Hi Reader,

Whew! After a looooooooooooooooooooong break from blogging & YouTubing (yeah, I'm making that verb) at a very inopportune moment, I'm finally getting back to reality, and I'm EXCITED about diving back in again!

I couldn't find an Eminem GIF that fit, so this one of Michael Scott works. 😂 *Feelin' hot, hot, hot.* 🥁 IYKYK

Here’s what happened after I went dark last September:

I’ve been in a new season of growth this past year. And with that new phase, growing pains were kind of inevitable.

The truth is, some of my old systems don’t support this season nearly as well as they supported the last one. I tried to brute-force my way through that mismatch—like I always had—until I realized rest was nowhere to be found on the horizon. No light at the end of that tunnel, seemingly.

By early December, most of the holiday sales work was wrapped, but I was suddenly knee-deep in all the invisible prep and BTS admin work that comes with stepping away when ya don't have a team to take over: invoices, client communication, member communication, scheduling posts, blocking off calendars, & updating autoresponders…

My resting heart rate was way too high. I had to cut caffeine entirely. And somewhere in there, it finally happened:

I had burnt the fuck out. 🥵🔥

By Christmas Eve, I was physically sick. Fatigue. Foggy-brained. Coughing through every sentence. Losing my voice. Unable to sleep because lying down made the coughing worse—and still, no caffeine. (But hey, at least the headaches were gone!)

My body had had ENOUGH. 🫣
So it paused for me.

It took a few weeks to fully recover, though I felt more like myself after about a week—I just couldn’t talk. And then it seemed like everyone was catching some version of the same thing, which made me feel less alone.

Now, I’m in the reset.

I’m reorienting myself in this new phase with different intentions. My internal systems are getting an upgrade so I can support this phase of growth more sustainably—letting some things ride, putting others down for a while, and focusing on what actually matters to me this year.

My point is this: ​
None of us are perfect. Even after 10 years of doing this—and not having experienced burnout like this in a long time—it can still sneak up on you fast! Even when you know the signs. Because we’re carrying too much. And also, the weight of the world right now is HEAVY.

If you’re feeling that weight, you’re not battling it alone. I think we all are, on some level. And somehow, knowing that makes it a little easier to bear. 🖤

On a lighter note—and in the spirit of keeping things real—here’s a quick/fun behind-the-scenes update!

My first LTDT YouTube Live

I did an impromptu live on YouTube Monday, mostly to see how it felt and whether it worked to share a short update with you and my thoughts/feelings around the exhaustion & how I've been dealing with it so far this year.

And to give you permission to go slow. Pause before you reset this year.
You can watch it below!

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If you enjoyed that, leave a comment & let me know. I may be doing more (scheduled) lives this year!

My nerdy glasses upgrade!

Oh, also: I finally updated my glasses. And they’re SUPER fun. I’ll be wearing them more often, and it was honestly time to change up my old frames from 2009. (Not kidding.)

I decided to try Pair Eyewear*—and I get the hype now. 🤩😍

I’ve always preferred contacts for ease, but I wanted fun glasses too. The problem was always the cost—because who’s spending a fortune on multiple pairs just for variety?

With Pair*, I bought one set of frames with my prescription lenses (plus blue-light blocking) and a bunch of magnetic toppers for under $330. Now I basically have one base frame I love and 18 toppers I can swap out—including a couple that turn them into sunglasses! 😎

It’s the first time in 30+ years that wearing glasses actually feels… fun! Which feels like a small but very satisfying win for my bad vision. LOL

That's it for now—and frankly—as per usual, that's more than enough until next time. 😁

See ya then!!

Katelyn Web Designer & Educator ​Thrivin' on coffee, community, cursing & carefully laid plans!