The Rooms That Change Us: A Reflect Rhythm

There are moments in life when a room has the power to shift something in you forever. 🚪
Not because of the walls or the stage, but because of what it awakens inside you.

 

This summer, I stepped into two such rooms: the Pink Skirt Project Summit and the Powerhouse Women Conference.🌸 Both cracked me open in ways I never expected. Both reminded me that true transformation doesn’t always happen in solitude—sometimes it unfolds when we step into the room, even if our voice trembles.

 

This past weekend, surrounded by women daring to dream bigger, I noticed a common thread woven through every conversation: get out of your own way. And I began to see how often I overanalyze, overexplain, and over-rationalize—thinking I'm being careful, when really it's just a shield. A protection mechanism. A way to keep myself safe. 

🛡Safe from judgment.
🛡Safe from criticism.
🛡Safe from failure.

 

But oh, failure. Why does it feel so unbearably heavy? Why have I equated failure with giving up, instead of seeing it as what it really is—just another step in an evolving story?

 

The Pink Skirt Summit: Where the Seed Was Planted

 

When I walked into the Pink Skirt Project Summit, I was scared, shy, and yet deeply motivated to connect and expand. 🌱

Then I witnessed something that shifted me: women unapologetically stepping into their voice, their purpose, their brilliance. I remember sitting there with tears in my eyes, realizing how long I had kept myself small.

 

I didn’t even know what “playing big” would look like for me, but I could feel it stirring. That conference planted the seed. 

🔑 And it gave me permission to dare:

🌸 Dare believe in my dreams.
🌸 Dare believe in my capabilities.
🌸 Dare believe that even my struggles are growth opportunities.
🌸 Dare believe that I can make it.

 

The Pink Skirt Project was more than an event—it was a space where purpose, presence, and power intersected beautifully. A place where women like me could rise before we felt ready. A space where I was invited to dream bigger than I ever had before.

And it wasn't just the energy of the room—it was the lessons that landed deep:

✨ Why not you? Why not now?

The truth is, playing small serves no one. Someone will step into the opportunity—so why not me? If not now, when? The message was clear: it’s time to go all in on yourself. 🚀

 

✨ Put yourself first.

A lesson many mothers struggle to embrance: self-care isn't selfish. It's one of the most selfless choices we can make. When I care for myself, I give my children and loved ones the best version of me. 

And as one speaker reminded us, not everything is a true emergency—sometimes what looks like a "kitchen fire" 🔥 is only smoke.

Real self-worth is knowing what truly matters, and letting the rest go. 

 

 

✨ The two opinions that matter.

When I heard one of the speakers say this, it struck me right in the heart: the only two opinions that really matter are from your 8-year-old self and your 80-year-old self. 

 

👧 Would my 8-year-old self be proud of how I'm living today?
Would she see the joy, creativity, and wonder she once carried still alive in me?
Or would she see someone who traded curiosity for control, playfulness for perfection, and authenticity for safety?

👵 And then—my 80-year-old self. 
When I look back decades from now, will I see a life filled with presence and love, or one filled with regrets about playing it small?
Will I be grateful that I dared, that I loved deeply, that I showed up fully—not just for others, but for myself too?

These two inner voices—the child in me and the elder in me—matter far more than the noise of the crowd. Because the crowd is fleeting. Opinions shift with the wind. But the child within and the elder I'm becoming? They are constant. They are honest. They are compass. 🧭

And in many ways, this is the essence of conscious living and parenting: honoring the child in me, so I can better honor the child in front of me. Living today in such a way that my elder self will smile, knowing I chose presence over perfection, courage over fear, and love over performance. 

 

 

✨ Choose yourself.

The truth is, fear never really leaves. 

It lingers in the background like static noise—sometimes loud, sometimes faint, but always present. 

What I was reminded of this weekend is that courage isn't the absence of fear. It's the decision to move forward while fear tags along. 

 

🌿 Choose yourself in the small ways.

Prioritize your well-being every day. 
Rest when your body whispers for it—don’t wait until burnout roars.
Say no when your plate is already full, and yes to moments of stillness.
Give yourself permission to pause—because small acts of self-care create a foundation for lasting growth.

 

💡 Choose yourself in the brave ways.

Speak your truth out loud, even if your voice trembles.
Step into the room, even when you feel unworthy.
Share your story, even while it’s still unfolding.
Bravery isn’t about being fearless—it’s about choosing to show up anyway.

 

❤️ Choose yourself in the lasting ways.

Invest in your personal growth.
Surround yourself with people who lift you higher and hold you accountable.
Commit to the vision of who you’re becoming—not just who you’ve been. Long-term transformation begins with consistent choices rooted in self-love. 

 

Conscious living is about choosing yourself again and again—even when it's messy, even when it's uncomfortable, even when fear sits besides you. 

Because every time you choose yourself, you create a ripple that gives others permission to do the same. 🌊

 

Powerhouse Women Conference: Where the Seed Demanded to Grow

 

Months later, at the Powerhouse Women Conference, that tiny seed demanded to be watered. 🌱

I cried so much that weekend. Not tears of sadness, but tears of recognition. My whole being whispered:

Why not you? Why not now?
What’s holding you back from being seen, heard, and loved—or even disliked?

 

For the past few years, I’ve been unraveling my identity—slowly, bravely, silently. Therapy cracked the door open, and with each step I’ve peeled away another mask:

🎭 the mask of smallness,
🎭 the mask of imposter syndrome,
🎭 the mask of unworthiness.

Each layer shed has brought me closer to the essence within—the part of me waiting to be seen, heard, and fully alive. Powerhouse reminded me that this unveiling is never over; there’s always more light to uncover.

 

That weekend, I did something bold. After crying until my eyes were sore, I said yes to the Upgrade. And that moment felt aligned, as though my soul was finally claiming her place. ✨

But then…I walked into the room.
And just like that, the old voices returned:

❌ “You don’t belong here.”
❌ “Everyone already knows each other.”
❌ “You’re the outsider.”
❌ “They already have things figured out.”

 

I shrank. I made myself small again.

 

But this time, something was different. Beneath the fear, my intuition rose louder. 🌟 I realized that connection and the right support are lifelines —for conscious living and parenting too. When we feel supported, we stop showing up from fear and start showing up from love.

Three of the biggest lessons from the Powerhouse Women Conference:

 

✨ You’re Not That Special, And Yet You Are.

This paradox felt like freedom.

 

🌍 I'm not so special that the world is watching my every move, waiting for me to stumble. People are busy living their own lives.
🌸 And yet, I am special because my story—my struggles, my lessons, my growth—might be the exact permission someone else needs to take their next step.

 

In conscious parenting, our children learn more from what we model than what we say. I can’t teach my children that their voice matters if I don’t believe my own does. True authentic parenting means leading by example—showing them that self-worth is not built on perfection, but on living with authenticity and presence.

 

✨ Expansion Feels Like Contraction.

I followed my intuition into that room, but once inside, I felt small. Out of place. Completely outside my comfort zone.

🌱 But growth doesn't happen in the comfort of what we already know.

👣 Babies learn to walk by falling, and we celebrate every stumble as progress.
Why, as adults, do we call our stumbles failure?

 

Maybe it’s the inner child still carrying the sting of being reprimanded for mistakes. Conscious living—and inner child healing—invite us to rewrite that story, both for ourselves and our children. To model what it looks like to stumble and keep going. To teach that mistakes and failures aren’t signs we don’t belong, but proof that we are growing.

 

✨ Progress Beats Perfection.

Perfectionism has been my companion for years. It gave me order, accolades, and control. But it also kept me from showing up for my dreams.

 

At Powerhouse, I saw clearly: even those who appear to "have it all together" wrestle with fear, self-doubt, and unworthiness. The difference isn't talent or worth—it's action. 

✔️ They don't wait for perfect.
✔️ They do it anyway.
✔️ They do it in spite of.
✔️ They trust the process more than they fear the shortcomings.

And isn't that the lesson I want to live out for my children?

💖 That we don't wait until we are perfect to step into life. 
💖 That courage matters more than control. 
💖 That our stories—messy and unfinished—are worthy of being shared.

 

Powerhouse reminded me that conscious growth almost never feels comfortable. But when I choose to rise anyway, I'm not just doing it for me—I'm reshaping the story my children inherit. 🌟

 

The Voice That Rose Louder

Even as I shrank, my intuition rose louder than the fear:

✨ You are ready for the upgrade.
✨ You are ready to step into the woman you were meant to be.
✨ You don’t need the masks anymore.

The mask of unworthiness.
The mask of imposter syndrome.
The mask of invisibility.
And so many more. 

At Pink Skirt Project Conference I learned what it meant to plant the seed of daring. 🌱

At Powerhouse Women Conference, I discovered that growth isn't always a straight climb upward—it often comes through both expansion and contraction.

 

One moment, you feel like you're soaring. 🌸
The next, you feel small, shaky, almost invisible. 🌑
But that doesn't mean you're in the wrong room. 

It means you're standing on the threshold of becoming. ✨

 

And perhaps this is the most important truth for me as a woman, and as a mother: when I rise through the contraction, my children learn that growth is not about perfection—it's about listening to the voice within that whispers:

💖 You are ready. Even here. Even now.

 

The Gift These Rooms Gave Me

The greatest gift I carried home from these rooms wasn't a strategy or a step-by-step formula. It was a shift in how I see myself. 🎁

I realized it's not about waiting until I feel ready.
It's about daring to say yes before I feel ready.

 

Because belonging isn’t something a room, a title, or a role grants me—it's something I create the moment I choose to claim it within myself.

 

So here I am:
🌱 Choosing to stop hiding.
🌱 Choosing to expand.
🌱 Choosing to step into this next chapter of my life—not just for me, but for my children who are watching how I live, love, and lead.

 

And if you’ve ever felt small, invisible, or like the outsider, maybe this is your invitation too:

✨ Why not you? Why not now?

 

Because conscious living —and conscious parenting—begin with this simple truth:

💖 When we rise, those around us learn that they can rise too. 

 

 

💌 If this message spoke to you, pass it on to a friend who might need a soft pause today.

 

We’ll be here each week, exploring what it means to Reconnect, Reflect, and Refine—in parenting and in life.

If this space feels like a breath in your week—a place to come back to yourself and your child—you’re in the right place.

 

 

📝 This Week’s Reflection Prompt:

Think back to a moment you walked into a room that felt intimidating.

What mask did you wear to feel safe or accepted?

What would it mean to set that mask down today—and walk in as your authentic self?

 

Let this question guide you—not to fix, but to notice.
To come home to yourself, one small moment at a time.