the messy middle: week 2
a new experiment, progress made, and finding community
The messy middle series is me documenting my next life redesign weekly, so others can join the adventure. To witness. To inspire. To co-create. Full transparency. No bullsh*t.
This has been a full week of reflections, a family visit, a new experiment, and taking small steps among Kabir’s sleep regression (and my sleep debt).
adding an experiment to the mix
I’ve always been an idealist.
A dreamer.
A take-the-hard path-er.
Something about going after the hard thing has always appealed to me.
(Am I alone in this? Are you one of them, too?)
Well, this past week, I decided to experiment with this next life redesign.
Imagine that San Francisco is our homebase long-term.
We’ll still spend summers (🤞) in Barcelona, but we really try to cultivate our life here.
You might be wondering why.
Well, to expand my own thinking around how I approach the growth dimension. My rationale is, if I’m only focused on growth to help me get back to Barcelona, I may be closing my mind off to other options.
Tunnel vision, a dear friend of mine when obsession occurs.
Spain being the obsession.
But in between obsessive schemes for going back, I found myself noticing the beauty of San Francisco.
The quaintness of the houses.
The friendliness of strangers on the street.
A sweet scent drifting from the blooming flowers in the trees.
The sun warming my back as I walked down a steep hill.
A calm sweeping through my body and mind.
A smile came to my face, and I thought, “Wow, I’m really lucky. I can’t believe I get to live here. What so many people would give to live here.”
Normally, this thought has been reserved for Barcelona. But not this time.
Nor has it ever been this way.
San Francisco and I have a bit of a sordid past (another story for another day).
I had a slew of reservations returning. But I decided to take the risk.
And so living here—this time—has been an opportunity to rewrite the old story that was on repeat.
cultivating community
Growth is my dimension priority, but as you know, it’s all interconnected.
And connection with myself and others is one of my guiding values. I realized that the social dimension will be key to growth.
It’ll act as an accelerator toward growth.
Anyway, last week, I joined my first women of outer avenues (WOA) event. There were a dozen of us, from all over the globe, living in the outer avenues of SF (Yay! The international community I’ve been seeking with photographs of Menorca 😭🥰 I swear Spain follows me wherever I go).
And the purpose of WOA is simple. Two hours to connect with women in the neighborhood.
We talked about coffee. Living in cities with tourism massification. Finding home. Finding connection. Our work. Branding.
It was energizing to speak with these interesting, inspiring women. Artists. Entrepreneurs. Documentarians. Photographers.
And one of them imparted an invaluable insight. She asked me what I do, and I said, “I’ve been struggling to explain it simply, but here’s what I do…” and I proceeded to explain my coaching work. She interrupted me at “body-first” and said, “You’re a body-first coach. That’s your differentiator. That’s what caught my attention.”
Bam. It hit me full body. How had I never seen that as an option before?
No matter the focus—career, life transition, lifestyle, leadership—we always start with the body.
So obvious.
So, I responded with, “That’s really helpful! Thank you. What do you do?”
“I’m a branding photographer.”
Ha! And then it hit me. I’ve spent years trying to figure out what to call my work, and I found it in 10 minutes of conversation with the right person (and my future branding photographer).
I walked home with energy pulsating from head to toe. An energy I haven’t felt for some time.
My body reminding me that community is key.
And, I suppose that last week’s commitment to outreach is an extension of community.
It’s all interconnected. So, how am I doing on those commitments?
the progress i’ve made so far and what’s next
Last week I committed to doing three things:
✅ Identify 10 women I want to interview for my unbounded inspiration series. - Compiled a spreadsheet to keep track and collect (if you want to be a part of it, hit me up!)
✅ Reach out to 3 of them. - Heard back from 1 so far.
🛑 Migrate my paid membership resources to one place (it’s a bit messy at the moment, and my ops mind can’t handle it lol). - Didn’t even look at it. It was my stretch goal, and I was nowhere near getting to this.
This week will be light since my family is still visiting:
Take photos I can add to future messy middle pieces. Would love to add a visual component to life in progress.
Write the growth deep-dive piece. Check out body, mind, emotions, and joy deep dives in the meantime (these expand on my dream life design framework).
Start to migrate my paid membership resources to one place.
Have one conversation for the unbounded inspiration series (if timing works).
Whether you subscribe or just stumbled upon this today, thank you. Thank you for your attention. Your energy. Your time. 💗
If it resonated with you, share a comment so we can continue the conversation. Or if you found it helpful, share it with a friend.
Hope you have a lovely rest of your day, my friend.
Ciao, ciao for now!
wait! before you go…
a few resources to get started
→ Want to discover your CALM Quotient (CQ)? In 5 minutes, uncover your unique nervous system patterns, the greatest areas of growth opportunity, and one practice to start reclaiming calm. Get your zero-cost CQ here.
→ Want to craft an inspiring vision for your life (and career)? Check out the free vision crafting guide to get started. Download a copy here.
ways to go deeper online and in-person
→ Want to reclaim your calm? Nervous System Mastery for Women is my 6-week cohort to regulate your nervous system, align with your female rhythms, and break free from burnout—in as little as 45 days. Join the waitlist →
→ Want to go deeper, 1:1? I offer private coaching to help high-achievers, leaders, and startup professionals design a life they love from the inside out—career and beyond. Get on the waitlist—coaching spots open January 2027.
→ Want to come together in person? I host in-person retreats. The next one isn’t on the calendar yet, but join the list, and I’ll let you know the moment it opens.
As always, you can find me on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.