Not who you think you’re supposed to be or who someone else decided you are, but the actual you. I was reminded the other day about an old all-day meeting, conference-type event, where I coaxed a co-worker of mine into introducing ourselves to a senior exec at our client site. Now this co-worker knew her stuff, I mean down to the ground, but she was always hesitant about making initial moves. Others noted it as being her whole personality but I knew they were wrong. So here goes me and my ‘I don’t give a damn’ self and I nudge her along to face the exec. I didn’t do it…
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Why You Don’t Need To Make Your Goal Too Damn Big
So let’s not immediately think about quitting. How about we resize? As in, resize down for a bit. Now, shooting for the moon is one thing, excellent even, but trying to actually consume it is utter delulu. I used to be 100% guilty of this. Now I’m down to 35%… still a work in progress, but progress still. I’m a person with lofty-arse goals. Random ideas, notes written, typed and voiced in a million different places. My mind is like a thousand open, overstuffed filing cabinets and gigabytes of storage drives with no limits. My name is IreneB and I approve this message. It’s just how my mind works. She…
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London Memories vs. New Things: Which Lasts Longer?
I’ve been back from London for a few weeks now, which means I’m officially back in the thick of reality. Back to me no longer prioritizing my desires, but instead paying them off. Yuckity-Yuckity-Yuck, and ouch! Why didn’t someone stop me swiping and tapping so much? I was born and raised back in not-so-sunny London, this point will become relevant in a bit, but no matter how long I’ve been stateside, going home still hits deliciously different. Continuing to manifest being there on a more permanent basis… a girl has to have dreams, right? London, Apparently, Is Now the Sun But this time around, summer of 2026… introducing the weather.…
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The Beauty In Actively Creating A Good And Slower Life
It’s summer. And yes, I love, love, love, summer. But 2026 summer? She gots to go! There’s hot and then there’s 2026 balls-and-boob-sweat hot… and it’s everywhere. The globe is basically boiling, and honestly, moving quickly right now feels like a personal attack. The ‘prison-style shank’ kind of attack. On too many days these past few months, walking outside feels like stepping into Satan’s pizza oven. We’re done, we’re crispy, yet someone keeps turning up the dial. For the love of God, turn it off! Then only to have to dip into an office building or store, and in under three seconds after sliding through the doors, we’re held hostage…
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Over Explaining: When Being Clear Turns Into Begging
I have always considered myself a pretty clear person. No tap-dancing around an issue or request, but not brutally clear either, I’m not the kind of person who walks into a room, drops a verbal grenade, and then calls it “well, I’m just being honest.” I literally can’t stand the way some deliver that response. There’s a difference between being direct and being downright disrespectful. But I also don’t think you should need to channel a psychic, decode ancient hieroglyphics, or hire a professional translator to figure out what I mean. I’m pretty sure if I say something, I have actually said something. With words and in English. Wild concept, I know.…
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Big Age, Bigger Growth | Episode 03: It’s OK to Disappoint People
Quick Post, Real Reminder Separating your people into categories sounds a little calculating. Maybe even slightly evil. But honestly? I don’t give a toss (toss – UK term for don’t give a diddly-damn). At this stage of life, I think it’s more than warranted. One of the hardest lessons in Big Age is realizing that not everyone around you, and not everyone who has access to you, deserves all of you. Some people are in your life until the wheels fall off. Others are there for a season or a reason. Watch out for the season-and-reason folks. Spot them and place them where they need to be. I mean, seriously,…
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You Need A Bigger World: How To Stop Letting Small Stuff Consume You
That statement, or idea, might seem too simple on paper, but give me a few minutes to explain what I mean. Then you can go ahead and poo-poo it if it still doesn’t fit. Think of that feeling when you’re stuck. Like you’re not making progress, not even a little bit. Or worse, you feel completely out of control. Your mind starts drifting into places it has no business being, and before you know it, you’ve become consumed by someone else’s foolishness. OK, I’ll give you an example of my own. I planned to edit a key chapter. Or maybe it was a blog post, or a note, even. I’d…
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Andropause? Suddenly Menopause Doesn’t Sound So Lonely
When the “Man-Flashes” Enter the Chat Ladies, Babes, Luvs, we need to talk… and now! I don’t know where I’ve been, but only recently did some little internet birdies clue me into the fact that something called andropause exists. Andropause? What’s andropause, you say? In the simplest of words: Menopause for men, kinda. Not gonna lie, I did smirk a little. OK, beam with cheshire-cat full glee. We women, damn near since birth, have had all kinds of shit piled on us. Coming out of nowhere is what it feels like. Jumping us. Sneak-attacking us. Sliding in like skid marks. One minute we’re playing as equals with the boys, then…
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When You’re No Longer Building Your Life on Fear
And making space for possibility. Have you ever noticed how differently we approach life when we’re excited about something versus when we’re scared shitless of it? Somewhere along the way, a lot of us—myself absolutely included—become frickin’ expert-level warriors when it comes to protecting ourselves in any and every situation, and for good cause, let me add. Looking back, it’s hardly an overly suspicious or shocking revelation that so many of us have built parts of our lives around fear. It’s seen as practical and responsible. I know I saw it as telling myself that I was making smart choices and, again to be fair, nine times out of ten,…
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What If You Actually Read Life’s Terms and Conditions?
Would You Still Sign Today? You know those terms and conditions that come with a new phone, laptop, tech, or shiny piece of equipment you want so bad? The ones that are about 50,000 pages long, damn near blurry, so that nobody actually or fully reads them? The first few scrolls of information start off pretty straightforward, clear, and engaging and so most of the time, we just continue the scroll to the bottom and willingly click “Accept.” Not because we agree wholeheartedly with everything or that we’re so comfortable with every condition. But because if we want the thing, then that’s the only option. And in thinking about it,…
