Birthday as a Reflection

I turned 45 yesterday. An unfathomable number, but I feel good. I’m not looking at this next year as my chance to get it all right, to ‘fix’ things. I’m looking at my life and reflecting on how far I’ve come. For the strength and clarity I feel now, I want to thank those younger versions of myself for all the work and self exploration. I want to thank versions of myself that kept everything together, even when it felt like it was fraying. As well as those versions that said, I want something else. And were then willing to seek it out. To go deeper, to make the move, to change pursuits and create the life I wanted. It hasn’t been linear or clear but I’ve created a path forward for myself that feels right.

Celebration is about more than cake, it’s about acknowledging that I’ve built a sanctuary within myself. I don’t require external validation to feel ‘successful’. I know my own power. I know the journey I have been on. I know the peace I have gained. I know the clarity I have and will continually work to come back to.

Last year, a birthday felt like a deadline I hadn’t met. It was a tally of all the things I hadn't figured out yet. The places I was stuck. This year, the celebration feels different. The difference isn't my circumstances—it's my energy. The work I’ve been doing is deeper. I’ve spent the past year tending to the parts of myself that needed care—using tools like Internal Family Systems (IFS) to look at the 'rules' I’ve been following since I was a child.

I’m learning to re-parent those parts, and to build an internal sanctuary where those parts finally feel safe enough to rest and to play. That, more than any external milestone, is what I’m celebrating.

This next year is all about inhabiting my life, being present and living fully. Part of that is protecting my peace and prioritizing myself, my process and my work. Another part is letting myself be seen and fully sharing my gifts.

My birthday wish for you is to feel the same groundedness. Because I have done this work for myself, I now have the capacity to hold that same space for you. If you’re ready to look at your own data through the ELI-360, I have three spots open this month. If you’re ready to find your own unshakeable sense of self and chart a new path, my door is open. Let’s have a conversation.