A couple of weeks ago, I heard someone say, “If you squeeze a tube of toothpaste, toothpaste comes out. Pressure shows you what’s inside…” and it blew my mind. I’ll be honest with you guys, lately, whenever I get squeezed— whether it’s my kids not sticking to our nightly schedule, or the deadline of something I procrastinated on is coming up— the first thing that comes out is anger. And then after is guilt and shame (just call me Aquafresh ❤️🤍🩵🤪). And as I’ve become more and more aware of it, it’s allowed me to become more and more accepting of it. Not accepting in the, “Welp, it is, what it is…” but in the way that you can’t fix a broken dish without first accepting that it’s broken to begin with. What about you guys? What comes out when you get squeezed?

I wanted to personally welcome our newest members @Mapuana Reed, @Lani Koontz, and @Melissa Williams! When you're ready, go ahead and introduce yourself with the following highlights: 🌟 Who are you + what lights you up? 🌟 What called you here? 🌟 And because we like to keep it human, what’s your favorite comfort snack? (We celebrate honest self-discovery and snacks equally here 😋) So excited to have you join the party! 🥳

Kicking us off with the introductions! My name is Pumehana Palmer. I was born and raised on the island of Oahu, and live in Kapolei, Hawaii. - What lights me up: Walky-talky sessions or coffee dates with my close girlfriends. Most of my closest friends are verbal processors (like me 🤗). So connecting over a brisk walk or a vent sesh and a spicy chai latte lights me up like you wouldn't believe. - What called me to this community: Honestly, I had spent most of my life dismissing my own needs and desires for the sake of connection. And at the ripe age of 27 I started down the path of rediscovering who I was, what I liked, and clarifying the life I wanted for myself... not what was expected of me. I created Aloha Pumehana Collective to be a gathering place for those of us who are on the same path of dismantling external expectations, coming back home to who they truly are, and reshaping the person they're becoming. - My favorite comfort snack: Maybe this isn't really a snack, but my favorite bite to eat is avocado toast with a perfectly poached egg on top and a chai latte. 🤤🤤🤤

I recently wrote a long, raw email to a business influencer that I’ve been following for years. I briefly proof read it and then hit send. An hour or two later, I read it again and noticed a bunch of typos and errors and was immediately mortified (per my MO), but then that was quickly quieted by the thought, “Well, at least she knows that it wasn’t AI generated!” 😅 The rise and normalization of AI has allowed me to embrace, appreciate, and welcome the imperfection of human nature. I’ve come to soften the rigidity around typos and grammatical errors, because I used to see those as proof of my incompetence, lack of professionalism, and credibility. But now, it’s proof of my authenticity and human-ness, and I love that 🥰