A few weeks ago, my husband and I talked about going on a vacation. "I just want to escape," he said. At first, I had no idea what "escape" meant. Life is this messy blend of work and personal, and we just need to embrace it, right? We finally rented a little house in the country and as I sipped rosé and hung out by the pool, I could actually feel the magic of the great escape.
This vacation, I felt secure. Not stressed about looming deadlines or political maneuverings at work. I worked hard for the last year to carve out a space for The Big Life and the Badass Babes, and I finally felt like the world was returning my energy. For the first time, I didn’t give myself a project or plan to wrestle with some big life questions that never gets dealt with in the day-to-day. I ate ice cream. I rode a unicorn floatie into the pool and waded into a waterfall. I tickled my kids and kissed my husband. I went to SoulCycle and used my Instant Pot. I felt relaxed.
It doesn't matter how long it's been since you were in school: There's something about the week after Labor Day that feels like back to school. It's your opportunity to turn over a new leaf, to adopt a #NewWaytoWork, and become a bigger, better, more badass you. And when Tuesday rolled around, my brain turned back on and I was ready. I had new solutions for old challenges. I set bigger goals for myself. The clutter was cleaned, and I could see around the corners.
We're so pressured to always be "on." The hustle never stops, and neither does your social media feeds, right? But there's something magical about taking time off. About recharging your batteries so you can ramp up to a bigger, better tomorrow. The next time you're on vacation, I dare you to turn "off." Put up your out of office reply, ignore social media, and chill out.
XOXO
— A.
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IN OTHER BADASS BABES NEWS...
JUST DO IT
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Repeat after me, "I'm in control of my own power."
It's easy to get on a track and stay there. You're great at school, so you do more school. You're crushing it at your sales gig, get a bigger sales gig. The Track makes it easy for other people to assume they know what you can do and what you're capable of...And after a while, we start to believe them.
Break out of the boxes people try to put you in. Only you know your full potential and what you're truly capable of. You're here to change the game, make your mark, and prove the haters wrong. Like Colin Kaepernick said in his new Nike campaign, "Don't ask yourself if you dreams are crazy; ask if they're crazy enough."
STOP THE CLOCK?
How do you like your eggs? Frozen, apparently. That's right, a bunch of egg freezing companies are targeting millennials to hit the pause button on their biological clock. Honestly, I hate the idea of marketing to our fears. We start to see life as all the things we don’t have instead of all the things we do. I hate the idea of making egg freezing "status-y" or "girlfriend-y," but I love the idea of giving yourself greater control over how and when you build a family if you want it.
When I was 25, I only had the vaguest idea of whether or not I wanted to have kids. By the time I was 35 and in love with a man who could be my partner, I only had the vaguest idea of whether or not I could have kids. Getting more sure about what you want is a good idea — and so is knowing your body and chances of getting pregnant. And you shouldn't wait until it's almost too late to figure it out. Start having those conversations with your gyno—and maybe your friendly local egg freezer—NOW.
GET IT, GIRL
Can we give it up for Ayanna Pressley? ICYMI: Ayanna challenged Mike Capuano — who held his U.S. representative title for ten terms — in the Massachusetts Democratic primaries...and won. (How cute is her reaction?!)
This is our time to shine. For every story of being defeated, dismissed, and disrespected, there's one about women reclaiming their power and winning. And it's only the beginning. I think Ayanna said it best: "People who feel seen and heard for the first time in their lives, a stakehold in democracy and a promise for our future. That is the real victory, that is bigger than any electoral victory." Amen, sister!
BTW: This newsletter started from a series of conversations at my dinner table (dinner may be overselling...it was fancy frozen pizza and many bottles of rosé). Each dinner was a group of about 6 or so, friends of a friend of a friend, who came together to trade notes, offer support and share insider secrets. I called them the Badass Babes because they were the kind of girls anyone would want to be—confident, rule breaking, game changing. The conversations were so revelatory that I wanted to broaden the sisterhood and connect with young women everywhere. And so here we are. So glad you could join us!
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