The modern world is overwhelming.

Everywhere we turn, there’s content to consume, tasks to catch up on, news that weighs heavy on our hearts, and more reasons to feel ourselves falling farther and farther behind. I love a good dose of mindfulness, spirituality, or inspiration, but in this season I’ve found myself even struggling to keep up with the things I enjoy. There’s just too much content in too many places — our modern minds too full to keep up with all of it.

I found myself wishing I could distill all the goodness down to one simple message I could carry with me throughout the week, and that’s how A Mind-Full Shift was born. The seed of this idea has been on my heart for years, but I never had the form or timing quite right. Until now.

On an ordinary Wednesday, our 6yo son Theo came home from school with a stomach ache. We thought maybe it was a virus or something he ate that didn’t agree with him. I did all the things you do at home to treat an upset stomach — bland diet, rest, lots of checking in. Theo went to bed feeling okay, but the stomach ache persisted. It woke him in the night, and in the morning it was worse.

His stomach hurt more and now he had a fever, was hunching over, the right side of his belly was tender, and it seemed increasingly tough for him to walk and use the bathroom. Luckily, my husband Sam knew early on that something wasn’t right and wondered about his appendix. We took him to Urgent Care, who then referred us to a pediatric ER, and before we knew it, we found ourselves in the same children’s hospital where Theo had surgery to put in ear tubes almost three years earlier during one of the most challenging times in our life.

We watched helplessly through an ultrasound, IV insertion, blood work, and MRI as our little boy grew pale and struggled in pain without understanding what was happening to him.

It all felt too familiar.

Last week, I took my littlest one to preschool for the first time. I’ve been a working stay-at-home for over six years now, so this was a very big deal. Thankfully my wild wonderful girl and I were both ready — for the new opportunities, challenges, and friends we’ll meet along the way.

My business has essentially been in hibernation mode all this time, and now suddenly the promise of time and space to focus on my beautiful little business stretches out before me. So after almost a decade in business and over six years raising kiddos, I’m beginning again with intention and sharing which strategies I’m excited to try next as I begin to rebuild.

I remember when the steps I needed to take in life and business seemed crystal clear. When I could see my path stretching out before me like a game of Candy Land — fun and free and easy. Everything felt so certain, and there was no question of what I needed to do next.

These days, that’s hardly the case.

Six years ago, becoming a mom changed everything for me. Then the pandemic did it again. And then our healing journey with mold. These seasons of struggle and monumental change cracked me wide open and made me question everything I thought I knew. And ever since, my path has felt foggy. Scattered. Uncertain.

I can’t see my next steps stretching neatly out before me anymore, but there is one thing I know I can do when I’m feeling lost or stuck in life and business. One thing that helps me find my path again, even if it’s only the next right step from where I’m standing.

Six years ago, I was just finding my way back to work after my son Theo was born. I was conflicted and unsure of myself, and wondered if I had lost my touch and some of my magic in my months away on maternity leave.

That’s when I met Angela. We created the Soho Waterworks brand together, and it was the best branding work I’d ever done. I realized that my time away and this new mama part of me made me even better at what I do as a holistic logo and brand designer, especially when partnering with amazing like-hearted souls like Angela.

The years since have been the best and hardest of my life, with the bittersweet result of me stepping back from branding work and leaning into my classes for designers in this unpredictable season. From having our second child to a life-altering healing journey with mold, it’s been one wild ride.

Six years later, in this cracked open space, Angela and I met once again. As it turns out, she had been navigating her own transformative journey over the last few years, and the fates brought us together for a new collaboration — the brand identity for her newest creation, Market St. Mortgage. I couldn’t be more excited to partner with Angela again years later, and couldn’t be more proud to share the branding magic we created together.

It’s hard to believe that I started my design business in 2016 — over 8 years ago — and that I’ve been teaching online courses for 7 of those years.

I’ve always been the kind of person that enjoys tinkering, experimenting, and figuring things out for myself. When I find something that saves me time and makes life easier, I’m always excited to share in the hopes that I can help light the way for others and save them the headache and hardship of needing to start from scratch or do it alone.

This is one of the core values my business is built on — sharing the knowledge, the wealth, the light, and the love — and so this naturally evolved into me sharing my experience, process, and sacred systems through my own online classes.

Teaching over the last several years has been an amazing journey to share with my students and creative community. So when I made the choice to move all my classes from Teachable to Squarespace — true to form — I knew I had to pull back the curtain on just why I decided to make the switch.

As I write this, our beautiful and brilliant baby girl, Iris Lee, turns 18 months today. My pregnancy was filled with joyful anticipation and planning. I worked hard to dial in my courses and sales funnels to work on autopilot during my maternity leave so I could truly unplug. I assumed I’d be out for 6 months like I was with our firstborn, Theo, and I couldn’t wait for the time away filled with baby snuggles and priceless (though sleep-deprived) moments with my kiddos.

What unfolded was the most difficult season of my life.

One of my all-time favorite quotes is from author Rebecca Campbell, “I believe that your tragedies, your losses, your sorrows, your hurt happened for you, not to you. And I bless the thing that broke you down and cracked you open because the world needs you open.”

Well, here I am, 18 months later, cracked wide open and finally ready to tell our story.