A Second Look

I’ve been in these streets lately and it’s been giving me life. By the streets, I mean being in community with values-aligned leaders, many of them Black women. Whether over coffee, a lunch, a women’s conference, or a brand activation workout, my cup is overflowing.

This is in sharp contrast to stretches where it seems Zoom is my only connection to the outside world. That mode of connection obviously serves a purpose. So does being in person.

If you had to audit how you’re spending your work time – how much of it is virtual and how much is in person? What, if any, shifts will you consider in Q4? I really want to know…and if it’s IRL, share any local ATL gatherings that I should prioritize.

Resting

An invitation to slow down long enough to hear what your mind, body, and heart are telling you.

During a client's midpoint check-in, she said something about rest that I intuitively know but appreciated hearing the emphasis: rest is a communal practice.

She reflected on how her rest had always been solo. Time to be still. Time to hear yourself. Time to pour into yourself. And while that’s certainly a part of rest, so is allowing yourself to be poured into.

For her, that looks like asking for help from her husband and community. Being motherered again by her own mother. There's nothing like your favorite home-cooked meal to nourish you all over.

Resting yourself is a practice. Allowing others to “rest you” is next level. How are you creating space for that this week?

Remembering

An invitation to reconnect with your brilliance - the wisdom, creativity, and magic within and around you.

My running days are not over. You heard it here first!

And I don't mean running in general. I mean the enjoyable kind that carries me away and makes me want to keep going. That version of running is not over for me. I knew that somewhere deep down, but didn’t really believe it until my most recent loop around the neighborhood.

This realization came on the heels of avid runners from different corners of my world – from a woman in her mid-30s to a 62-year-old – raving about their enjoyment of running. Yes the physical, but also the mental. A little envy crept in. I wanted that again.

And I got it on a crisp fall morning a few Fridays ago. That receipt has reassured me that my running days are in fact not over. I can still tap into it as a part of my aerobic, grounding, joyful, and head-clearing toolbox.

What is a joyful activity you’ve put aside that could be ready for a comeback?

Recasting/Realizing

An invitation to imagine the life you desire and pursue it with joy as your compass.

What started as a proposal to speak turned into a dare to reimagine.

ExodUS Summit 2026 wrapped earlier this week. This convening of those looking to establish a new life in a new country has been on my radar for some time. Primarily because people in my network who I respect have spoken there, and others have told me I should too.

Last year, I waited too long and missed the window to submit a proposal. This year, I got ahead of it. I proposed a session and someone in my network graciously reinforced my fit. But the Location theme wasn't aligned. I’ve already got my eye on 2027…

What I didn’t expect was for the Location theme to land so distinctly in my heart and mind. As in, reimagining where my family and I live. My husband and I have bounced around the idea of moving to Portugal after the kids are gone. But The Summit posited something I hadn’t previously considered: locations beyond Portugal (getting residency there has gotten even more stringent) and moving before the kids are out of the house. Even typing that makes my heartbeat quicken.

Living abroad as a family is a long shot. For now. But simply having the time and space to envision what that might look like – through the eyes of women who look like me – is truly a gift. I’m grateful that putting myself out there led to pushing on possibility, somewhere between now and 2040.

How are you falling into what lights you up? The answer is already there. Look, and look again. A new way of seeing yourself is there. Ready to be spotted.

Joyfully,

Elandria