A Celebration Post!

 [Note: this post was originally published on Substack June 8, 2023] 

Happy first anniversary!

 I started this post, like I always do, by writing a draft, then letting it marinate. This one had to marinate longer than I originally had planned. I wound up writing a completely new post that shifted the whole tone from a hard, depressing post to a celebratory post!  

The months of May and June 2022 were a time of huge change in my life. There were some new health diagnoses that forced me to reevaluate my life and career, a graduation, and a transition to a new career. The original post focused on the health diagnoses, since they were deeply impactful and, chronologically, came first. What I realized as I checked in on this post in my mind from time to time, was that those weren’t the key pieces of this anniversary time I needed to be noting. They were simply the wake-up call that I needed to change. 

The real celebration for this 1-year anniversary is my transformation:  

• The realization that I was meant for different things  

• That, in adapting to my new health realities, I needed to transform the rest of my life 

• And with that transformation came new self-awareness, new insights, and new sensitivities that I needed to learn about to better manage myself and my relationships 

During June 2022 I graduated from the UC Davis Professional Coach program, left my old job, took some time to heal, then started to rebuild my life with a new business, new outlook, and a new career. It’s crazy to look back at this last year and see everything that happened. I am deeply grateful I had the resources to take the time I needed. That break couldn’t have happened at any other time in my life. I am also cognizant of how much I still have to learn and I am committed to that work.  

There’s still a lot of work to do. Starting a new career in the middle of an economic upheaval is no picnic. I’m learning how to manage stress all over again. I’m learning a whole new field, coaching, and a whole new way of thinking about my career, entrepreneurship. However, there’s no turning back. I can’t work the way I used to and I’m not the same person I was then. And those are both good things. 

While June may mean #Pride month to some... 

Or #Juneteenth... 

Or even just acknowledging the Summer Solstice and the beginning of Summer... 

I celebrate all those things with you!

For me, June is now like a new birthday. It’s recognizing and accepting that I couldn’t go on in the old ways and celebrating the new person I am becoming.  

I know I’m not the only one that has made a transformation in their life, so for anyone that wants to, I’m here to celebrate your transformation!