Let's be real. Thriving is hard.

I want to open up real conversation about how we overcome, or make sense of, life's hard moments.

Join me in piecing together what it takes to live a good life in spite of setbacks.

Well, hello!

Many years ago, you may have signed up for my newsletter when I was a meditation guide, or you might have gotten Thrive with MS updates. Or maybe you found me through the Substack community. Either way—welcome! I’m grateful to have you and I hope you enjoy the space we create here.

So, why a new newsletter? Why now?

Because more than ever, we’re figuring out how to get through our days. Gone is the pride in overworking, dead is the glorification of hustle culture and most importantly, we’re still figuring out how to reform our lives since the pandemic eviscerated the concept of normalcy.

The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties is better known as Resilience. It’s a topic that a) I find fascinating, b) occupies a lot of my mental space and c) has become a legit necessity to our everyday existence. I’ve been giving talks about Resilience and I want to explore the topic even more.

Let me also tell you a little more about me and why I love this format so much…

Back in college (in the ancient-yet-fabulous era called the late 90s), I started a daily email to a small group of childhood girlfriends called Question of the Day. It went on for YEARS. Turns out, I had a lot of questions. But more than that—I loved the answers. I was fortunate to have grown up overseas with a group of very interesting young humans who surrounded me as I developed ideas about life, and this daily email brought those women together so that we could chew on really thoughtful different points of view. Also, let me say that in 1998 email inboxes were like an uncharted landscape stretching to the horizon, the kind of open space that Western films eulogize, even if we didn’t realize it back then. We were just excited to be in contact and not to have to pay long distance fees to do so. (You see, this was also back before cell phones had infiltrated our pockets. I told you: ancient times. But oh so fabulous).

Then a few (actually many) years later, in 2011, I launched a lifestyle site with my former roommate-then-business partner-and-now forever bestie. It was called Girl Around Town. It was great. I’d left my corporate gig to launch this company inspired by GOOP, Thrillist, and all those other newsletters out there telling people about cool things they absolutely needed to check out. I’m a big sister; what can I say? For most of my life I’ve derived some sense of purpose from telling people what they should be doing. (Thankfully my little brother was a good sport.)

ANYWAY being a business owner with a yet-to-be-proven business model was stressful. Very stressful. While I LOVED the agency to create a life and a career on my own terms, anxiety crept into every crevice it could. Turns out, the mind has a lot of crevices. To counter this, I started meditating. A lot. I got into it so much that I actually created my own process to work through all the sh*t that was strangling me, or my mind at least, that I called Shredding Fear. Then I started guiding other entrepreneurs in Shredding Fear meditations at the co-working space I worked from (because who has a lot of fear, stress and high powered minds? Entrepreneurs. Hello to those of you who are here!) Soon I started hosting workshops at spas and health centers, then I started a meditation mastermind. So, turns out, all of the sudden I’d become a meditation guide. To take myself seriously (assuaging my imposter syndrome), I figured I should get some sort of education around this. And on the day I woke up for Meditation Training, I also woke up with some very weird, can’t-ignore-this type sensations in my body. Five weeks later I was told I had MS.

Thankfully all that fear-shredding I’d been working on for my own anxiety helped me get through the biggest, shittiest challenge of my life.

Not long after the diagnosis I started Thrive with MS to help others handle a life-changing diagnosis or, really, any curveballs life throws their way. But with time I taught less and less, shifting my focus to the next stage in my life, which was: finding stable income, a partner and, turns out, starting a family.

As I plodded along, at every turn, I found that I still needed and used those early fear-shredding tools I’d discovered, and in time I added to my tool belt with other science-backed therapies like EMDR trauma therapy to get over some big fertility hurdles or psychedelics for mental health and relationship therapy. At the end of the day, all of it’s fascinating to me: how we rebound from low points or what we might consider “the worst” moments in our lives. I’m here for all of it. And, as you can see from my track record, I love talking, sharing, asking, searching and teasing out tough topics so that they’re just that much more approachable.

Call it a hack for leaders—I’ve given a talk on that. Or strategies on navigating change in life—I’ve given a talk on that too. For me, the shining star in those sermons is Resilience. And that’s what these notes will focus on. As you can see from this one—I like a strong pour of story with my science, because I value entertaining as much as I do informing. (Next time there will be more science, I promise ;)

In short

We’ve all just been through a pandemic. It was tough but We Made It! And here we are, thriving…sometimes.

Photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash

Why I hope you’ll hang out here

This will be a space for stories and studies on getting through tough times, big or small. My hope is that they provide kernels of insights that help you get through your days just a little easier. While I’m not an expert, I’m a curious person who loves sharing what I learn. At the end of the day, we’re all just trying to get through our days, weeks, lives, as easily and joyously as possible. I sincerely hope I can help that.

Cadence

Right now I will be sending this newsletter twice a month on Friday mornings. If you enjoy receiving newsletters on a certain day or time, let me know! I’m hoping they’ll start to feel like small gifts in your inbox.

In addition to those free newsletters, there may be a time when I add a paid version, which would include more media, along the lines of expert interviews, guided meditations, or—who knows?! Let’s just see how this community evolves.

PS: If you know someone who would appreciate this newsletter, please share the love!

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