Taking up Space

After missing another week, Taking Up Space is moving to Wednesdays.

This week, I'm talking about something I've mentioned on the podcast before but haven't really sat down and talked about: living with chronic illness.

October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month, so it felt like a good time to talk about what chronic illness actually looks like in my everyday life, especially while trying to balance college, work, photography, motorsports, and everything else.

I'm talking about the parts people see, the parts they don't, learning to work with my body instead of constantly fighting against it, the guilt that comes with having to change plans, and figuring out what it means to build the life and career I want while also having to do some things differently.

No medical advice or perfect answers here. Just my experience and a conversation I've wanted to have for a while.

Thanks for hanging out with me :)

So... what am I actually doing after college?

I'm officially a senior, which means the whole “what are you doing after graduation?” question is starting to feel a little more real. I know I want to work in motorsports, but beyond that, I'm still figuring out what I actually want my career to look like.

For this episode, I'm talking about the pressure to have everything figured out, trying to turn a bunch of different interests into an actual career, and why maybe not having a perfect plan isn't such a bad thing.

I'm also bringing in a conversation I had with Taylor Kitchen, founder of Above the Yellow Line, about her own career path in motorsports media and how she figured things out along the way.

Basically, we're talking about the whole career thing.

Thanks for hanging out with me :)

Okay, we're taking a little break from the deep conversations this week.

After taking a week off, I figured it was time for a little life update. This episode is basically me sitting down and catching you up on what I've been up to lately, from getting back into the swing of senior year and balancing classes, work, and dance to everything else that's been going on behind the scenes.

No big lesson, no perfectly planned topic. Just a casual chat about life lately and where I'm at right now.

Thanks for hanging out with me

Senior year has officially started, which means one question suddenly feels a lot more serious: what are you doing after graduation?

In this episode, I’m talking about the pressure to have your entire future figured out while you're still in college. The career plan, the five-year plan, the internships, the job, the city you're going to live in, all while you're still trying to figure out what you actually want.

I’m also getting into where that pressure comes from, how senior year makes everything feel more urgent, comparing yourself to people who seem to have it all figured out, and trying to build a career in motorsports without knowing exactly where I’ll end up.

Senior year starts now.

August 24 marks the first official day of my final year at BGSU, and for the first time, graduation feels close enough to make the question of “what comes next?” feel very real.

In the first episode of Taking Up Space, I’m starting at the beginning: who I am, how I ended up studying PR and working in motorsports media, why I want to turn my love of racing into a career, and why I decided to document this year in the first place.

I’m talking about what I’m excited for, what scares me, the pressure of figuring out a career while still in college, and what it means to take up space in an industry where I don’t always feel like I belong.

I don't have the answers yet. I don't even know exactly where this year is going to take me.

But that's the point.

This is where we start.

What happens when you decide to stop waiting until you feel ready?

I’m starting my senior year with a goal I’ve been working toward for years: turning my love of motorsports into an actual career.

I’m a PR student, photographer, sports media creator, and motorsports fan, and I’m still figuring out where I fit in all of it.

Taking Up Space is my attempt to document that process in real time. The school, the photography, the career questions, the wins, the setbacks, the imposter syndrome, and what it means to be a young woman trying to build a place for herself in a male-dominated industry.

I don’t know exactly where this year is going to take me.

That’s kind of the point.

Taking Up Space launches August 24.