🌻 Plot twist: maybe your goals need a glow-up too

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What's in this issue:

• How to evaluate goals without the guilt spiral

• My mid-year pivot from resilience to joy (and what that looks like)

• Why letting go might be the most productive thing you do

The real talk: Progress isn't always about checking boxes—sometimes it's about surviving with grace and adjusting course.

Hey ,

We're officially past the halfway point of 2025. You know what that usually brings, right? Those "where did the year go?" feelings mixed with a healthy dose of goal anxiety.

I've been thinking lately about how we consume information—whether it's news, social media, or even our own progress updates. There's something to be said for getting a clear, focused snapshot without all the noise and overwhelm. Sometimes the best way to stay informed (about the world or about ourselves) is to cut through the clutter and focus on what actually matters - thank you, Morning Brew 😉

Speaking of which, what if this mid-year moment wasn't about measuring yourself against some arbitrary checklist? What if it was about getting real about what actually matters and making space for what you need most right now?

Evaluating Goals Without the Guilt Spiral

Mid-year reflections can feel overwhelming, especially when life has thrown you curveballs you never saw coming. Here's how to approach your goals with curiosity instead of judgment:

• Start with what you've actually accomplished: Before diving into what you haven't done, take stock of what you have managed. This includes the hard stuff—getting through difficult moments, showing up for yourself and others, adapting when things changed. Those count as wins too.

• Ask the deep questions: For each goal that's still hanging around, get curious: Why was this important to you in January? Does it still align with your values today? Is the timeline actually meaningful, or just arbitrary pressure you're putting on yourself?

• Distinguish between letting go and giving up: Sometimes we release goals because we need to focus our energy elsewhere (healthy). Other times we drop them because we're avoiding accountability (less helpful). Be honest with yourself about which one you're doing.

• Break it down or break up with it: If a goal still matters to you but feels overwhelming, chunk it into smaller pieces. If it doesn't matter anymore? Permission granted to let it go without guilt.

• Consider what you need now: Your January self set goals based on what she knew then. Your August self has more information. What does she need to thrive in the second half of the year?

Recuerda: Goals are meant to serve you, not stress you out. If they're not adding value to your life, it's okay to adjust or release them entirely.

Every year, I pick a word to guide me—a sort of mantra for the twelve months ahead. This year's word wasn't chosen with excitement or anticipation. It was chosen with necessity: resilience.

I knew 2025 was going to require a different kind of strength from me. Between the continued attacks on the Latino community that feel increasingly personal, navigating healthcare systems with my brain tumor diagnosis, and then getting laid off after nine years at Google... resilience wasn't what I wanted to focus on, pero it was definitely what I needed.

And you know what? I've been resilient. I've weathered every storm, adapted to every curveball, and kept moving forward even when the path got unclear. But as I sit here in August, looking back at the first half of this year, I'm realizing something important: I haven't just survived—I've learned.

This mid-year reflection doesn't feel like "I didn't do enough." It feels more like "I didn't do enough of the things I wanted to do." And that's a crucial difference.

When I set my intentions back in January, I had visions of getting back into running, maybe training for a 5K, trying pilates or returning to barre classes. My body had other plans. Six months of physical therapy later, I'm still working on basic mobility, still navigating what movement looks like when your body is healing.

But here's what I'm proud of: instead of beating myself up about not hitting those movement goals, I listened. I adjusted. I found other ways to honor my body and show up for myself. That flexibility? That's resilience in action.

The truth is, I didn't set many specific goals this year beyond movement and maintaining work-life boundaries. Maybe I had a hint it would be challenging and didn't want to disappoint myself. Maybe I finally accepted that I'm terrible at rigid habits and that's okay. Either way, I don't regret it.

This approach—staying present, staying flexible, staying open to pivot—has been incredibly freeing. It's helped me learn what truly matters to me versus what I feel pressured to accomplish. And now, as I look toward the second half of 2025, I'm ready for a shift.

I want to explore what joy looks like alongside resilience. How do you make space for choice and happiness when life demands so much strength? How do you find moments of lightness without dismissing the weight of what you're carrying?

I'm still figuring this out, but I think it starts with asking: What can I do today—just today—to smile, to feel hope, to show up as the person I want to be in this world? Some days that might be a fulfilling action. Other days it might mean resting, decompressing, and taking it easy.

Both are valid. Both are progress.

_{¿Qué dijo? / What did she say?}
pero - but
Recuerda - remember