticking with me through this rant and reflection.

XOXO

Chidera