What if it were easy?

Grandma says ice cream for dinner is one of her secrets to a long and healthy life, so don’t rule it out just yet.

Hey Uplifters!

Remember when we thought adulting would be all about having ice cream for dinner? Well, turns out it's more about juggling flaming chainsaws while riding a unicycle.

Here’s the irony: it’s freaking hard to make things easier. If easier were obvious, we’d already be doing it.

🕵🏼 Here are my 5 favorite questions to sleuth out a little more ease:

1. How could you consolidate? Are there multiple processes, services, tools, people, or places serving the same needs? What would be possible if you streamlined those?

2. What if you trusted your gut? Do you really need data to know what works here?

3. What if you asked for help?

Kara Cutruzzula

keeps telling me about this book. What would be possible if, when faced with challenges, we asked ourselves, “Who could help?” instead of “How do I do this?”?

4. What if you did less? What’s the worst that would happen? What’s the best that would be possible?

5. What if you let things simmer? This one is hard for me, but what if we didn’t rush to get the things done and instead just let them simmer and see what happens while we aren’t tending to them?

So there you have it, my fellow jugglers of flaming chainsaws on unicycles. These questions aren't just food for thought – they're a whole buffet of possibilities.

Making things easier isn't about finding a magic wand (though if you find one, please share). It's about being brave enough to question our habits, smart enough to learn from our experiments, and kind enough to forgive ourselves when things don't go as planned.

As we navigate this wild ride called "adulting," let's not forget that sometimes, the most revolutionary act is to pause, breathe, and, yes, occasionally, have ice cream for dinner.

So, dear Uplifters, I challenge you: Pick one of these questions. Sit with it. Play with it. See what unfolds. And then – here's the kicker – share your story because your "aha" moment might just be the spark another Uplifter needs.

Together, we're not just making things easier. We're reimagining what's possible. We're creating ripples of change that can turn into waves. And who knows? Maybe we'll find that the secret to juggling flaming chainsaws on a unicycle isn't about perfecting our technique but about learning when to put them down and enjoy the circus.

Until next time, keep questioning, keep experimenting, and keep uplifting. The world needs your light – in all its imperfect, beautiful, ice-cream-loving glory.

Let’s keep rising higher together ✨,

Aransas

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Your Next Uplifter

Our next episode of The Uplifters Podcast is headed your way on Thursday. You’ll meet Alison Mariella Désir. Alison is the author of Running While Black, the TV host and producer of the award-winning show Out & Back w/ Alison Mariella Désir (now streaming), and the host of Out & Back’s companion podcast; listen here.

Alison is the founder of Harlem Run, an NYC-based running movement, and Run 4 All Women, which has raised over $150,000 for Planned Parenthood and $270,000 for Black Voters Matter.

Alison is co-founder and former chair of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition, a nonprofit that unites the running industry to provide resources, measure progress, and hold the industry accountable to equitable employment, leadership, and ownership positions and improve inclusion, visibility, and access for Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

Alison is the co-founder of Women of Color Take the Lead Retreat, the first-ever running-industry retreat centering on the experience of women and femme of color with the mission to validate, support, and lead the change they want to see in the running industry.

In 2023, Alison was named one of the “45 Most Adventurous Women of the Past 45 Years” by Men’s Journal and one of the “Changemakers of 2023” by Well + Good. In 2021 and 2022, Alison was named one of the “Power Women” by Women's Running Magazine. She was also named one of the most influential African Americans, aged 25 to 45, by The Root 100. Alison has designed her own clothing collection with Oiselle (the AMD Collection) and created the first ever satin-lined running cap, made with Black women’s hair care needs in mind. Alison is currently sponsored by Brooks Running as part of the Run Happy Advocate team.

Alison holds her BA in History, MA in Latin American and Caribbean Regional Studies, and EdM in Counseling Psychology, all from Columbia University.

Alison sits on the board for &Mother, is part of the Athlete Alliance with Protect Our Winters, and is an Athlete Ambassador for Athlete Ally.

Paid Subscriber Zone

✨ Huge gratitude to all of our paid subscribers, especially our newest paid Subscriber

Susan R. Pryde

! Your support makes all the difference.

✨ As always, all of my writing is free and you can listen to every episode of the podcast for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, or wherever you get your podcasts. For those of you who are more visual or want to take a deeper dive with our guests and who want to support this work with a paid subscription, you’ll find the extended-cut video of my conversation with Marcia Morgan below.

✨September Subscriber Workshop: Let’s channel those good old back-to-school vibes for some focused reprioritization. We’re gonna use this as a working session to share ways we’re stuck in our progress, brainstorm new ways to overcome mental, physical, and even technical hurdles, and boost our momentum! You'll gain valuable insights from both your own challenges and those of your peers. You'll:

• Share your sticking points

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• Learn from others' experiences

• Leave feeling focused and energized