Thoughts on Growth, Connection, and My Most Life-Changing Year Ahead

Yesterday, we held our final MELT Babes team meeting of the year.

As always, we began with our G&G ritual, where each of us rapid-shares one thing we’re grateful for and one goal for the upcoming month. It’s a simple but grounding practice that sets the tone for connection and intention. This time, we spent most of our meeting reflecting on the year, connecting more deeply, and sharing from the heart through three prompts I offered:

1. What was one major highlight from the year or something you’re super grateful for?
2. What was one major challenge you overcame or grew from?
3. What’s one thing you’re still looking forward to before the year ends that would make it even more fulfilling?

The open-heartedness and vulnerability shared in that room were nothing short of profound. There were snaps of celebration as we cheered for each other’s wins and tears shed as we supported one another through the tender, raw moments of life’s inevitable trials and tribulations. The opportunity to witness and hold space for one another—and to be witnessed and held in return—was incredibly powerful. It was, without question, one of my favorite meetings to date, full of the heartfelt, human-level stuff that truly matters.

Witnessing one another—our highs, dreams, and most intimate challenges—was a beautiful reminder of the depth and beauty of human connection. While our team is uniquely close-knit, it’s easy to forget that we’re all living such full, complex lives beyond these pink walls. Our drama-free culture encourages us to leave personal challenges at the door, not out of avoidance, but so we can fully show up for our clients, teammates, and ourselves. This doesn’t make us invincible or inauthentic—it simply creates a sense of safety and sacredness in our space, allowing us to pour our energy into doing the work we love each day.

Taking this time to truly see one another felt profoundly special. It was a reminder that we’re all on this beautiful, dynamic journey together, co-creating our lives in massive and meaningful ways.

My Peak: The Journey to Mamahood

On my 35th birthday, I stood in front of 60 friends, blew out my candles, and shared my greatest wish: this would be the year I become a mother.

I didn’t always know I wanted to be a mom. As a little girl, I loved babysitting, playing house, and carrying a baby doll everywhere, dreaming of a family of four kids. But in my teens, twenties, and early thirties, fear overshadowed that dream. I worried that pursuing my career or independence would mean sacrificing motherhood or that I might not find the right partner in time. For years, I told myself (and others) that I was “a hard maybe” on marriage and kids—a story rooted in self-preservation to protect myself from disappointment and regret.

Through deep personal work, I melted those layers of fear and reclaimed the part of me that always knew I was meant to create, birth, and nurture life. Looking back, I see how every step I’ve taken—every risk, every leap of faith—has led me to this moment. My journey to mamahood feels like the culmination of my life so far, yet it’s only just beginning. I’m humbled by all the firsts ahead and grateful for the love and lessons still on the horizon.

Of all the beautiful, magical & meaningful things I’ve birthed into the world so far as a Creator, becoming a Mother is the single most important thing I’ll ever do.

My Challenge: Moving to Austin

On that same birthday, I officially moved to Austin. Funny enough, I wrote in my dream journal on 11/11/2016 that someday I would have a little house surrounded by big oak trees in Austin, that I would open up my first out of state MELT location there, and that I would dual-locate between AZ and TX.

The move was motivated by love—after 18 months of long distance with my partner, Andrew, we decided it was time to live in the same city and begin building our lives together. While the transition brought excitement and a whole new world of possibility, it also came with its own set of challenges. Moving meant trading one long-distance relationship (with Andrew) for another—with my entire team, my clients, my best friends, and the PHX community I’ve built over the last 14 years.

What I couldn’t have anticipated though, is just how different I would personally, energetically, emotionally, and spiritually feel in this new place compared to the life I’ve created and known for so long.

When I think of Arizona, I feel its electric, buzzing energy coursing through me—a force that fuels my creativity, sparks my entrepreneurial spirit, and keeps me reaching for new heights. There’s something about this place that makes it feel like the universe is always conspiring in my favor. I’m constantly crossing paths with just the right people, at just the right time, in just the right places. It’s like living in a flow state, where synchronicity is the norm, and each day brings opportunities to connect, create, and innovate.

Arizona has a magnetic pull that brings people together in meaningful ways, creating a sense of belonging to something much bigger than ourselves. It’s fast-paced, exhilarating, and full of momentum—a strap-to-a-rocket kind of energy that keeps me thriving and inspired. Every day feels juicy and alive, and I can’t help but love the vibrancy of this place that has been such a catalyst for my dreams and growth.

When I think of Austin, the energy shifts entirely. Our home is nestled 30 minutes outside the city, surrounded by a couple acres of lush green trees—a sanctuary offering a profound sense of peace, quiet, and slowness. This slowness is still a major adjustment for me and admittedly, it’s almost uncomfortable at times trying to figure out “who I am” at this pace. Instead of the constant momentum I’m accustomed to, I find myself spending a lot of introspective, solo reclusive time—thinking and feeling with far fewer distractions and places to be. Most days, I'm tucked away in my little "shakti-shed” office zen zone, working from my computer, sometimes still wearing my cozy pajamas and slippers all day long!

Austin represents a different kind of investment. It's where I'm pouring more of my heart and energy into my dream partnership—which is the first thing that has ever felt equally important to me as my business in almost 11 years. We're actively building our family here, and all this extra space, time, and slowness—though I don't fully know what to do with it yet—has carved out the room I know I’ll need when I become a mother. I have always known I’d want to continue running MELT while having the flexibility to be present and care for our baby each day. It's a bit strange, feeling like I'm in between worlds, in a sort of void or vacuum where there's so much open space. Yet, I know and trust that soon it will be filled in ways I can’t even comprehend yet.

While Arizona fuels my entrepreneurial spirit and keeps me on the cutting edge, Austin invites me to slow down, to embrace stillness, and to prepare for this new chapter of motherhood. It's teaching me to be present with myself in ways I hadn't anticipated. 

The contrast between these two places mirrors the duality within me, and navigating between them is both challenging and enriching. I'm learning to embrace balance and gratitude, recognizing that each place offers unique gifts and unlocks distinct strengths and superpowers that shape the multifaceted woman I’m continually becoming. In many ways, it feels like living a double life—one foot in each realm, navigating the shifts, finding my flow, and seeking harmony. It’s not always easy, but I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity and blessing to choose both, to make the best of both worlds, and to truly have my cake and eat it too. To live multidimensionally, holding the vision that all things are possible and choosing to create beauty wherever I go in every season of life.

“I’m going to make everything around me beautiful. That will be my life.”
- Elsie de Wolfe 

Thank you for being on this journey with me.
Here’s to 2025 and all the magic it will bring!

💖