A little follow-up thought to my “While We Wait” post… I’ve been thinking about how we show up for people when we can’t fix what they’re going through or find the right words. And tonight, after a long and emotional day, I found myself thinking about… chocolate chip cookies. 😂 A couple of weeks ago, my friend Mo @Maureen Morton was taking homemade cookies to someone we care about who was going through a difficult time, and she so graciously shared some with us. And y’all… tonight I REALLY wish I had one of those cookies. 😂 But it made me realize something. Sometimes showing up doesn’t require the perfect words or some grand gesture. Sometimes it’s just doing something thoughtful that says: “I thought about you today.” A meal. A text. Sitting with someone. Making them laugh. Remembering something they told you. Or, apparently, really good homemade chocolate chip cookies. ❤️ So I want to turn my question from the other day around a little: What’s a small, thoughtful thing someone has done for you during a difficult time that made you feel cared for? And Mo, this is absolutely NOT a request for more cookies. 😂 …but I wouldn’t turn down the recipe.

[link to audio attached] I turned 50 today. 🎂 And apparently life did not get the memo that I had planned for this to be a cute, celebratory little milestone. 😂 I woke up a little melancholy. Drove the kids to school. Came home. Got some unexpected family news that completely changed the direction of my morning. Had lunch with women who were there for me during one of the hardest chapters of my life. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, I remembered: Oh yeah. I started this little space. 😂 Which honestly feels pretty fitting. I don’t know exactly what Conversations with Catina is going to become yet, and I’m intentionally not going to manufacture a content strategy just so I can say I have one. I do know what I want to talk about here. Business. Leadership. Reinvention. People. Money. Living authentically and intentionally. Family. Intuition. Connections. Transitions. Starting over. Things I’ve learned the easy way, things I’ve learned the ridiculously hard way, and probably a few rabbit holes that have absolutely nothing to do with anything until somehow they do. Today reminded me of something I’ve learned more than once: Sometimes clarity doesn’t come from figuring out how to control the outcome. It comes from recognizing what’s already outside of your control—and deciding what you’re going to do with what remains. At 50, I’m probably less interested in having all the answers than I’ve ever been. I’m much more interested in having really good conversations. So that’s what we’re going to do here. And since you’re one of the first people in the room, tell me something: ✨ cWhat are you trying to figure out in your life or business right now? ✨ Feel free to comment below or send me a message!