The question leading my personal new year

plus, exposure therapy IRL in LA this weekend

A running theme over the last few months for me has been: hermit season is over. I’m still sitting with how I feel about it because, truthfully, I love my quiet, introverted existence offline. I enjoy sharing glimpses of my life on social, here on Substack, and in intimate gatherings, but always in a way that is extremely mindful. Just enough to land a point or offer a perspective, never so much that it swallows the room.

What began as fear of perception morphed into this warped belief: that I shouldn’t take up too much space because the world is already too noisy. But, over the last year, I realized there’s a difference between noise and sound released with intention. I spoke about releasing your sound in this note, and I’ve been taking small but steady steps towards that direction. Showing up more consistently in my writing, taking risks in my business, reframing “cringe”, and prioritizing original programming through With/Creators. The necessary tiny shifts that clear the path for bigger leaps.

As I stand in the final year of my thirties, I keep circling back to a question I first heard in Lovecraft Country: who are you uninterrupted?

For me, that means: who am I when I’m no longer interrupted by fear, shame, judgement, worry, lack, guilt, bitterness, regret, or anxiety?

So chapter 39 will be led by that pursuit, an uninterrupted life. Which, for me, looks like:

• Trying out loud

• Saying yes to things that initially terrify me (and will not cause harm)

• Being more visible

• Sowing seeds into my vision, despite no immediate return

• Asking for help, support and advice instead of struggling alone

• Creating stretch goals and building the systems to meet them

It feels fitting, then, that one of my first “yeses,” in this personal new year, is an invitation for you to join me offline. In collaboration with my dear friend Sarah Kim and By Way of Us, I’ll be hosting a live reading of my Substack essay “You Have Divine Permission.” This is a first for me. An experiment in trying out loud, and a welcomed opportunity to share space with those of you who have been on this journey with me.

Together we’ll read, write, explore and wring out our thoughts together on permission, purpose, self-motivation, and cultivating endurance. Plus, we’ll toast to five years of With/Creators.

We have a few spaces left, tickets can be found here. Guests will also receive a set of my encouragement cards.

See you there?

With love and intention,

Jennifer