Reader,
Happy New Year bestie!
Phewww, girl - it's been a HOT minute since I hit your inbox.
If you opened this, instead of deleting it, maybe there's a reason.
Life has been wild lately.
I'm talking BIG plot twists, BIG shifts, and BIG growth brewing.
Girl, I'm truly in my 'Own Your Era' moment.
I hope something in here inspires you to own yours too.
Let's catch up:
The God Era: September 2024 - I Got 'The Call'
All summer, I had this thought nagging at me...
Go to church.
But, TBH - I was intimidated and didn't know where to start.
I've always been more of a "Universe" girlie, and for a long time, I was completely turned off from the idea of God.
But, on September 1, after telling a few friends, I stopped talking and just went.
I walked into Red Rocks Church here in Austin, and let me tell you –my life hasn't been the same since.
The room was dark.
The worship was loud.
I was overwhelmed, but MOVED beyond words
I. Wept. The. ENTIRE. Service.
Something about the entire thing felt BIG. I had a strong feeling that if I kept showing up, life was going to shift in ways I couldn't even put into words.
(Spoiler: I'm still crying every in-person service I go to, LOL)
The Redefining 40 Era: October 2024 - I Turned 40 and Packed My Bags
I turned 40 on October 2nd and instead of feeling like the weird kid with just 5 friends to invite...
I splurged and went to an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana.
(Please ask me for details - I loved where I stayed SO much).
Solo travel was on my bucket list, so what better time than turning a 'big' birthday?
I wondered if people would think it was weird, but I got over myself real quick and booked the trip.
10/10 would recommend.
Spending my birthday alone was empowering AF – and YES, I had the staff sing Happy Birthday for me at dinner alone that night. 🥳
CHECK THE RECAP
Okay, if you made it this far, here's the BIGGGG TEA, girl...
The Unemployed Era: January 2024 - This is STILL FRESH
Last Monday over a Zoom, I found out my freelance position makes up about 98% of my income is no more.
And let's keep it real, I don't have an emergency fund. 😅
Am I scared? AF. LOL
But, here's the thing...too many things have happened recently for me ONLY to believe this is all part of a bigger plan...
Instead of being in a complete panic or 🤪 starting an OF.
Still here?
I dropped the first episode of Season 4 of the Own Your Era Podcast with more tea.
(Yes, another name – if you've been here since 2019, LOL!)
🎥 You can watch the YouTube here.
🎧 Listen on your next hot girl walk or drive home today.
Here's what I believe with my whole heart –
It's never too late to claim and create the life you REALLY want.
My hope for this season and any email I send is to remind you that you can OWN exactly where you are!
No shame. No judgement. Just BEING!
I'd love to hear from ya and hear what BIG thing you're looking forward to this year.
Thank you for letting me share my heart and my so-called 40-year-old life.
Here's to making 2025 our year! 🥂 (a mocktail for me)!
ILYSM,
-Yolanda
