“I look forward to all that comes next.”

I’ve closed emails with those words for over a decade. Today, they feel especially good.

Today I’m meeting with the host of The Feelin Good Academy Podcast to explore a conversation about human flourishing.

I found the show and thought, That’s a conversation I want to be part of.

So I wrote a pitch. Submitted it. Followed up.

Nobody there already knew me. I put my story and my perspective forward, and the response was yes—let’s talk.

It’s the first time I’ve pursued a podcast opportunity quite this way. One pitch. To the one show I wanted to approach. Today is our chance to meet and see how we connect.

This is a deliberate step forward into a more carefully chosen direction for my speaking and storytelling. A place to bring my scientific and professional background into the conversation: observing behavior, recognizing patterns, understanding communication, and exploring what helps people flourish.

When the subject is your own life and your family, placement and framing matter. I want to share what I’ve learned in ways that make its value clearer, with care for the people whose lives are woven into mine.

And I’m letting myself stop long enough to say: Dang, girl.

When I look back at the teenager who had to leave home and build a life on her own—the years of working, going to school at night, learning everything I could, finding my way—I have a lot of respect for her.

At 48, I’m still learning to give myself that same consideration. To finish my thought before deciding it no longer matters. To recognize the value in what I’ve lived, learned, and worked hard to understand.

I know I’m not the only person who could use a moment like that.

We spend so much time reviewing what we should have done differently. There’s value in that reflection. There’s also value in asking: What did it take to get here? What did I learn? What have I helped make possible?

We can own our mistakes and still recognize ourselves in a story worth telling.

In my professional world, we call it freedom within a framework. The first time I heard those words, I immediately thought about life. You build the framework first, then weave in what matters. You create the conditions for growth, with room for grief, learning, love, and possibility.

Today, I get to explore what comes next.

And I’m really excited to be stepping into it.