As we do the work of letting go of beliefs, patterns, and behavior - as we stop performing to earn value and set boundaries - something sneaks in like pre-dawn fog: grief. Grief is unexpected and often ignored, and it can hold us exactly where we are. This week I'm normalizing grief in personal growth and helping you namen what you're actually mourning. We're not just taking about capital G Grief (the profound loss of someone we love). We're talking about lowercase g frief - the ways grief weaves in and out of our lives as we grow and change. Including the strange grief of mourning someone who's still alive, still physically present.

In this episode:

• What we're actually grieving: the version of herself we'll never be again, relationships that didn't survive our growth, the years we lost, and the beliefs we're releasing
• Why growth requires goodbye—every time we step into a new version of ourselves, we close the door on who we used to be
• The four frameworks that explain grief and growth: growth requires goodbye, we grieve our unlived lives, anticipatory grief lives in liminal space, and joy and sorrow are dance partners
• How grief actually shows up: unexpected crying, exhaustion, anger, nostalgia for hard times, feeling lost and untethered
• Why we can't skip the mourning period—and what happens if we rush to fill the void with new commitments
• How to hold space for your grief: name it, feel it without fixing it, explore it, and create ritual for release

Quote of the week: "There's a Zen teacher that said what's holding you back is what you're holding onto."

Practice for this week: What identity, attitude, behavior, mindset, action, or belief are you holding onto that's holding you back? Notice the negative thought that says "that's not gonna work." This message kept you safe at some point—safe from ridicule, failure, the spotlight—but does it still apply? Thank it. Allow yourself to grieve it. And prepare yourself, because over the next few weeks we're gonna talk about building a life that suits you now.