On a cool September day three years ago, I was at home in my small apartment in New York doing what I normally did every weekend — folding a massive pile of laundry with the help of one of my siblings. This was a chore that I typically dreaded doing but for some reason on that day, I decided to put on some music and move through the task as mindfully as I could. I was home for the semester after getting laid off and taking the leap of faith to take a break from school and focus on starting my business. I was overwhelmed — internally battling through the calcified muck of years of being overworked and under appreciated that left me burnt out and deeply disconnected from myself. I was exhausted but I desperately wanted to jump into being a practitioner full-time — a dream that I had had for years but could not muster up the energy to actually execute.

After I finished folding my share of the laundry in the living room, I walked back to my room to grab some of my sibling’s share. As I made my way back to the living room — feeling the creek of the worn hardwood floors under my bare feet that mirrored my weary spirit — a single thought popped into my mind: “I just want to be free.” I began folding the next set of laundry, paying attention to the warmth of the clothes, the texture of the shirts, the way my body stretched through tension as I picked up another item. Then clarity suddenly poured through me. For a long time I was worried about not knowing enough. I feared that someone outside of me would have the answers or know some critical piece of information that would pull the rug out from under me. So I spent my life seeking — seeking approval, validation, direction—only to find myself deeply miserable on the path that society and external markers of success had led me down. In that moment, I realized the bigger issue was being so dependent on information outside of myself that I was disconnected from the information available within. I realized that freedom didn’t come from some magical place outside of me or from someone giving me permission. It came from trusting what I already knew about myself and following the nudges of my intuition without fear.

So what do I know to be true? Despite all of the horrible things happening in the world, I know everything is going to be okay. If enough of us have even a fraction of the hope, delusion, motivation, and focus of Nicolandria stans (iykyk), liberation will be easy to achieve. I know that freedom is as simple as breathing. The real challenge is releasing all of the programming, fear, and shame that get in the way of us showing up authentically. As a practitioner, my role is to help you clear the way but you already know the path back to yourself. You already know everything you need to know and you already have everything you need. It’s just a matter of connecting to your truth and trusting it to guide you. As much as our society—built on supremacy, violence, and fear—fights to keep us subjugated and dependent on a handful of disconnected billionaires with inflated senses of self-importance, the truth is: liberation is easy. Freedom is easy. It is a core aspect of who we are. So what becomes possible when you settle into that truth and notice how it lands in your body?

If you’re looking for a space to catch your breath and reconnect with your own inner-wisdom, RSVP for this month’s Collective Energy Reset. This is a container that will support you in grounding and recalibrating your energy to your authentic frequency.

As you continue moving through this very chaotic year, I invite you to consider: How can you give yourself more permission to trust your own inner-knowing?

Thanks for reading as always!

With gratitude,

Paula