One year ago today we closed our doors, not knowing what the future would look like. I remember the feeling well, in the days leading up to and the moment that the decision was made. I remember crafting out the language for our post to let our clients know that, for the foreseeable future, we were closed. I remember telling my team and struggling to sleep at night as I worried about each and every one of them and their futures. I remember worrying about this business, this dream of mine, this heart of mine, that seemed to be bleeding out. To be honest, in those days, in those moments, and even a few weeks after that decision was made, it felt a little bit like the walls were closing in around me, like I couldn’t breathe, and that I needed to hustle my bum to care for and protect these things that mattered so much to me. 

And, like so many other amazing businesses out there, we did it. We rose to the challenge, we pivoted, we connected with our amazing community and we discovered how we could love, support and serve them as they navigated their own uncertainty. To me, there was no other option but to push through the exhaustion and get the job done — hustle, hustle harder and make it happen — whatever the personal cost. 

And this worked…for a while. I’m sure so many of you know and remember that feeling. The truth is that it wasn’t until my body physically stopped me in my tracks that I finally listened to what I believe the universe was telling me and screaming at the entire world — slow down, sweet child. 

Before last year, the hustle was normal, the stay up into the late hours of the night responding to emails and DMs, the never saying no, the pushing and then pushing harder was my way of life and I felt like it was what I thrived on.  

But 2020, beautiful 2020 had so much to teach me. 

I would be lying if I didn’t say that pieces of 2020 were really hard, but I would also be lying if I didn’t say that 2020 was one of the best and most transformational years of my life. 

I changed in 2020.

I stretched in 2020. 

I created a freaking life in 2020. 

And I learned so much about what living a life by my design actually looked like in 2020. 

For me, this meant: 

• Take a break and truly rest each day. 

• Connect with Mother Earth and go for daily walks. Even if just for 5 minutes. 

• Journal and meditate every morning.

• The old ways of hustling aren’t sustainable, I don’t want to live a life of exhaustion. 

• Spend more quality time with my hubby and find ways to deeply connect with him each day. 

So today, I wanted to take time to thank the year we never saw coming. I want to honor all that it taught me by keeping these things close to my heart. And I want to encourage you to look at this new year with the wisdom that came in all of that change — to not lose sight of all that you gained, and to explore the possibility of a life truly lived by your design, a life filled with all of the things that make your beautiful light shine brighter.