Tuesday Thoughts: I tried something new, now what?

Isabelle
3 days ago
4 min read

Hi Friends,

Over the past few weeks, we’ve walked alongside very different women, each of them showing us something honest about courage and possibility. We began with Surya Bonaly, who defied expectations and reminded us that sometimes doing what has never been done matters more than fitting into what is accepted. We then looked at Alysa Liu, whose journey showed us the complexity of success and the importance of listening to ourselves, even when the world is watching. With Patsy Mink, we saw the quiet but determined power of creating change that opens doors for generations to come. And finally, we turned inward, to the most important woman in this story: you, the reader, the one whose life is not behind her but still unfolding, still asking, still becoming.There is something I’ve been noticing, not just in the women I speak to, but quietly within myself as well.

Even after all the insight, all the growth, and all the years we carry with us, we can still find ourselves waiting in subtle and almost invisible ways: waiting for a sign, for certainty, for someone, somewhere, to finally say, “Yes… now you can.”

Over the past month, we’ve reflected on women who made history, who challenged expectations, and who stepped into spaces that were never designed with them in mind. And just last week, we brought it all the way home to the most important woman in that story.

You.

And yet, even with all of that inspiration and recognition, there can still be that quiet hesitation lingering underneath the surface, asking questions we don’t always say out loud.

Am I allowed to want more now? Am I allowed to change direction? Am I allowed to step into something new at this stage of my life?

Today, I found myself inside those very questions in a way I didn’t expect.

For the first time in decades, I attended a political convention; something I had never done before and, if I’m honest, something I had consciously stayed away from for most of my life. But this time, I didn’t just sit on the sidelines observing. I found myself engaging in conversations during the breaks, lingering at vendor tables, asking questions, listening differently, and even speaking up during a workshop.

I was there. Fully there. And somewhere in the middle of all that, a new question quietly made its way in: Will I get involved? And the most honest answer I have right now is… I don’t know. That is for me to decide. Not my past. Not my patterns.Not the version of me that stayed on the sidelines for so many years. Me.

Because permission doesn’t arrive as a grand, undeniable moment filled with clarity and confidence. More often, it shows up in experiences like this: small openings, unexpected curiosity, moments where something inside you leans forward just a little, and then gently asks you what you want to do with it.

We tend to believe that permission will feel bold and certain, as if we will suddenly become a completely different version of ourselves overnight. But in truth, it is often much quieter than that, almost easy to miss if we are not paying attention.

It sounds like:“I could explore this a little more.”“I’m allowed to be curious.”“I don’t have to have it all figured out yet.”

And from there, action doesn’t need to be dramatic or life-altering in one sweeping move; it can begin with something much smaller, much more honest, and far more sustainable.

It might look like staying in the conversation a little longer than you normally would, asking one more question, returning to a space that sparked something in you, or simply allowing yourself to consider a path you would have dismissed in the past.

This is how a new chapter actually begins; not with certainty, but with willingness; not with a full plan, but with a single step taken in a new direction. One workshop today was actually about curiosity in conversation with people that we don't agree with. But more on that another day:)

So maybe this is how we close this month.

Not with a perfectly wrapped conclusion, and not with all the answers neatly in place, but with a quiet and grounded truth that you can carry forward into your own life: You are no longer waiting for permission. You are the one who gives it.

And whatever is gently tapping on your shoulder right now, an idea, a desire, a curiosity that you can’t quite explain yet: you don’t have to fully understand it in order to honor it.

You only have to decide…

Will you take one small step toward it?

This week's affirmation: I take one small step, and that is enough for today. Isabelle

PS: Message me for a free consult to start moving toward a more confident you.

You are loved. Deeply loved. Loved beyond measure.

Until next time,

Isabelle