Why I disappeared and what I’ve been up to
Friends,
In 2023 I completely stopped filming YouTube videos and made a small handful of social media posts. And while I did manage to share a newsletter with you from time to time, you may have noticed even that has been pretty inconsistent.
I didn’t have any major life crisis to speak of or some tragedy going on behind the scenes. The honest truth is that I’ve felt largely uninspired and stuck creatively. I see so much great information being shared online and really question if I have something valuable to add to the mix. I have so many topics I LOVE and feel squeamish when someone suggests I need to “niche down to one thing.” There is so much I’m passionate about (food, mental health, hospitality, travel) and the idea of talking about one thing for most of my life sounds really really boring. Maybe some of you can relate?
One thing I've been up to lately to try and revive my creative juices is reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron for the first time. I’ll keep you posted in terms of how that goes (or you’ll notice the change hopefully!)
Here’s a quick summary of what I was up to (and what I’m working on this year):
- I went to Hawaii and saw sea turtles (one of my favorite animals in the entire world) on the beach, which was a total life highlight for me! I kept a safe distance but managed to take a cute lil’ selfie 😉
I learned that I’m iron-deficient 😯 (get your blood tests, kids!) AND have sleep apnea, which would explain my struggles with energy! It turns out that Filipinos have the highest rates of sleep apnea of all Asians. If you are struggling with energy, or if you snore at night, I cannot recommend enough that you get a sleep study done. Sleep apnea is no joke and it could save your life!
The workbook and journal I’d been working on behind the scenes for 2 years finally came to life! It’s been a dream of mine to work with Ban.do and to write a book, so this was like the most amazing dream mashup to get to do both at the same time. It was a team effort of all women and mostly women of color including 8 incredible artists from around the world! We had an amazing launch party in Lisbon with a totally packed house of my nearest and dearest, and when I was sharing my journey I found myself blurting out my life mission in a new way I completely love: “I help people love their lives so they never wanna leave them.”
I got a book coach! I finally decided that if I’m going to write my first personal development book, I’m going to need help. Can you guess what I’m writing about?
I hosted friends and family in Lisbon and threw lots of parties, dinner parties, and even an all-day retreat for a friend’s birthday. My favorite event was probably the pasta competition I hosted in my home where we were eating pasta dishes until midnight and teams competed to win the “Golden Spatula!”
I traveled! I went to Romania for a friend’s wedding and danced the hora all night long, relaxed in splendor at the public baths in Budapest, tried tapas in Madrid, Toledo, Salamanca, & Segovia, cracked up with my favorite comedians at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, took a day trip to Glasgow where I couldn’t understand a single thing people said, marveled at public art in Calgary, walked on frozen lakes in Banff, drove the road to Hana in Maui, and (despite the tricky weather) generally lived my best life in London (twice).
Even though it was a quiet year for me (in terms of content creation), it was a beautiful year filled with meaningful trips and unforgettable memories sprinkled with challenges and hardships. I’m grateful you to you for hanging in there with me.
I have a lot up my sleeve for 2024 and will be excited to share more with you soon!
- Therese 💜
P.S. - In my ever-evolving journey, I’m always curious to know 1) what brought you here to me and 2) what you’re interested in me sharing about? If you have a second to reply back and share, I’d be super grateful for your insights. Thanks so much!
BTW, my mission is help people love their lives so they never want to leave them.
Every week I do my best to share things with you that are inspiring, encouraging, and beneficial.
If you like:
🧠 Simple mental health tips and inspiration
🗓️ Events you can attend with amazing people
💡Random thoughts and musings as one human to another, including things I’m learning as a therapist, digital nomad,
and person who is trying to be her best!
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