The August Digest
There’s this sweet spot I’ve been trying to excavate and live in lately - the one between doing the work and being in the work.
That feeling when you’re knocking out emails, updating materials (again), sending pitches, prepping for class, taking big swings - and you’re not doing it because you’re panicked or behind. You’re doing it because something in you feels clear. Ready. Lit up.
That’s what I’m chasing. Lately, I’m realizing that some of the most powerful, needle-moving action I’ve taken has come from a place of ease.
Of joy.
Of alignment.
Of sitting at my desk, Elvis and seventies oldies filtering through the speakers, fifth mug of roasted dandelion tea at hand, fully in my body… and sending that email not because I’m panicking, but because I know I’m ready to be seen.
Of asking myself: Am I working or am I gripping? Am I aligned… or just tired? Am I pushing because it’s time - or because I don’t know who I am if I’m not constantly doing?
The truth I’ve been anchoring into over the past month is that inspired action isn’t soft. It’s potent. It moves fast when you’re clear. It lands differently when you’re grounded. It’s not lazy to rest. It’s not indulgent to wait until you’re lit up before you send the pitch, record the tape, or update the website. It’s smart. It’s sustainable. It’s career longevity in this beast of an industry.
You can work hard (and you should). But let the why behind it be clean. Let the energy feel like you. Let it come from trust, not fear. We didn’t get into this business to grind; we got into it to tell stories. To take up space. To live fully, boldly, and joyfully.
And when your to-do list becomes an extension of that joy? You’re already winning.
That’s what August was for me: moving with decisive speed and allowing the flow of being led. Even when it’s hard. Even when I’m convinced or backsliding or those old “wasting time/falling behind” gargoyles rear their all-too familiar heads.
It’s been a realization that I need to fold within a cocoon of inspired action: not rushed, not forced, but undeniable aligned. The shift is landing, the clarity is louder, the energy is sharper, and the choices are more mine. And that challenge for September is something I alone can bear - and execute.
Take it from someone who hasn’t slept in her own Los Angeles bed for longer than a couple days at a time since April, and won’t through the end of the year: the to-do list hits different when your nervous system isn’t fried (something I need to repair this month). Your dream career doesn’t want the overworked version of you. It wants the fully alive one.
Keep reading for few things that have been keeping me intact through the nonstop hotels, flights, suitcases, and different beds (which may sound like transient chaos to some, but I’m never happier than being constantly on the move and sleeping - and exploring - in different places on a revolving door basis).
The Reads: Three Years from Thirty by Mike O’Malley, The Long Walk by Stephen King, A Challenge for the Actor by Uta Hagen, The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (not my usual fare, but needed a quick palate cleanser). Goal: carve out more time to read in September, get back into a joyful reading clip. Devour.
The Watchlist: Blood of My Blood (longtime fellow Outlander fans, unite), Caught Stealing by Darren Aronofsky, The Threesome by Chad Hartigan (early screening!), We Are Marshall (a rewatch for the obvious reason, if you know me), The Institute Season One.
The Favorites: Wandering Bear Decaf Cold Brew, Flora’s Finest Essential Oils (Enchantress is a favorite), Hot Eric Honey Electuary (stir into a warm mug of Elmhurst almond milk - gum-free), Maxine’s Heavenly for a gluten- and refined sugar-free treat (try Whole Foods), Topanga Canyon drives, my weekly Goop Kitchen delivery order.
Mantra: Find the joy.
