Lean into the Power, Keep Your Eyes on Shore

Late Bloomers! 🌸

I'm on the hunt for women whose stories will make us think, "If she can do it, so can I!" Whether it's a complete life pivot, a long-delayed passion project, or finding courage they (or you) didn't know they had—I want to hear about it. Hit reply or fill out this form to nominate someone for our Late Bloomers series.

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My wise girl on a quilt made by my wise great-grandmother

We walked onto the beach last week, the day after Malcolm-Jamal Warner tragically drowned in the ocean. Those of us who grew up watching The Cosby Show felt like we'd lost our big brother, and the big waves rolling in front of us felt both enticing and sobering.

My daughter, my dear friend, and I found ourselves talking about those waves as we watched them crash and retreat. How they drew us in while simultaneously reminding us of their force. How we wanted to play and splash and get carried away by their energy, but also needed to stay safe.

Pretty good metaphor for life, isn’t it? The pull of growth and adventure, the draw of taking risks and diving deeper, balanced against the wisdom of knowing our limits and keeping ourselves grounded.

I asked my almost-17-year-old daughter, who is already wiser than I'll ever be, what her strategy was for navigating this tension. Without hesitation, she said: "Flow with the power of the waves while keeping your eyes on the shore."

Dang. There it is.

I've been thinking about that all week. How often do we get caught up in the binary thinking that we either have to play it completely safe OR throw caution to the wind? That we either stay on dry sand or get tumbled by forces beyond our control?

But my daughter's approach suggests a third way. We can lean into the power, let it carry us, feel the exhilaration of being moved by something bigger than ourselves, while never losing sight of solid ground.

I see this balance playing out everywhere in the stories I collect. The entrepreneur who takes calculated risks while maintaining her emergency fund. The creative who experiments with bold new work while keeping one foot in her proven expertise. The leader who champions change while remembering her team's capacity.

It's not about avoiding the waves. They're where progress happens. It's about developing the skill to read them, to flow with their power while maintaining our orientation.

Sometimes the shore is our values, the non-negotiables that keep us steady, no matter how exciting the opportunity. Sometimes it's our people, the relationships that anchor us when everything else feels uncertain. Sometimes it's simply our own inner compass, that quiet voice that knows the difference between productive challenge and reckless chaos.

The ocean will always be powerful. The waves will always call. And we get to choose, again and again, how to engage with that energy in ways that honor both our hunger for growth and our need for safety.

Uplifters IRL in NYC

If you've ever been to Park Slope in Brooklyn, chances are you've noticed the awesome superhero supply store on 5th Avenue. Did you know that it's actually a front for a super rad nonprofit called 826NYC, which serves thousands of New York students every year by giving them the skills, experience, and educational support to write their own stories? I'd love to hang out with you while helping their amazing team clean up from summer camp chaos. And yes, capes will be available!

826 x Uplifters Service Mixer is a no-cost, three-hour, come-as-you-are opportunity to lend a hand to a great cause, connect with other Uplifters, peek at the hidden classroom behind Superhero Supply, and eat pizza. We have limited space, so RSVP HERE if you're interested in joining us.

This will be such a wonderful way to meet fellow Uplifters in person while doing some good together!

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