Holding it all at once

Peaks and valleys

Saw this on my run. Priority Mail indeed.

I watched American Symphony last week, a documentary about a period when the musician Jon Batiste was nominated for 11 Grammy’s while working on his seminal musical composition as his wife, the author Suleika Jaouad, learns that her cancer is back while her book on recovering from cancer is on the New York Times Bestseller list. It’s a meditation on art, love, and the tension of holding our highest highs and lowest lows in the same moments.

I turned on this movie in what I now look back on as the “gap day.” It was the one night in the last seven that I’ve slept peacefully. It was the day between the two big scary things our family faced last week (the first we worried was earth-shattering, the second that was).

Within this same week, I got encouraging feedback from a dream publisher for the book I want to write and I interviewed a podcast guest whom I’ve spent 25 years imagining a conversation with. (Kathrine Switzer is opening season two of our podcast! This interview, too, had highs and lows. Tech issues 👎👎, inspiring conversation👍👍.)

On March 31st, we marked one year of The Uplifters Podcast 🥳. 53 episodes (thanks, Leap Year), each featuring the story of an extraordinary Uplifter, over 20,000 downloads, a Most Inspiring Podcast Signal Award Win, and a Quill Award Finalist for Best New Podcast… alongside more lessons and hard moments than I can count.

Most of us have never been nominated for a record number of Grammy Awards or had a book at the top of the New York Times list, but we all experience peaks and valleys. Sometimes we will need to hold it all. This movie found me right when I needed it. I hope this message finds you right when you need it.

Mindful Monday Journal Prompt

Through all of this week’s ups and downs, one thought kept me grounded: It will all pass- the beauty and the pain. Like Suleika Jaouad I want to feel it all. 

Think back to the last time you were in a peak or a valley. What thought helped you find a little peace when life felt like a rollercoaster?

Thanks for being here. I’m so grateful that we are on this ride together.

Rising Higher, Together

This May 17 we will host our first-ever LIVE Uplifters gathering. I’m pouring decades of experience designing events and workshops into this. We still have a few tickets left, so I hope you’ll join me and our guests from the first year of The Uplifters Podcast for a day of collaboration and creative growth in NYC on May 17.

Check out the agenda and get info on tickets HERE. 

Paid Subscriber Bonuses You’ll Find in Today’s Newsletter

✨ You can listen to every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, or wherever you get your podcasts. For those of you who are more visual, you’ll find the extended-cut video of 70-year-old competitive bodybuilder and well-aging advocate Gerilynn Berg and me below.

✨ Join our April Workshop: Clearing Clutter to Make Space for Self-Care. When your life is filled with excess belongings, making space for healthy habits can be challenging. Join Clutter Coach Melanie Cohen and me for a workshop to help you carve out space for what matters most.