This past week we stealthily crossed the 100 member milestone and I'm so so excited for it! A couple of you reached out about it (thank you!!) and @Chris Wendt 's post here100-members means so so much to me... This milestone belongs to all of you! It truly does! Thank you for showing up, contributing your voices, sharing your experiences, and helping create this space into what it is today. I never anticipated how this little corner of skool was going to take shape and I am so so truly thankful for it and for you all. A gift that I never knew was needed and didn't see coming. My heart is overflowing with joy. The connections formed and nurtured, the conversations sparked, and the growth truly wouldn’t exist without your willingness to engage and support one another and me. This community is possible because of you-your presence, insight, and energy matter more than you know. Thank you for making it the special space that it is. Here’s to what we’ve built together so far, and to everything still ahead!!!!💛 Excited!!!!!

For those celebrating: Merry Christmas! :) While not everyone is celebrating Christmas on the same day or in the same way, the message of hope is still there. :) Funsies calendar facts: Most of the Western world follows the Gregorian calendar, placing Christmas on December 25. Many Eastern Christian traditions follow the Julian calendar, where December 25 falls in early January. Same feast. Same meaning. Different ways of keeping time. (funsies fact: the gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582 and slowly shifted over the next few centuries; prior to this, the world operated under the julian calendar. some churches--to keep aligned with the liturgical life/component, maintained this 'older' calendar). Beyond dates, celebrations vary too. Some mark Christmas with quiet liturgy and fasting, others with family gatherings, music, food, and gift-giving. Some are in the middle of Advent; others have already arrived at the feast. Whether kept by the Julian reckoning (what a word!) or the Gregorian, Christmas proclaims the same mystery: the Eternal entered time, and the Word was made flesh. May the Light that came into the world shine upon you. Merry Christmas friends!!!! So thankful for you all! :) :) :) Do you celebrate Christmas?

@Emil Moldovan did a post in his own group about this very topic a while back and I thought it would be a neat way to learn more about the individuals in this community :) Names are often the first thing given to us before we have any say in who we are--they're chosen by family, culture, traditions, hope. Sometimes they carry expectation, history, or a meaning that we later grow into. They can reflect lineage, faith, resilience, or values.They can also hold stories that were never ours to choose. Then, we live. And the name ends up being a reflection of our own experiences, how we show up in the world..They can hold a power that we don't anticipate. Some questions: 1. How did you obtain your name--what's the history behind it? 2. Does your name mean something? 3. Do you have a nickname and how did you get it? 4. What do you want your name to stand for? Poll:

A lot of stress can come from putting energy in the wrong places--in places that either don't require our presence or in places that we don't /can't control and not really manage. We think about the future (which isn't here yet, btw) and we try to control it. Controlling something that doesn't yet exist is fascinating. Maybe we can try influencing instead or responding when it's here. What's in your control? Your choices, effort, boundaries, words, and how you respond. (but even these can be influenced by other factors outside of your 'control') Outside your control:Other people’s reactions, past events, timing, and outcomes (We fool ourselves into thinking that outcomes are in our control, but, again, there are other variables that can play a role in this) Within your influence:The tone you bring, the environment you help shape, how clearly you communicate, and the consistency of your actions. Growth happens when we stop trying to control outcomes and start taking responsibility for our responses. Questions to ponder: Where might your energy work better if it shifted from control to influence? Where have I had a difficult time letting go? What did you feel like when you finally accepted something and let go? Poll: How do I approach control?How do I respond when things feel uncertain?

I tell myself that I love a good challenge--and this is true if it's in an area where I feel either competent or excited about or both! But is it less true if those factors don't exist? Maybe. How much of a challenge is it really if it's still kind of in my comfort zone? Many people wait to feel ready before they take on something difficult. But readiness is usually the reward we get after doing the hard thing, not before. Challenges stretch our minds, expand our emotional bandwidth, and reshape our brains for the better. 🧠 Here comes the nerdy stuff!! I love it so much though: What's at work? 1. Prefrontal Cortex: This part of the brain supports planning, decision making and emotional regulation. Hard tasks strengthen this region, improving self control and long term thinking. Executive functioning skills here we come! 2. Anterior mid Cingulate Cortex: This region is activated when we face conflict, discomfort or uncertainty. It helps ups with building cognitive flexibility and grit. It helps us survive! 3. Hippocampus: Challenges promote neuroplasticity which supports learning, memory and resilience. Pushing your limits in manageable doses helps this area 4. Dopamine System: Completing difficult tasks triggers reward pathways. This builds confidence, motivation and a sense of mastery. It reinforces the message that you can do hard things and survive. And who doesn't want a little dopamine hit here and there? Taking on challenges creates internal shifts like learning we can handle discomfort, our ability to tolerate uncertainty increases, we build a sense of self trust, we start believing that we are capable, we become less reactive under pressure and stress becomes more like information rather than danger. ⚡ Why It Matters A life without challenge feels safe, but it also keeps us small and not growing. A life with challenge feels uncomfortable but we end up growing and helping ourselves down the line. We do not grow by staying within the edges of what you already know, but rather by stepping into a level of difficulty that activates your brain, stretches your identity and builds capacity you did not know you had. :) Pretty cool stuff, right? :) :)