Feeling seen and understood is the most wonderful thing because it gives you the gift of confidence. - Alexi Pappas

The only real mistake is knowing you need a change and not making it.

Life is not about reducing our pain to nothing, it is about embracing pain and challenge as an invitation to rise and grow.

Being as kind to yourself as you are hard on yourself is a skill that I’ve had to actively nurture. I had a teammate at UO named Becca who, when she felt particularly overwhelmed or otherwise dissatisfied with her day, would put on PJs, get into bed, turn off the lights, lie down for one minute, and then spring out of bed and declare “NEW DAY!,” put on a new outfit, make coffee, and have breakfast again. It didn’t matter if it was ten in the morning or six at night — if she sensed her day going south, she allowed herself this routine. It is the ultimate self-kindness.