What's in this issue: 

• How to embrace fresh starts without rushing the process

• Building routines that actually prioritize YOU first

• Finding gratitude in the chaos (even when everything feels overwhelming)

The real talk: Sometimes the universe wraps your birthday gift in the messiest, most stressful package possible.

Hey ,

Well, here I am writing to you from the other side of what feels like the longest few weeks of my life! If you've been following along, you know I've been in career limbo after getting that dreaded layoff notice while dealing with my brain tumor diagnosis. But plot twist - I started a new role this week as a Production Lead on Google's Digital First Team, and it's also my birthday week!

Talk about emotional whiplash, verdad?

Building Fresh Start Routines That Actually Stick

When life hands you a clean slate (wanted or not), here's how to build routines that center YOU instead of just productivity:

• Start with your morning energy: Before you check email, before you rush out the door, ask yourself: "What does my body and mind need right now?" Maybe it's mobility movement, maybe it's just sitting with your coffee in silence. Honor that first.

• Set intentions, not just goals: Instead of "I need to be more organized," try "I want to feel calm and prepared when I start my workday." The energy behind intentions creates more sustainable habits than rigid goal-setting.

• Block time for what matters to YOU: We protect meeting time with others but not with ourselves. Put your self-care, your personal projects in your calendar like they're non-negotiable appointments (porque they are!).

• Partner with your support system: Whether it's your manager, your partner, or your friends - don't try to build new routines in isolation. Share what you're working toward and ask for accountability that feels supportive, not judgmental.

• Give yourself permission to grieve the old while embracing the new: Fresh starts don't mean we have to immediately forget what came before. You can be excited about new opportunities AND still process the emotions from difficult transitions.

Recuerda: The best routines aren't about perfection - they're about creating space for the person you're becoming.

Can I tell you something wild? This is the first time I haven't worked for more than a week in... honestly, I can't even remember when. And you know what? It taught me something I desperately needed to learn: how to slow down.

I spent those forced weeks off really examining how I'd been living. Between dealing with my brain tumor diagnosis, getting that layoff scare, and having this incredible community rally around me during crisis (plus lots of therapy to help me navigate ALL the emotions), I've had this major shift in how I want to approach life.

For months, when I thought about "prioritizing myself," it was mostly about getting to doctor's appointments and managing my health stuff. Which, ya sabes, is important! But I realized I was still thinking about self-care as this clinical thing rather than... joy. When's the last time I made intentional space for things that actually fill up my cup? Like journaling without rushing, diving into crafts projects, reading for pleasure, or working on my newsletter because I want to, not because I'm scrambling to get something out.

I've been thinking about this idea: what if instead of work-life balance, we aimed for work-life-growth balance? Where growth isn't just climbing the corporate ladder, but making space for the things that fuel us as humans?

This new role - leading content management and strategy for Google's HR knowledge base - feels like such a perfect bridge between my background and growing interest in people development. But más importante, it's happening at a time when I'm stepping into a version of myself that feels more grounded. Less about chasing that next milestone and more about the lifestyle and day-to-day experience I actually want to have.

Starting fresh during my birthday week feels like the universe saying "here's your gift, wrapped in the most chaotic packaging we could find" 😅

I'm building routines that keep me accountable to this new mindset. Slower mornings where I can move my body and walk my dogs before my brain jumps into work mode. Treating my content creation with the same intentionality I bring to my day job instead of this cycle of scrambling or disappearing (sorry about that pattern, by the way!).

The timing feels overwhelming in the best way possible. I'm still processing everything that's happened these past few months, but there's something so hopeful about beginning this new chapter during birthday season. All that gratitude I've been practicing? It's absolutely overflowing right now.

_{¿Qué dijo? / What did she say?}
 verdad - right/true
porque - because
Recuerda - remember
ya sabes - you know
más importante - more importantly