THE MYTH OF THE OVERNIGHT “AFTER”

We’ve all seen the posts.
A coach stands in front of a sunset and tells you, “If I did it, you can too!”

They show you the “Before” and the “After,” but they conveniently leave out the messy, decade-long middle.

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THE PART THEY LEAVE OUT

I was talking to my sister about this today because, looking at my life right now, I am finally the woman I once only dared to see in my visions.

For a long time, even when I tried to stay positive, there was a part of my heart that didn’t believe this version of me was actually possible.

It felt too far away.

I did change.
I did become her.

But here is the truth the “clickbait” world won’t tell you:

It took me ten years.

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HONORING THE WINTER

We are obsessed with the “bloom,” but we forget that nothing in nature blooms all year round.

The Seasons: In winter, everything looks like it’s dying. But that stillness is where the roots prepare for spring.

The Tides: The ocean doesn’t just crash against the shore indefinitely; it must retreat and pull back before it has the strength to come back again.

The Moon: It wanes until it’s nearly invisible before it can ever be full again.

Why do we expect our lives to be any different?
Why do we think we’re failing if we aren’t in a constant state of “amazing”?

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MEET YOURSELF WHERE YOU ARE

The truth is that change isn’t a straight line.

For some, it’s a sudden click.
For others—most of us—it’s years of dark moments, seasons of feeling stuck in bed, or navigating the heavy fog of illness and depression.

If you are in a “dark moon” phase right now, or if your waves are currently pulling away from the shore, you are not failing.

You are simply in a cycle.

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THIS IS PART OF THE ALCHEMY

Transformation isn’t about escaping the hard seasons; it’s about understanding that the winter is just as necessary as the spring.

It took me ten years to get here, and every one of those years—even the ones where I felt I was moving backward—was part of the alchemy.

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So, where are you today?

Whatever season you’re in, honor it.

Don’t rush the spring.

It’s coming, but the roots need time to grow in the dark first.

This is the work I do. They say "the final stage of healing is using what happened to you to help other people."

Always with love,

G A B Y