Letting Go: Making Space for What Truly Matters

Apr 4

Yep, that’s the Magic Kingdom castle from Disney World. The family trip that had me breaking up with commitments.

When Your Cup Runneth Over (And Not in a Good Way)

It started with a missed newsletter. One small concession to sanity during a family vacation to Orlando (where, let's be honest, the last day is always fraught with frustrated family members, amirite? 😆). What I didn't realize was that this single moment of "letting go" would trigger a cascade of realizations about just how overwhelmed I'd become.

Ever feel like you're juggling so many balls that you're one small breeze away from a complete disaster? That was me in March. What started as "I'll skip one newsletter" (will anyone even notice?) evolved into a much-needed reassessment of everything on my plate.

And while I was at it, turns out my mental health was at the forefront in March and I let go of several things that just kept snowballing:

Cancelled my book contract. Collectively we were late on deadlines, scheduling conflicts were mounting, and three people with vastly different approaches to marketing research did not a fun time make. Sometimes collaborations that look perfect on paper just don't translate to reality. Authoring is very much still on my dreamboard, but a new direction is needed.
Sent in my "break" notice for the Spring 2026 semester. After years of continuous teaching at the higher education level with undergraduate students, I'm taking at least one semester off... TBD if longer. Academia will still be there when I'm ready to return with fresh energy and perspectives.
Skipped blog publishing. The pressure to consistently create content when my creative well was running dry was becoming counterproductive. Quality over quantity became my new mantra. I’ve re-imagined my goals (still writing) but in a more manageable way.
Cancelled conference attendances and trips. As much as I love connecting with colleagues and staying current in the field, the thought of airports, hotels, and back-to-back sessions was depleting rather than energizing. Let alone being a professional event attendee ain’t cheap!

The Wisdom in Emptying Your Cup

In the midst of all this scaling back, I received a super sweet email from a fellow MRx'er who summed up my current life stage with a Zen proverb: "You must empty your cup in order to fill it."

I hadn't thought about it this way at all. Honestly, I felt like a total failure. I felt like I was letting people down and was getting overwhelmed with being stretched too thin. This quote truly helped me see the positive spin that my subconscious was already working through. I wasn't being irresponsible – I was busy prioritizing my wants versus my needs and making decisions that reflected that. (So thank you and hugs, you know who you are! Unsure if you wanted a public call out!)

The Liberation of Saying "No"

I’ve heard this before, though rarely experienced it myself. Mostly because I’m a “yes!” woman like so many others I know. There's something incredibly freeing about cancelling commitments that no longer serve you. Each "no" I said in March created space for something else:

More impromptu entertainment in the evenings instead of being a slave to my laptop
Long walks without checking my phone every five minutes
Space to actually think about what I want next in my career and for The Social Question
Energy to be fully present with clients instead of partially present with too many
Renewed focus on studies that matter; by turning down project bids that didn’t align, or wouldn’t be worth the effort, to our long-term plans

I'm learning that saying "no" isn't about closing doors – it's about opening windows and letting in the breeze. It's about creating breathing room in a schedule that had become suffocating. Do the things you love - we hear this often and don’t often feel like we have the control to make the sentiment a reality. Did I miss out on some paydays during this process? Yes. Will that hurt in the next few weeks? Also yes. But I’ve lived on a shoestring budget before and right now, money stress was the lesser of the evils piling up.

Finding Joy in the Small(er) Things

In perhaps more relatable news: I caught up and finished Severance last night. And am eagerly anticipating The White Lotus's season finale this weekend. Have been micro-binging With Love, Meghan while doing some stretching and calisthenics, gobbled up Apple Cider Vinegar and took notes on influencers to avoid, and I do need to boomerang back to Yellowjackets. My TV time is about to dry up as the weather warms up and I can start walking outside again. The annual Chicago Hibernation is almost over!

These small pleasures – a great TV show, the anticipation of spring walks, even the freedom to binge-watch without guilt – have become more meaningful as I've created space for them. (I can now successfully manage pop culture small talk for the next few weeks of events now that I’m caught up with the buzzworthy shows!)

The Seasons of Life and Work

Just as we're moving from winter to spring, I feel like I'm transitioning between seasons in my professional life and growth for The Social Question. We also quietly celebrated our 3rd anniversary as a startup and that milestone had been giving me a great amount of distress in the months leading up to it. I attended a portion of LATechWeek last October for some Women in Tech events and was humbled that all the advice on start ups making it or breaking it is completely relative and if I do decide to get back on the investor trail (something I started considering in 2023), I can do it on the time frame that makes sense for us, not a random number from a random AI bot.

Basically, I’ve been reflecting that the dormant period of winter isn't unproductive like it seems – it's essential preparation for new growth. What if we approached our work and life with the same acceptance of seasons? Periods of intense productivity followed by necessary rest. Times of public-facing work balanced with behind-the-scenes rejuvenation.

This was heavier than my typical blog post. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to May flowers and the new growth that comes after making space.

Thanks for being here!