[FIRST NAME GOES HERE] Ready for a Coffee Break? ☕️

Happy Friday Reader

Welcome back to The 5 Things Friday Coffee Break! This is my weekly roundup of fun, creative, and personal growth-inspired finds that I think you’ll love.

In Each Issue:

☕ The Weekly Brew: A more personal note from me each week
📝 Journaling prompts inspired by my weekly brew
🎨 Five creative, thought-provoking, or just fun things I’m loving
🖼️ A spotlight on one of my artworks
📅 Upcoming events and offerings
✨ And who knows—maybe some surprises!

The Frog I had students paint in Tuesday Night Watercolor class.

The joy of wearing the jacket you've dreaming of creating for over a year for the very first time. (more to come on this)

Happy Friday Reader

I’ve been thinking a lot this week about the difference between what people say they want… and what they are actually ready for.

Last week I mentioned the Blue Moon Gathering what felt like casually and within hours people were registering. That really surprised me!

And at the same time enrollment for In The Company of Women has been much quieter.

I don’t actually think that means one offering is better than the other.

I think one feels easier to say yes to.

One asks for a single evening of reflection and ritual. The other asks:

What if you made meaningful changes to your life and your habits and how you're showing up?
What if you actually listened to yourself consistently?
What if you stopped abandoning yourself?
What if you let other women witness who you are becoming?

That’s a very different kind of yes.

And this week I COMPLETELY understand the desire for easier yeses.

My mom was here last week and while I loved seeing her, house guests are always a reminder of just how much solitude and space I need to regulate. I feel tired. Worn thin. Like I need several days of silence, art-making, and alone time.

Maybe that’s part of why I’m thinking about all of this.

Because meaningful things often require energy we don’t feel like we have.

The gym.
Fun weekends with loved ones.
The difficult conversation.
The creative practice.
The class.
The work of deeper healing.
The long-term container.

The things that nourish us most are rarely the easiest yes.

If you’ve been circling the idea of joining In The Company of Women, maybe this is your sign to ask yourself not just what sounds appealing… but "what your life is actually asking for right now"?

Together We Float,

What in your life currently feels like an “easy yes”?
What feels more difficult, confronting, or demanding — even if a part of you suspects it might nourish or change you more deeply?
Where might exhaustion be clouding your ability to discern what you truly need?
What helps you reconnect with yourself when you feel overstimulated, overextended, or worn thin?
Think about a time you said yes to something that stretched you.
What made you finally say yes?
And how did your life shift because you did?

1) This week I started listening to I am, I am, I am: 17 Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell. I think I'm liking it so far but I'm not far enough along to give it a full endorsement.

I keeping a running list of every book I read, — You can access it here, not everything can make it to this newsletter.

2) A book I LOVED was made into a movie! Remarkably Bright Creatures. I think that did a fantastic job with it.

3) Do you love sending snail mail as much as I do? I have brand new sets of greeting cards available and I love the feel of these cards! They will make your recipient feel so special! The cards are printed on hardy card stock with matte finish, brown paper envelopes (my favorite!) and the set is sealed with a new Alisha Wielfaert Art Sticker! Ripples of Delight, Hope In The Balance, and Outta The Ashes.

4) A bit of TMI: I'm a mouth breather when I sleep. It causes a host of issues for me and I've been wanting to try a mouth tape for awhile but I himmmed and hawwwed over actually purchasing. I finally invested in Beauty Sleep mouth tape and I LOVE it. It's changed my sleep for the better. It peels off easily if I need to drink water or cough and it has a little hole to keep airflow going if needed. I've been sleeping better and I know this is better for my teeth and jaw too!

5) I've been using To Be Magnetic's program for the last two years and adore the work I've been doing with them. It's like a combination of somatics, a nervous system reset, journaling prompts and lots of little mini workshops to help us reprogram our subconscious thoughts with a better story. It's kinda like self hypnosis. They have a big summer challenge coming up and they have a fun quiz around our capacity to be seen. I decided to become an affiliate for them because I love their work so much and have been telling a lot of people about it. If you join TBM through me you'll receive 15% off the membership
The Monthly Payment link is here: https://login.tobemagnetic.com/a/2147524106/GPMrZ26CThe Annual Payment Link is here: https://login.tobemagnetic.com/a/2148196837/GPMrZ26C