When I think about experiences that have shaped my personal growth, resilience and evolution among them are moving abroad to work and live, cycling 800 miles around Iceland (bikepacking & camping for 35 days), leaving a career that I was passionate about, and becoming a mother (twice!) are among them. These are experiences that have opened me to the depth of living. Leaving my career as a high school Spanish teacher coincided with the birth of my second child (oh and the pandemic!) rises to the surface as two BIG growth journeys happening simultaneously. I am inherently someone who thrives when the river of life feels spontaneous and “flowy,” however when deciding to become a mother and start a family I had relied on my chosen career as a “given” stability. When that changed and my first child was born I was left in a state of groundlessness that I had not felt before. I have learned so much and come so far in redefining what both of the roles of mother and career look like for me and how to trust, lean into, and stay open to the process of things not working out entirely as you expected. I had to quiet a lot of noise to get back to my center and begin to rebuild again as I evolved. I am inspired to help others on their journey into motherhood and career changing and how mindfulness, meditation, breathing techniques, creative practices, community and yoga can help anchor us throughout the process to keep us present and remind us that we can choose JOY when things are hard. I will leave you with a paraphrase of words by Mark Nepo: “There are two major ways that human beings can grow…by willfully shedding what no-longer serves them or by being broken open…what is opened in us is always more important that what opens us.”
