Being a Mess Means You’re Alive: Grief, Growth & Building a Business That Lets You Breathe

Grief has a way of reshaping everything—including how I show up in my business.

Losing my dear sweet cat Juni, on Valentines day of this year, cracked something open in me and honestly? I’m still figuring out how to navigate the waves. One thing I know for sure: I could not do this if I didn’t have the flexibility to build my business in a way that allows me to be a mess and still keep going.

For a long time, I thought success meant always moving forward, always having a plan, always knowing the next step. But grief has shown me something different—success, for me, looks like giving myself permission to build slow, to rest, to feel, and to trust that I am still growing even when everything feels like a mess.

As the poet Melody Godfred says: “Even the steps backwards are a part of the dance”.

The Myth of Hustle Culture (And Why I’m Letting It Go)

There’s a toxic narrative in entrepreneurship that tells us we have to grind our way to success. That if we slow down, we’ll fall behind. That rest is for people who don’t want it badly enough, or for folks who have already “made it”. 

But the truth? 

The most sustainable, fulfilling businesses are being built by people who honor their natural rhythms—especially during times of grief, change, or deep emotional shifts.

Losing Juni made it impossible for me to keep pretending I had the energy to push through like I used to. 

And honestly? I don’t want to. My business exists to support me—not the other way around.

Being a Mess Means You’re Alive

Right now, I’m learning to accept that being a mess doesn’t mean I’m failing. 

It means I’m alive. It means I care. It means I am still here, still creating, still dreaming—just at a slower, more intentional pace. My word of 2025 is "Intentional", after all. 

So if you’re building something meaningful, but you feel like you’re not moving fast enough or that your emotions are too big to handle while running a business, I want you to hear this:

You don’t have to sprint.

You don’t have to grind.

You can build slow, rest when you need to, and still get there.

Your creativity, your dreams, your impact—they will all still be here when you’re ready.

And in the meantime, let yourself be HUMAN.

Let yourself grieve, feel, rest, and rebuild...all when you’re ready. Because that is what true success looks like.

And if you ever need a reminder? Just know—I’m walking this path with you.

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