…or at least trying to. As some of you know, Steve, Ashna, and I love a family project. I shared with friends how moved I was by Itaru Sasaki’s “wind phone” in Ōtsuchi, Japan, which he built as a gesture of love in response to overwhelming grief. A wind phone is a real phone not connected to a line of any sort, where anyone can “call” and speak to someone who isn’t here anymore, or to say the words that need somewhere to go. The world feels heavy lately, and it’s hard to watch so many people hurting and divided. May the phone bring comfort, connection, and peace to all who need it. I’m thinking about adding 988 stickers and wrist bands for people. I’m open to any suggestions. ❤️

For some people, the holidays feel warm and magical. For others, they can be heavy, complicated, or lonely — even when we’re surrounded by people. The truth is, this season can bring up a lot: • grief for people who aren’t here • family tension or painful memories • financial stress or pressure to “be happy” • feeling left out, disconnected, or misunderstood • longing for relationships that feel broken or distant You can love the lights and still feel heartache. You can be grateful and still feel overwhelmed. You can have people around you and still feel alone in your experience. Human emotions don’t fit into holiday greeting cards — and they don’t need to. If this season stirs up more pain than peace, please know you’re not broken. You’re human. You’re carrying history, love, loss, and hope all at once. If you want to share, how does this time of year feel for you?There’s no right or wrong answer. Just honesty. We’re here with you.

Most of us are experts at pointing out what’s wrong. But noticing what’s right about ourselves? That’s a skill worth practicing. Challenge: Share one thing you’re proud of yourself for recently.• It can be tiny.• It can be messy.• It can be something no one else even noticed. A gentle brag counts here. Did you rest when you usually push yourself? Did you show up even if you were anxious? Did you take a break without guilt? Did you speak up for yourself? Whatever it is — we want to celebrate it with you. Drop your gentle brag below.

That fear grew from years of barely scraping by, trying to keep a roof over my kids’ heads, losing things faster than I could replace them, pretending I was okay when I was exhausted inside. When you’ve lived in survival mode for a long time, “not having enough” doesn’t feel like a worry — it feels like a threat. So I played life safely. I held my breath. I didn’t take certain risks. Not because I didn’t believe in myself, but because I didn’t believe I had room to fall. But something shifted in this new chapter of my life. I’ve been stretched, tested, and pushed into places that feel uncomfortable… and instead of tightening into fear, I’m learning to lean into trust. Not blind trust, not magical thinking — trust in myself. Trust that I can figure things out. Trust that leadership doesn’t require perfection. Trust that mistakes don’t ruin my life — they guide it. Trust that I don’t have to hold everything together alone anymore. I’m starting to believe there’s no “losing” if you’re willing to learn. There’s no stuck when you’re willing to move, even imperfectly. That mindset has softened my anxiety more than any “be positive” pep talk ever could. I’m not operating from fear anymore. I’m operating from faith — faith in growth, faith in timing, faith in the person I’m becoming. Here’s my question for you: Have you ever played it small because you were afraid of losing something? And what would your next step look like if you believed you could learn instead of fail? I’d love to hear your story, even if it’s just one sentence. You’re not alone in this shift. We’re all learning to walk differently now.