My Month-By-Month Summary of 2022 (And My Intentions For 2023)

a year of a LOT of change— lots of lessons, aha moments, and changes! and today we are digging into it!

Mmmmmm, another year.

2022 was BIG.

But before we reflect on this year & all the growth & lessons that happened– it’s important to remember where I was when this year began.

2021 was a year that chewed me up… annnnnnd absolutely spit me out

Final semester of graduate school. Completing my final research project. Moving, not once, but TWICE. GETTING MY DOCTORATE!!!! Travels to California, Denmark, and beyond. Training for a running race. Starting a completely new full-time job and career. Teaching college courses on the side. Running my small business. Completing a 16-week Mayo Clinic health coaching board certification. Renovating our quirky 1963 mid-century modern. Annnnnnd getting pregnant.

Basically, I crammed a decade of life worth into 12 months.

Annnnnd it was all my doing.

*I* was the one (and had been the one) filling my plate to the brim. for 3+ years of graduate school, working, and having my side hustle.

From 2018-2021 I was basically go, go, go, CONSTANTLY productive from sun-up to sun-down. (and I really wish I was being dramatic, but I truly was a productivity robot).

…..Annnnnd 2021 was the year that finally wore me down.

Entering 2022, I was so. burnt. out.

Coming out of 2021 utterly exhausted, I vowed that 2022 would be the year that the relentless go, go, go pace of my life would change

And it…..

Absolutely didn’t. (womp womp)

At least for the first 7 months. (but more on that below).

But, as I sit here today, writing on December 31st– I can truly say I feel like I reached SUCH a beautiful cadence & pace & rhythm. I have felt a groundedness. A settling. A RETURN to the calm, steadiness of my truest self.

And below, you’ll see my journey through the year– thoughts, experiences, lessons, and one photo from each month.

january

Ooooof, January. In the throws of a miserable 1st trimester– constantly sick, nauseous, throwing up, and feeling sooooo weak.

I have truly never felt less “like myself” (I share all about that in this blog post) and it was one of the lowest times of my life. Feeling like you have the stomach flu day after day for WEEKS was wild. I was losing weight rapidly, had absolutely ZERO desire to do things that normally make me happy

…But while exhausted, I still didn’t “pull back” on my career.

During this time, I was working full time 40 hours at my job, teaching college courses on the side, finishing up my health coaching board certification, trying to run my blog…. it was tough and I felt like I was “behind” on EVERYTHING.

I felt like I was “doing” everything, but not doing ANYTHING well. Do you ever feel like that???

But, honestly, was a great learning moment for me— WHY do I have this much stuff on my plate? I know that life is only going to get more hectic and tiring once baby arrives so HOW am I going to do ~all~ of this???

I have a tendency of over-booking myself, and first tri was a powerful reflection time for me on prioritizing what I want long-term and how I can prepare myself from a schedule/responsibilities standpoint for when baby arrives.

Some happy moments of this month– we saw a BABY at our 12 week ultrasound (much different than the little gummy bear lookin’ blob at 8 weeks, ha!) and it was so beautiful & powerful.

At the beginning of the month, my mom and I stayed at a little A-frame together and just had a relaxing, cozy winter weekend. She gave me a lot of footrubs, let me rest, gave me motherhood advice (she is truly a goddess of a momma and inspires me SO much!). We tried to go out to a restaurant and I ordered something I would normally get that sounded good at that moment… and when it arrived at the table– I couldn’t even LOOK at it without gagging. hahahahah My mom switched plates with me (saint) and I just ended up eating an order of fries.

At the end of the month, I was SLOOOOWLY starting to feel better. Adam and I went to Austin, Texas for a sweet friend’s wedding– and while I still had STRONG food aversions to a lot of things, I remember feeling sooo excited when I kept down a meal that was more ~adventurous~ than plain crackers and popsicles and explored for the day. I felt like myself for a weekend, and it was so refreshing! (….but then I came back and had a rebound 2 day. brutal stretch of constant throwing up, hahahah.)

i literally had like 20 photos total taken in the month of january. this is one of ‘em. about sums up the whole month hahahah

february

Honestly, my pregnancy #mood was so unique. For the entirety of Dec-January, and then the beginning of February, I just felt very inward. Not sad at all— just like craving my own energy and really wanting to be alone. Def not in as close of contact with others & more isolated— but by choice.

I genuinely felt no desire to be on social media, text, call, etc. it’s like ALL my energy is going inward into creating this baby & I had nothing else to give.

This was the month, I came to the realization that pregnancy is not something to “tough out”. It is something to soften to. I let my guard down. I felt feminine. I felt fragile. I felt an inwardness that I couldn’t quite place my finger on— but i knew it is a gentle whisper I must listen to.

With nearly every other obstacle in my life, my attitude has been “so what? Let’s push through it.”

But pregnancy and all of its accompanying symptoms? It’s more like surrendering to it. ALLOWING it to be what it is and releasing my own agenda. (A very unlike kate thing to do)

But somehow this slowdown felt innate. Generational. Animalistic. Out of my hands. I asked for help more. I pushed back deadlines. I barely posted on the blog. I let texts go unresponded. I said no. I protected my energy. Rested more.

not by choice— but by instinct. I almost couldn’t help it.

Usually, I have to FORCE myself to close the laptop. To stop working. To log out of Instagram. But, at that time, I can’t even seem to make myself start these things to begin with.

I felt completely in my own little family’s world— me, adam, & baby. It’s as if all my attention is there first. And EVERYTHING else comes after.

Happy moments: Adam and I rented out an Airbnb cabin up the Gunflint Trail and mainly just snuggled up all weekend and that was the first weekend I felt like I had a “bump”. We just relaxed, played games, rested…. annnnnnd there was a hilariously terrifying moment where a REFRIGERATOR REPAIRMAN CAME IN UNANNOUNCED TO THE CABIN AT *10:30 PM* AND I THOUGHT WE WERE GETTING AXE-MURDERED. Nope. Just someone standing there in the kitchen, coming to fix the freezer. Hahahahha.

Half-way through February, I hit 16 weeks and definitely had “rounded the corner” to feeling consistently more like myself. (I noticed a drastic improvement at 12 weeks and had some lingering aversions and nausea & rare vomits until about 16 weeks!) I finally felt “ready” to share our pregnancy and my energy returning a bit. I felt slightly more social and ready to put it out there. We took our “announcement photo” in LITERALLY 15 minutes before my workshift started with a self-timer propped up in our living room. Sharing it was one of the big moments where it felt “real”!

a month of feeling inward, lots of winter walks, a cozy weekend “up north”, and embracing the winter energy

march

Mmmmmm, March. Always a symbolic impactful time for me. The return of spring. An uptick in daylight. The start of Aries season. Nature is waking up– and I felt myself fully reimerging as well. At this point, I felt SO much better. Still some aversions and the occasional throw up, but NOTHING like first trimester!

my energy was coming back, my appetite was returning, and it didn’t feel impossible to get through my work shift anymore!

I remember that I kept saying “I feel like myself again.” I felt like myself with my energy levels (I could get by on 9 hours of sleep instead of 12!!!), I was more driven, more interested in food, my appetite slowly returned…it was such a beautiful feeling.

Nothing makes you appreciate how you feel in your health more than weeks of feeling terrible.

I felt the tides turning, and I was so grateful.

First trimester REALLY made me appreciate how great & nourished & energetic I normally feel. It’s taught me vividly WHY i focus so much on my health and prioritize.

3+ months of feeling blah, low energy, under-fueled was such a vivid learning experience in what it can be like to feel consistently bad in your body.

It really grounded me in the fact that feeling GOOD, VIBRANT, HEALTHY, ENERGETIC is suuuuuch a worthwhile venture and such a DAMN GIFT!!!! Seriously, I am so grateful for my body, my health, my energy— and it feels sooo good to have them “back” in a lot of ways in 2nd tri.

I celebrated my 28th birthday this month. Adam surprised me with a cute date to explore an old mansion in duluth, go get italian… My sister throw a mini “surprise” party for me with DQ blizzards… On my actual birthday, I had to work 11:30AM-8PM but adam still made it special– with thai takeout (that he put candles on the styrofoam box, hahahah. I love him. Always making ordinary things feel special)

birthday candles in my thai takeout &and it was amazing hahahhah

april

Similar to march, April was a return to MYSELF. I loooved 2nd trimester. A return to my normal-ish eating, energy levels, work habits, socializing, etc.

However, I was feeling sooooooo burnt out in my job. While I loved the ROLE of health coaching for a large company, I absolutely hated the schedule and expectations. It was full-time, Monday-Friday with back-to-back-to-back-to-back health coaching calls all day.

Like, seriously. 14+ coaching calls per day.

I could barely finish charting my patient’s sessions before the next call started.

When people would hear I’d “work from home” I think they envision flexibility, doing laundry during downtime, maybe even going to get a coffee!

Nooooot this job. EVERY minute was tracked, monitored, and measured for how many calls you got, how long they were, your client’s results, etc. My only break of the day was my lunch break (truly not being dramatic at all)

And, to be frank, when I first took this job I knew I wouldn’t last long in this type of schedule (I mean, the REASON I chose nursing as my career path is because of all the part-time and flexible career options… full-time only options and rigid schedules just ain’t for me hahahah).

…but I accepted the role even with a difficult schedule for a PURPOSE. I had wanted this job because it was suuuuuch good experience. Like, i TRULY did *thousands* of health coaching calls and really mastered my craft. I knew my long-term goal was to do my OWN health coaching practice– and when that happened I wanted to be excellent. Not just “okay” or “good enough”. I really wanted to be a SPECTACULAR health coach before I ever offered my services– and this job helped me hone those skills.

and I knew this fast-paced job would get me A LOT of experience in a short amount of time.

In April, I was 8 months into the role and had established myself as a top performer on my team in many areas– my clients were improving their health, I had the highest retention rate, I was completing the most calls per day… and I knew that I had gotten what I had hoped for out of this role.

…but was starting to seriously think about what was next.

For years now, what I “envisioned” with my business was to slowly, steadily, and intentionally grow it for a few years and have it be my main gig once I had a baby… but it still felt scary.

Because that time was rapidly approaching.

Financially, I was ready. Logistically, I had planned for it. Situationally, I knew it would work out. Spiritually, it felt RIGHT.

But still just felt SCARED.

TBH, I am (and always have been) a reluctant entrepreneur.

let me explain—

……I am someone that likes the steady paycheck of a “real job”. I enjoy having coworkers. I honestly LIKE knowing what to expect during a shift. I love academia & workplace settings & achieving & “climbing the ladder” in a more typical workplace. So, while I like the steadiness of a “real job”…

I knew that for my long-term happiness and the type of life I wanted (flexible schedule, being able to be home with my kiddos, etc), running my own business was the best route for me to feel fully aligned, abundant, and practice health in the way that I feel most called to (AKA not rushed, PROACTIVE (instead of reactive), realistic, not one-size-fits-all, etc.)

And that’s where The Foundation Blog comes in. Because while I almost wish I was someone that could stay in the same 9-to-5 for years on end, I just know my PURPOSE is to do my own thing. it’s almost like I couldn’t help but to create The Foundation Blog. Like, I couldn’t not make it, if that makes sense. I NEEDED to make it. I feel in such a flow state when I work on it.

I know in my core it’s what I am meant to be doing.

annnnd I just did NOT feel that way in my “real job”.

But that’s where a majority of my time, energy, & bandwidth was going.

and that was okay! because I was getting so much experience.

but I was starting to get fully drained, and this was the month I got more & more serious about leaving my full-time role for my business after baby.

While I had been “envisioning” doing my business full-time once I had a baby since the moment I started it (like, actually), I started to get SERIOUS about it.

i swear my entire camera roll in april was food. it just was SO EXCITING to finally have my appetitie return and my aversions nearly gone. I felt like I was rediscovering food all over again hahahahha

may

Ugh, may in minnesota is a special type of magic. It is FINALLY warming up. The trees are FINALLY green. This was a month of doing, of celebrating, and re-emerging after the “hibernation” mode of winter.

We hosted a lot, I had my baby shower (so special to be surrounded by so many beautiful women in my life), we went on a ton of hikes, walks to Lake Superior, and I finalized my baby registry. Adam and I had a weekend away in Bayfield Wisconsin for a race adam was running (he won! And set a course record!). We took ferries to the islands, explored state parts, and hung out in this one coffee shop for literal hours (idk why it was so memorable to me, but we literally went up to the counter to order more foods, drinks, etc. like 6 separate times).

We also rented another little cabin up the Gunflint with our best pals, Matt & Alex. The weather was freezing and drizzly but we all committed to jumping in the lake and it was …… refreshing???? We canoed, played games, and relaxed, and it was a lovelyyyy memorial day! We did a hike near the Boundary Waters that I have done literally 10 times before and it felt sooo much harder while 7 months pregnant— who knew?!!? hahahaha. That decreased lung capacity of pregnancy is no joke.

My bump was HUGE for how far along I was– people kept asking if I was due really soon, and i would have to respond with not for a few more MONTHS, ha!

I felt really beautiful & feminine at this stage of pregnancy– my bump was big, but not uncomfortably big yet. This month was the most confident I felt in pregnancy body wise— I had a real BUMP (not just like… wow I look kind of bloated, haha) but also didn’t feel HUGE yet, ya know? Baby was moving in stomach really consistently and I loved the feeling & connection. I constantly wondered about the little being who was in my womb & just felt such a joy & connection about it all. It’s hard to describe, but I just felt so FERTILE & FEMININE & LIKE MOTHER EARTH OR SOMETHING and LOVED the softening of my body during this time.

(body image was something I was nervous about going into pregnancy and I definitely did struggle at times, but I felt so empowered & lovely during this specific stage! I felt so connected to my body.)

post chilly lake dip near the Boundary Waters! I loved how feminine & fertile & juuuust MOTHER EARTH I felt during this time, hahahha. TBH I don’t ~LoOooVe~ being pregnant, but this phase was for sure my favorite stage of pregnancy, I think. Big, but not too big. No longer nauseous. Baby is close to coming, but still a few more months. 2nd trimester was such a sweet, tender time.

june

Ohhhh, June… you were… chaotic.

SO BUSY.

Full-time work and EVERY weekend was full of weddings & babymoons & trips across the state! Adam running races & hosting friends! Solo trips & taking labor courses! Painting the exterior of our house! Getting ready for a major bathroom reno! Again, we hosted a lot– lots of outdoor BBQs & casual dinners with friends and family.

This month was so nonstop I almost don’t even know where to begin.

But one highlight was painting the exterior of our house. We had considered hiring this out but it was just soooo expensive and I was all WE CAN DO IT OURSELVES.

Well, we could. But let’s just say… I understand why people hire out the external painting of a house, hahahha.

It was SO much work– but we did it!

I was soooo touched by how my family showed up during this time– my dad, my grandpa (87 years old!) and adam hustled nearly every day. My whole fam came over and helped out one day. Adam painted after nearly every 12-hour work shift.

It was a labor of love.

(And pure stubbornness.)

But we did it! And saved a $hit-ton of money in the process.

And it turned out great! Our house looks SO much more modern and our style now and I’m super proud of us (and thankful for my family helping out!)

I also went on a solo retreat during this month– just me, myself, and I hunkered down in a little cabin of Wild Rice Retreat. I did a lot of journaling, visualizing, and intention-setting for my labor, postpartum, and motherhood. I got a prenatal massage and felt SOOOO connected to my baby during it. I did a lot of deep breathing, card pulls, journaling my intentions for motherhood, and just savoring my own energy. Long walks in the woods, taking myself to dinner, going to sound baths, going to yoga. It was delicious– and the last solo venture I ever took pre-motherhood.

June was SO. BUSY. too busy. but full of all good things. juuuust too many of them. (story of my life)

my painting crew! SO thankful for the hours (and hours) these guys put in. Adam, my dad, and my grandpa ron (I told him to get off that ladder, buuuut he is somehow more stubborn than I am. #genetics)

july

The month everything shifted.

not just the year— but my life.

This month was WILD. We were still finishing up painting the house (I really can’t overstate how much time this took us, hahahah). And our bathroom was being fully renovated (this was the first project we have ever “hired out”).

I never planned on our bathroom being so close to the due date— they were set to start at the beginning of June. But didn’t start until July. They gave us a timeline of 2-3 weeks, annnnnnd [spoiler] it ended up taking a lot longer. (but it turned out beautifully! they did a GREAT job— even though the timeline was longer than anticipated!)

At this point I was SO over work. Felt so tired. And stressed the F out by all the chaos of our house— we had no main bathroom, our house was torn apart, the workers stored all of their stuff in the nursery so we couldn’t finish/decorate that. And I had soooo many things that I wanted/hoped to get done before my due date of August 4th. I was convinced I was going to go into labor around my due date– if not after, and just wanted to “sprint” to August 1 and then relax.

…but something internally told me I should be prepared he came early “just in case”. With our bathroom being torn apart, I wanted a backup plan on the SMALL chance he came early. My brother was roadtripping Alaska with his family and I asked him if “just in case” Miles came early we could spend time at their house while our bathroom finished up. Ya know… just for peace of mind…. ;)

Basically— our house, our life, and our work was CHAOTIC this month. Both Adam and I were go, go go sprinting to the “finish line” of august and trying to get everything ready and done before then.

Annnnnnnd Miles decided to come a bit early ;)

I won’t go into the full birth story (You can read that here), but on July 25, 2022 our lives changed forevermore.

Miles arrived after an unmedicated labor (a huge goal of mine!) at 7:41AM. Meeting him and crying and kissing with adam was truly the most euphoric moment of my entire life, and life really did feel brand new immediately after.

And while we were in newborn baby bliss at the hospital

Our bathroom…. Still wasn’t done. And “coming home” with a newborn to a torn apart bathroom with construction workers wasn’t my ideal. So off we went to my brother’s! They were still on vacation so we had the house to ourselves and it was honestly soooo beautiful. I told Adam it felt like a vacation. I think if we would’ve come back to our house I would’ve felt more of a desire to be productive, clean, etc. But since we were out of our house for that first week– literally all there WAS to do was rest & relax & savor our newborn. This was truly one of the happiest weeks of my life. It felt natural. Intuitive. Seeing adam as a dad was everything I dreamed of. I was quite sore & healing– but very proud of my body.

(NOTE: I think a large reason things felt quite “natural” is because I have grown up babysitting, I was a PEDIATRIC nurse for years (so. many. babies. so. many. diapers.), and I have a lot of nieces & nephews! Simply put— I just have had a lot of exposure to babies. and I know so many people don’t going into parenthood! and there is NOTHING wrong with that. So, just a note, in case you are reading this and the first few weeks postpartum felt anything but “natural”, 1) that is so normal 2) you are not alone, 3) you are a GREAT parent.)

Birth was like a portal for me— I swear my life & outlook & attitude uplevel the moment I gave birth. I have NEVER felt as alive or as clear or as present as I have as a mom. It’s like it unlocked some part of my soul.

This is true for July, but also true today 5 months later as I write this. My life feels more BALANCED now. Where for years (and kind of my whole life tbh) I’ve just been go go go relentlessly productive, living quite selfishly for ME and MY goals, and miles is the first thing that has TRULY slowed me down & consistently brings me back to the present moment. I have honestly LOVED motherhood and it has brought out the more nurturing, softer, feminine energy in myself and I’ve really loved how that has rippled out into other areas of my life.

Adam’s 30th birthday was July 28th. We celebrated with breakfast in bed with Miles and takeout for dinner. 3 decades of life for my best guy.

And now my two favorite people are both July babes, born 3 days apart ….i guess i just really love leo boys ;)

waking adam up on his 30th birthday. my mom snapped this & it’s one of my favorite photos ever. PERFECTLY summarizes those first few newborn days!

august

This was a month mainly just hanging out at home, but we tried to do one “thing” per week to just rip the bandaid off and get used to life with a babe! Miles first beach day! Putting him in the stroller and walking to date night! First overnight at a family house! Going to an outdoor concert! Our first time leaving him with a babysitter (AKA grandma)

I’ll never forget we had him in the bassinet stroller and took him out to eat for our first date night with a baby. Our waitress asked us when he his due date was and adam responded… “ummm… actually, it was today!” That was such a moment for me. Because I had always EXPECTED him to come on his due date (or later). Never early. And while he had only been with us 10 days already, I already couldn’t imagine life without him and was SO THANKFUL for those 10 extra days with him.

This was a month of getting in the rhythm, just learning how to PARENT, changing the sheets literally every day (so. many. fluids. IYKYK), healing my body, falling in love with our babe even more, launching the pregnancy journals, embracing minnesota summer, taking a lot of walks with Miles, and celebrating our FIVE year anniversary!

For our anni, we went to New Scenic Cafe (my fav restaurant on planet earth) while grandma watched and we got allll the apps & entrees & drinks. We always opt to do a big “fancy” dinner in lieu of gifts on our anniversary, and this was such a special date. Our first time “just us two” since Miles had arrived. We reflected on our marriage, parenthood, and just how much life has changed– but just how we still feel just like “us”. Our marriage isn’t perfect by any means– but I can say, it does just feel so NATURAL, effortless (90% of the time, *wink*), and cohesive. I truly feel like he is my life TEAMMATE & my very very very best friend. I have always been thankful to do life with this man, but this anni felt especially vivid and special. Love you, Ads!

on our maternity/paternity leave we made a goal to do one “thing” per week— which sounds small, but it FEELS big with a new babe! so, each week we would go out to breakfast, go to the beach, go to a concert, etc. with Miles just to get used to leaving the house with a babe!

September

Gosh, I LOVED August and September. Probably my favorite months of the year. (….or of my LIFE, tbh???)

Adam took 8 weeks of leave from work (had to drain allllll of his vacation and sick time, but whatevs). This time off as a family was sooooo special. I don’t think in our WHOLE LIVES we’ve had a chunk of time off like this together. Especially having come from my nonstop busy work schedules for both of us, this time off work felt like SUCH a gift.

We took a lot of walks. Went to Lake Superior a lot. We toured a funky mid-century house just for fun. We took our first mini vacation to a small A-frame in Wisconsin. We hiked the Northshore. Lots of “date nights” at home (homemade pizza, campfires in the backyard, long walks in the park, etc.).

I started leaving the house for the day 1-2 times per week so I could work on the blog.

One thing that Adam and I did which I loved is we started giving each other 1 day per week to spend however we chose. I would often go to a coffee shop, work, etc. Adam would often do a long bike ride, fish, do errands, etc. These days per week provided some much-needed alone time (something I think many new parents neglect!) and uninterrupted time for productivity/play.

Leaving for a coffee shop for a few hours helped me feel like ME! I know everyone reacts differently to postpartum, but I liked a bit of structure & work time on my own.

It helped me connect with myself as a human and not just myself as a mom, if that makes sense!

During this time, I was getting more & more serious about quitting my job, but still scared. Part of me REALLY wanted to stay. But a larger part REALLY wanted to go.

I decided that if they would keep me on part-time or offer me more flexible hours, I would stay. Again, I LIKE having a “real” job and I LIKED the role– but the hours and expectations were just unsustainable for me in this life stage.

However, I knew in my gut, that I just kind of wanted to be done altogether and finally make the leap to my own business.

A hard part about this stage was from like 7 weeks to 10 weeks Miles REALLY resisted daytime naps which was hard. People always told us newborns sleep all day, but literally since birth, we felt like we had to work to get him to sleep during the day. (Thankfully, nighttime sleep was always pretty solid!). But, all parents know, those daytime naps are SO sacred— it’s your chance to get stuff done, have a moment of alone time, etc. During this stage, we would basically have to have him in the carrier and go for a walk outside for him to nap. Which is… cute and lovely and they are only a baby for so long. But it can be a little inconvenient! I wasn’t frustrated with Miles because it makes sense– I mean, he is used to being attached to me (literally) for 10+ months so I think it was just an adjustment period and wanting to be close to us all the time– but alllll those contact naps & carrier walks stick out very vividly to me in September. (maybe because both adam and I were getting 10,000+ steps every day with all of those walking naps, hahahah!)

our first family “vacation”. AKA just 1.5 hours from our house— but we stayed at a little a-frame on lake superior for a few days. each morning we would walk the beach barefoot & sip our coffee. love making these memories as a family of 3! (errr…4… sorry, summit!)

october

MILES FIRST BIG TRIP:

Before Adam’s leave ended, we flew out as a family to California!

This was a previously planned trip from 2020 that we didn’t get to go on so we redeemed it now! We stayed at a dreamy vineyard, walked around town, hung out a lot on the hotel’s gorgeous property, did a lot of naptime walks through the vines, and felt so accomplished for traveling with a babe! There were some learning moments (to be expected!), but overall, I LOVED ripping off the bandaid and doing a trip at this stage. The flight there went without a hitch— and the way back was a bit more tough. We got delayed and I had been trying to time his feed with takeoff (to help the pressure in his ears) and basically the delay threw off our whole schedule. Adam basically spent the whole flight with adam in the carrier bouncing him around haha! But we made it!

I think it showed us that some flights will go great! (the way there)

and some flights will not (the way back!)

and that’s OKAY. that’s life!

You can adapt. you can take the situation as it comes. You can’t perfectly “plan” or orchestrate everything— sometimes you just have to learn by DOING.

Intuitively, I always thought flying with a newborn feels a lot easier than an older babe because newborns can’t crawl, don’t wiggle a ton, and basically just eat and sleep (OBVIOUSLY so much depends on baby’s temperament!). But once we met Miles and he seemed pretty easy going we booked this trip, and I’m so glad we did! Both adam and I say it was a big confidence booster for us as parents– like, if we can fly across the country, we can go to the grocery store with a baby, ya know?!

ADAM BACK TO WORK:

Adam went back to work and I got used to days by myself with the baby! It’s different for us because whenever adam does work it is 12 hour shifts (plus post-shift and commute time) so about 13.5 hours gone.

AKA adam is gone from 6:30AM to about 8:00PM

AKA…. the entirety of when Miles is awake. *nervous laugh*

So on these days it truly feels like I am solo parenting– it’s not like adam works 9-5 where I get a little help in the AM or PM, but moreso it’s an all day thing of just me! Which is honestly totally fine (I know so many people have it harder), but it was an interesting adjustment.

The individual days with just me & Miles go well, but it’s moreso the long stretches of 12-hour days in a row that drain me (for example, adam is on a rotating schedule and will work 6, 12-hour shifts in 7 days). So, for essentially 6 days in a row I am solo parenting from sun up to sun down!)

While, his stretches can be long, I honestly LOVE his schedule. While the 12-hour shifts are long, he gets way more full days off than a typical career. And that feels SO worth it for us!

QUITTING MY JOB:

This is also the month where I had “the talk” with my boss– I asked for part-time/more flexible hours and I would stay. But if not I would go. She took it up the “chain of command” but ultimately they are ONLY going to have full-time slots for my position. I told her I wouldn’t be able to do that and would be leaving my role.

And tbh?

While i WOULD’VE stayed if they offered part-time.

I felt relief when they said they wouldn’t.

Because it made my decision to leave so cut-and-dry.

It was just TIME to do my own business, and this was the moment. I really liked my boss and we had a great relationship. She point-blank told me she would hire me back if I ever wanted to work full-time so that was a nice “back up plan” to have! just knowing I have a safety net gave me peace of mind :)

But, really. I just felt GOOD about it. Peaceful. The fact that I couldn’t stay at my corporation even if I wanted to (because I was unwilling to do full-time) was the perfect time to step in being a BUSINESS OWNER as my full-time gig (and not just a side hustle).

In October, my first month of doing my blog full time (instead of just on the side), I made more that month than any previous month of the year. It was so encouraging to see that now that I was full-time in my business and not dedicating all my energy to my “real job”, I had MORE bandwidth, more energy, more time to commit to the blog (even with a newborn) and subsequently saw that increase in profits which was so encouraging!

It felt wild & scary & right.

So, to answer the question that everyone is asking, my job right now is–

• Doing my business full-time: the blog, health coaching, my new course, digital downloads, etc. (Eeeee! After growing my business for almost 4 years, it feels so exciting that it has grown into my main gig!)

• AND I am still teaching college courses part-time online at a major University. While I could be done with this, I want to keep doing this as I love utilizing my doctorate in the education space, working with students, connecting with my colleagues, and keeping my toes dipped in academia! I truly LOVE being a college instructor (it’s the reason I got my doctorate in the first place), and it’s the stability and “real job”-ness that keeps me feeling grounded & steady amidst the ebbs & flows of entrepreneurship

Also, Miles first Halloween where we dressed him up as a garden gnome, annnnd it was….. everything.

from a 3+ year “side hustle” to THE REAL DEAL! I did it!

november:

I wanted to change my hair color but didn’t want to commit to dying it (I haven’t dyed it since 2019), and did a color GLAZE and I loved it. I started going to hot yoga again. I picked out wallpaper for the mudroom.

I had a weekend with my college roomies where they all drove or flew up to duluth and we rented an airbnb. (We didn’t do ANYTHING besides sit inside and chat all day & eat. My soul people. It’s amazing how just a few days with the right people can completely uplevel your spirits & give peace to your soul. Also, watching your best friends with your baby is unlike anything else.)

Adam and I also went to our college campus and took Miles to his first Gopher Football game with Adam’s parents. It was so surreal & nostalgic to be on our college campus (somewhere so special to us!) with our KID.

One small moment that was impactful was regarding this football game. Basically, it was going to be COLD. and we wanted to bring Miles. I was nervous about exposure for him to the cold weather, but adam’s parents had bought us heated tickets (so fun and generous!). So, I felt really good that we would 1) dress Miles for the weather and 2) have access to heated area. No problem! I felt great about it!

But as we were walking into the stadium, I got SO many looks and judgy vibes for having a baby out in the cold weather and bringing him to a 3-hour game (maybe it was in my head, but it didn’t ‘feel like it, ha!). For a moment, I was super self-conscious and wanted to justify to every single person “don’t judge me! we are going heated seats, I promise!”. But then I thought, no. It doesn’t matter what other people think. I AM the parent. and I AM making the best choice for my baby based on the information that *I* have. I know this seems dumb & insignificant, but it was a ~moment~ for me. That whether it’s a random chilly football game or a well-meaning [but condescending] comment from a family member or a social media judgy DM about parenting, that *I* am Miles parent, and *I* am capable & confident in *my* choices of how I raise my kid. Chilly (but heated) football games and all! hahahahah

It started snowing in Duluth and savoring small moments like Miles’ first time in snow. We took a lot of walks in the park right by our house and once again I am STRUCK by how much I love where we live. While our house is old & quirky, we are within walking distance of amazing trails, rivers, and Lake Superior itself. Access to nature is not something I take for granted and I truly treasure it.

I got into my groove of being my own boss and had another successful month business-wise! I felt SO good about my decision to leave. It definitely started feeling “real” this month, and I had ZERO regrets about my decision.

We celebrated Thanksgiving early with Adam’s fam, and then adam had to work the actual holiday– I picked up thanksgiving dinner from the co-op and lit candles and tried to make it special even though he was in between overnight shifts. It was a good lesson in romanticizing your life. Even though he had to work and I was mainly alone for the holiday, both adam and I felt like the day felt special because we truly made the most of the 2 hours we had between his overnight shifts!

At the end of this month, we took off for Paris…. We spent the transition from November to December 10,000 feet in the air and started December in…

december

PARIS! One of the most magical times of my life, tbh. While adam and I had both been to Paris separately in the summer, we had never been together.

So— we finally got to go, together–

but with our son.

While the city was chilly & cozy & all decorated for christmas was… magical.

I really tried to PREPARE for the flights & trips as well as I could and know that I did everything “in my power” to set us up for smooth travels– but ultimately surrendered to how it all unfolded.

While I know not every trip or flight with a kid will go this smoothly, we truly LUCKED out with our flights there & back. Not a single delay or weird travel obstacle and Miles ROCKED it. Lots of sleeping, feeding, and giggles on the flights. I was so proud of him. While a lot of this is dumb luck, it was such an encouragement that he did so well with such a BIG trip. Very proud of him (and us!)

The trip looked like– lots of walks, delicious coffee & pastries, museums, train rides, Christmas markets, street food, relaxing at the Airbnb during naptime, cooking at our unit, delicious wine, admiring all the beautiful streets, buildings, and fashion. A spontaneous trip to Colmar, France for their famous Christmas market. Cozy strolls through the city & cozy evenings at our airbnbs. I will treasure this trip the rest of my life.

And we came home and adam instantly went into his long work stretch, and I was in NONSTOP HUSTLE MODE trying to finish up my Foundations of Wellbeing course for a late December launch. Whew, this was a snap back to reality after vacation if I’ve ever had one. Tbh, this time was very stressful for me as I have had such a goal of making this course for literally years, but never had the chance due to always having my time sucked up by the real job. Since quitting, I had a goal to make & build & market my course for the new year and it felt like SUCH a sprint to the finish! But I made it!

We celebrated the holidays with both of our families, and had our first family Christmas morning in our house which felt so special and sacred. I really felt the desire to start making our own traditions.

Our first Christmas with our little buddy was very special. And immediately after Christmas, I was back into intense work mode to get my course up and ready! I was sooo nervous, but I just KNEW i was meant to do this. After sending it out solely to the email club (never even mentioned it on social media), The Foundations of Wellbeing sold out….. in 28 hours?!?!?!! I had truly NEVER expected that and it was such an encouraging way to close out the year.

our little Oui one!

summary:

whew— when I consider A LOT can happen in a year.

when I think back to January of 2022, I was in one of the lowest places of my life and as I write this today, I am in one of the happiest places of my life.

2021 was a year of burn out, spreading myself too thin, and relentless productivity— and, honestly, that trend more or less continued in 2022 until the moment I gave birth.

but, as I sit here, at the end of December, I FINALLY feel like I have settled into a balance of productivity and presence and play.

and while my life is definitely not perfect and there are still many unfinished/unknown pieces of the puzzle to figure out—

I feel a deep sense of PEACE. a feeling that I am exactly where I am meant to be.

I am so grateful for this year— and excited to see what 2023 has in store.

LOW POINTS:

• first trimester…. juuuust… as a whole. HAHAHHA.

• anxious thoughts during pregnancy— is baby ok? Healthy? I was often worried something was wrong or that I was going to lose the baby until about 16 weeks.

• getting sick more often (sneezes, colds, stomach bugs, etc.) than I ever have during my life in pregnancy/postpartum (they ain’t kiddin’ when they say your immune system is depressed!)

• had to get hospitalized in the final month of pregnancy for some weird illness (i never ended up testing positive for anything???) where I had a stubborn fever and my heartrate was in the 160s-200s… honestly, if it was just me, it would’ve been one thing— but just getting sick when you’re pregnant is SO scary because you don’t know how baby is doing. scary, but everything worked out!

• being in a VERY demanding job that took up every spare bit of time & full schedule

• feeling like I was helping my patients…. but feeling limited by time, metrics, etc. KNOWING that I could help them more if I wasn’t on such a rigid schedule, set-protocol per call, etc.

• a bathroom reno that was supposed to take 2-3 weeks taking 7 and coinciding to with when I went into labor hahahah

• being snippy and stressed out when I’d get overwhelmed. I was definitely stretching myself too thin at times and, I definitely tend to take my stress out on Adam when I’m overwhelmed— I’m never proud of this, and I do feel like I was a stressed out human for the first 7 months of this year and he got the brunt of crabby kate! THANKS FOR BEING PATIENT WITH MY BOIIIII

• being more isolated– whether it was the sickness/inwardness of 1st trimester or my busy work schedule/side hustle consuming 90% of my time, I definitely didn’t see my friends as much as I would’ve liked. While i don’t really see a realistic way I could’ve “changed” this, I did miss my peeps!

• also, just sometime I hate social media and having a blog, hahahahha. Like I love it in so many ways— but I got a handful (like, literally only 4 or so) messages that just GOT. UNDER. MY. SKIN. this year. And while I often get messages of constructive criticism, different opinions, questions about what I do, etc., those never bug me. But there were a few that weren’t about difference of opinions— but moreso about my CHARACTER. my body. my personality. my parenting style. and those ones just…. hurt a bit more. It’s funny because obviously not everyone is going to like you in this lifetime. which I very much have peace with & logically KNOW. but it’s moreso— why do these people feel the need to TELL ME everything I do that they hate? liiiike…. just press the unfollow button and maybe don’t send me 3 paragraphs of all the things you dislike about me? hahahah. I’m rambling, but it does suck. And it’s funny because while sure it hurts my feelings a little (i’d be lying if I said it didn’t), the MAIN reason I hate it is because it causes me to OVERTHINK moving forward. I truly try to show up authentically— but then now, I think before I post— is this going to offend someone? are they judging this photo? wait, was that annoying? Idk, I’m just rambling— but just kind of the “negative” sides of social media did get under my skin a few times this year.

THINGS I AM PROUD OF:

• all the clients I worked with my in my health coaching job. I TRULY felt like I was making a difference and helping people be PROACTIVE in their health– watching them reduce their A1c, get off medications, lose weight, improve their relationship with food/exercise, quit smoking, etc. was SO beautiful. It truly lights me up and I LOVED helping people in this way.

• showing up day after day after day to work even when I felt body mind soul MISERABLE first trimester. Dude. i don’t know how i did this. I would literally have to mute my phone line and throw up in a bucket during client calls… but we made it! longest 12 weeks of my life. Whew!

• moving my body pretty much every day of pregnancy— but also listening to my body (less running/more walking, not letting ego drive my work outs, lots of body weight exercises, not “focusing” anything, feeding it certain foods, trusting in my labor, etc.)

• My unmedicated hospital birth. Let me just say, I completely understand and respect if you don’t want an unmedicated birth (like, seriously), but for me— I really wanted to try for it, and it was honestly such a transformative, empowering experience.

• my commitment to MY health in pregnancy, postpartum, etc. I don’t view taking care of myself as “selfish”. It is what ALLOWS me to show up fully for my family, my marriage, my business. Health is one of my top priorities and I’m proud for sticking with it during a transformative time (even when it wasn’t easy or my schedule was booked!)

• my marriage – despite the change into parenthood, we still feel just like “us”. I am proud of how we still prioritize one another (and make a focused effort to focus on US, not always Miles). Whether it’s date nights at home, watching tiktoks together in bed, sending “thinking of you” texts throughout the day, telling one another we are proud of the other, watching trash TV, I am so in love with you, adam eskuri. Thanks for still flirting with me & making me feel loved & constantly grabbing my butt even though we’ve been together over a decade.

• not chopping my hair for once.

• going to california & paris as a fam of 3! I know it was bold— but it felt right for us. Memories I will cherish for.ev.er.

• launching my 8-Week Foundations of Wellbeing group health coaching program. When I say I have had the “vision” for this course for literal years, I mean it. And to have it come to fruition and SELL OUT?!?!? Like WHAT?!??! Thank you, guys! Thank you, God! Thank you, life! Thank you, self!

• being patient and building up my business for YEARS for *this* moment. My long-time goal was always to build it up so that “once I had kids” it could be my main job…. And it’s HERE. It’s HAPPENING. I DID IT.

THINGS I WANT TO WORK ON THIS YEAR:

*these aren’t my “goals” as those are much more specific, detailed, personal, and action-focused. I wrote my specific goals down and made a plan in my Goal Setting Guide, but here are the general ~themes~ of things I am working on this year!*

MINIMALISM & SIMPLICITY:

• spending freeze! This feels like a fun challenge! While I am an intentional shopper, I like to do the occasional reset to remind myself how little i *actually* need. I haven’t fully decided what this will look like (no spend months? No spend days? Setting a strict budget? Not buying clothes? Limiting amazon orders?) IDK yet, but I really plan to lean into “no spend” times this during the year and majorly cut down on consumption. both for the environment, but also for my personal simplicity! It feels like an exciting challenge to buy less, use what we have, and reset some consumeristic tendencies of myself!

• Going off of the spending freeze topic, I am just feeling a clear desire for LESS. i want to go through every item in our house, purge, donate, sell, and just GET CLEAR on what possessions I have and eliminate the excess. This is probably one of my MAIN goals for this year and i’m excited about the lessons & clarity that will likely come from it.

• Organization! I have been on a maaaajor organization kit— creating bins, systems, and designated “spots” for things in 2021. I have done this in our bathroom, kitchen, and hallway closets— but I haven’t done the rest of the house! I would love to work through each room and create a true SYSTEM and organization set-up

RELATIONSHIPS:

• prioritizing relationships with friends & fam! The last few years I have been in a MAJOR career focus– grad school, health coaching training/boards, my full-time health coaching role, teaching college courses, building my blog… I feel like I have been working so hard for THIS moment– where I could finally take the biz full-time and have more schedule flexibility. And now that i’m here & not as stretched thin, I want to re-prioritize more time for friends, family, socializing, etc. That area definitely fell on the backburner these last few years, and I MISS MY PEOPLE!

• figuring out a way of sharing Miles online that feels 100% right! While I feel just fine about how I am sharing him now, I do have a lot of thoughts about kids on social media and I’m trying to find the balance that feels right for me, miles, and our family. It’s hard because he is SUCH a part of our life(and we’re so obnoxiously proud of him!), but I *also* want to keep so much of it private & sacred, respect him as an individual, and finding that balance has been thought-provoking. I don’t think there is a “right” or “wrong” and every situation is different– but I’ve been feeling some soul whispers to change up how I’m sharing this stage of life, but I will just listen to my gut and will take it one day at a time!

• Since Miles arrived, we have been averaging 1 date night every like 6 weeks or so (when grandma is nie enough to offer!), but now that we found a nanny, i’d love to increase that! I would love to do TWO date nights per month with Adam! I think alone time as a couple is soooo important and something I really want to prioritize.

RANDOM:

• perfecting my gluten-free bread recipe. I am getting soooo close. And I have goals of being that ~cool~ effortless gal that always has freshly baked bread at her house for friends and fam.

• go camping! With how my due date was and how pregnant I was last summer, we didn’t go campaign ONCE in case I went into labor! *gasp*. Camping is our faaaav thing ever and I miss it so much. Can’t wait to go this summer! Maybe just me & adam? Maybe as a family? Maybe both? We’ll see!

• Bringing variety to my exercise! After being mainly a “runner” for so long, pregnancy kind of reset that identity. While I am so excited to get back into running (I want to do my first “real” trail race this year!), I no longer feel the need to solely run– I want to do it all this year, walking, cross-country skiing, trail running, hot yoga, pilates, strength, etc. Craving the variety!

• Similar to above, rebuilding my strength & endurance after pregnancy! While I’ve been active I still feel weak in a lot of ways and am excited to slowly, gently, and intentionally rebuild my strength!

• Home projects: I want to finish some lighting, update the mudroom, update my office, maybe do some flooring???, and at least get the downstairs more “usable”. (Right now it is just boxes and chaos).

• more creativity! I am someone that feels energized by creative projects— cooking, writing, painting, pottery, making scrapbooks, writing cards to friends, etc. I want to make an effort to bring more of that into my life this year!

• filling out my habit tracking sheets EVERY SINGLE DAY! While I looooved my paper ones, I would forget to print them off. I just created digital habit tracking sheets (works INSTANTLY with google sheets!) and I have it set to auto-open every time I’m on the internet so i’m reminded of my habits, goals, and can track them daily!

• clearing out my camera roll & organizing— I set a reminder on my phone to do it daily for THAT day. So, for example, on January 1st, I go through every “January 1st” in all the years within my phone and clear out that day only for each year. It feels manageable (and it’s like your own personal timehop!)

BUSINESS & MONEY:

• firmer work/life boundaries “on work” hours versus “off work”. I have gotten into the bad habit of working whenever I have an open moment– every nap time, every car ride (when adam is driving), when adam and I watch TV, when I wake up early… even sometimes while I’m on the treadmill. Yikes. I want to have a clearer distinction between “on work” time and places and “off work” times.

• finances! As you guys know, I take my finances very seriously, and that will continue in 2023. I do a “financial check in” on the 1st of every month (this was my 2021 new years resolution and I haven’t missed a month since!) where I calculate our expenses, networth, investments, etc. With leaving my full-time job, finances will look different this year. Although we planned ahead & feel in a good spot (for the entirety of the foundation blog, i’ve barely paid myself from the business and just used my “real job’ as my sole income because I was “saving up” in the business for when I went full time!) , I just want to keep a really close eye on things to get in a rhythm with this new normal.

• I’d love to spend more time on YouTube (I feel more called here than reels and tiktok). While blog posts, the course, email newsletter, health coaching,etc. come first– I’d love to see myself commit to more youtube videos! I personally LOVE watching youtube and I’d love to show up there more.

• I’d love to do at least 6 podcast interviews this year! (on a related note— if there are any shows you’d love to hear me on please pitch me as a guest or send me along a show you think i’d be a good fit for! most of the podcast shows I’ve done are because YOU GUYS have requested me as a guest! so thank you!)

• start seeing one on one health coaching clients!!! Eeeee! While my first step in my own business was launching the course and my group health coaching program– I plan to open up a few 1-on-1 health coaching clients this year! As mentioned above, I LOVED my last job of health coaching but felt restricted by the schedule and high workload– I am excited to finally have my OWN health coaching practice. (Join the waitlist here!)

to close it all out:

As I enter 2023, I am excited about many areas of my life, but I’m really excited about what is to come for this little business of mine…

… but really, I know it’s because I am MEANT to be doing this.

• ➖To be working in health

• ➖To be a nurse

• ➖To have my doctorate in Integrative Health

• ➖To be a board-certified health coach

• ➖To help people feel empowered in their wellbeing

• ➖To help others understand (and upgrade) their nutrition, mindfulness, movement, and daily flow to uplevel their overall health

• ➡️And, ultimately, to SIMPLIFY health & intentional living in a way that feels realistic for busy people (...just like you)

I truly feel like this is my calling.

(in fact, I *know* it is)

And while my “real job” of directing wellness at a college & working for a large organization as a health coach full-time did fulfill me in many ways… my blog & business were always where I feel most *aligned* doing the work I do😌

This little corner of the internet is where I feel like I can help the most people, be fully myself, and share health content in a way that feels authentic & relatable. Basically, it’s where I feel the most ~me~ as a health care provider🙏🏼

And, for the last 3+ years, my online business was forced to be “on the side” while I went back to grad school for my doctorate, underwent my health coaching board certification, & worked full-time as a nurse.

But, I am feeling the call for something greater. To do my own thing. To up-level the health resources I give you.

Basically, I have some big dreams plans for what is to come👊🏼

On the blog. On insta. And beyond! (Cue buzz lightyear or something???)

Let's just say… good things comin’ ;)

with SO much love,

💛

Kate

PS: I just want to sincerely THANK YOU for being here. (like, really.) I am so grateful for the support, positive energy, & warmth you share with me day after day! Y’all are a buncha pals!🫶🏼✨

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