Sometimes, as founders and creators, it's hard to know when to stop. Not only does it take hustle and drive to create the life that you want, and the change you want to see in the world, it's also hard to slow down.

A number of years ago I was forced to stop running by a repeat-stress injury. I had developed plantar fasciitis from running every single morning on the river, on old shoes. And from not understanding what a tight achilles can do to your entire foot and body. I was so upset, running was my happy place. My escape from my mind and from the stresses of life, not to mention the healthy body I loved. I looked for solutions online and researched, and finally came across a deep tissue massage practice. I went in, in so much pain, hoping for a solution.

That was when I met Beth. She was such a talented bodyworker, healer, and teacher. Over the next few months, she worked on my achilles, and soon the pain was gone. I would return to her often over the years, she taught me everything I know about fascia, and how to reverse the tightness of a repetitive motion like running or working at a laptop. When I'd return she'd reflect on my hard work, smirking and telling me that my fascia had never felt better, lol.

She passed away last week suddenly, from a stroke. I got a message from her sons. It was a shock to everyone. And it hit me, I will never get the chance to learn from her again. And I will never be on her table again either.

Here is my takeaway from dear Beth.

We all have repeat stress in our lives, and especially as creators, and as parents, we need to learn how to soften. How to reverse the tightness. And we need to know when it's time.

As 2021 came to an end, I promised myself I would find a way to slow down. To reverse the years of the toll that entrepreneurship and single parenting have taken on my body and my heart. I started asking myself the hard questions. What would it take to lose this weight, regain my balance, and move like me? The answer was simple but hard to accept. It was time to let go of Un.Inc. It was time to leave my partnership with my co-founder Ben Gibson, and to allow him to take the company into its next season.

Those of you who have walked with me these years know how dear Un.Inc is and has been to me. It is the sincerest and most meaningful business baby I have ever birthed and nurtured. It has also been a labor of love, needing more financial support and time than it has ever given back to me these 6 years.

As my dear wise friend Laura Shook once told me when she was letting go of her beautiful coworking space:

"I need to allow her to become what she's meant to become next."

I watched her move through that season with such grace, and I hope I can do the same now.

Through my journey to build and grow Un.Inc, I have always maintained my consulting business, Impact Haven. I have quietly built dozens of brands and websites, and that work has not only paid my bills, it has funded Un.Inc more than once.

Now, it is my sincere pleasure to simplify in this season. To focus on growing Impact Haven. To nurture the intentional collaborations I am forming, to continue to facilitate the birth of new brands and new products for my clients. And most of all, to honor my body. She has been yearning to rest, to become stronger and healthier again, and to soften.

As I sit at my tiny desk, at my bedroom window, in my apartment off Riverside in South East Austin, it’s anything but quiet. I hear the racket of my neighbors and their dogs squabbling. The high pitched conversations between my 7th grader and her classmates on her zoom call in the next room. My own little dog, barking at the mailman. The hum of the AC unit. Between the disruptions, I hear the quiet song of my windchime, hanging right outside my window. Always the same. Peaceful. Hopeful. Steady.

This is a season of in-betweens. Between pre-covid and the aftermath. Between the last 4 years, and the election. Between summer and fall. Between one normal and the next. I know most of us are wondering where our last plan went, or what the next one is.

As creators, we know the pivot well. We are accustomed to it. Time for a new framework, we realize it easily. Sometimes, if we look at it in just the right light, it can be invigorating. Even when we didn’t ask for it. Sometimes it feels more like the Upside Down in Stranger Things than anything else. Everything is covered in goo, and you can’t figure out how to get back.

One of my favorite things about my work at The Un.Inc, is the chance to bring inspiration to my fellow founders and creators, in the form of real raw stories. By the end of 2020 more than 80 mentors will have participated online this year in live sessions on Un.Inc Campus. Each of them bring their own unique take on the journey, and how they have made it through their own in-betweens.

This month we’ve started releasing sessions, recorded live and produced in house. I wanted to share a few snippets of some of our first recordings, done early this year, right as COVID was setting in. I hope they give you new perspective, new energy, and most of all, I hope they help you fall in love with the in-between. After all, that’s where the magic happens.

Un.Inc Life Podcast on Spotify

I’ll leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors.

“Anxiety, heartbreak, and tenderness mark the in-between state. It’s the kind of place we usually want to avoid. The challenge is to stay in the middle rather than buy into struggle and complaint. The challenge is to let it soften us rather than make us more rigid and afraid.”
~ Pema Chödrön

Repeat Stress Injury

Falling In Love With The In-Between