Welcome to this month's Exhale .

Before we dive in, an invitation to take what you need in this moment:

→ A free 6-min grounding meditation (Ease & Exhale)

→ A mantra I'm loving: The more I soften, the more I see.

→ My fave ritual right now: sunshine on bare skin, feet in the earth, no phone

FREE Ease and Exhale Meditation

Let's begin.

I had a plan, a schedule, and a list of to-dos... and life had another.

Flights were booked, dates mapped out, a rhythm in mind — Bali was meant to be a reset, a “family-moon before baby” kind of retreat, a chance to immerse in personal practice and to capture some content for my upcoming programs (more on that soon). But as life often does, it asked me to loosen my grip. To soften my expectations. To surrender.

And so this trip became something else. Not what I planned — but perhaps what I needed.

There were days when I felt deeply connected, expansive, creative and in-flow within the fleeting moments of calm. There were also days (& nights) of no sleep, skipping sights and experiences on our to-do list to accommodate extra rest, and volcanic ash clouds delaying flights til 2:30am with an awake and unwell little one velcroed to mama.

But in what seemingly felt like a mess, I found a gentle lesson — one I wanted to share with you in this edition of The Exhale.

Surrender isn’t giving up.

It’s softening into the truth of what is.

It’s letting go of the labels we attach to “good” or “bad.”

It’s being willing to meet life in its fluidity — and noticing where we resist, control, or contract instead.

Because in that resistance, we separate ourselves from the flow.

And in that surrender, we return to it.

I don’t have a perfect 5-step process. Just this reminder:

You are allowed to change course.

To shift plans.

To recalibrate your definition of alignment.

To hold your vision loosely and your self kindly.

Maybe you’re in a season of growth, maybe rest. Maybe both.

Wherever you are, I hope this finds you like a long exhale — soft, steady, and enough.

What I’m leaning into lately:

🌀 The wisdom of the body

🌺 Saying yes to less

🌿 Creativity through stillness

✍🏼 Journaling without an outcome

With love & kindness always 🙏

Kindly,

Mel

P.S. Have a question or something you’d like to share? Let's start a conversation! Simply reply to this email— I’d love to hear from you.

Find balance, create impact. ⤸