Embracing the And

Lessons from my first year in NYC

I’ve spent the past year learning that a season can be both beautiful and hard, exciting and overwhelming. When I first landed in New York, I remember stepping off the plane and thinking, 'Girl, what are you doing?' LOL. Even though I'd visited many times before, moving here, signing a lease, and navigating these taxes was a different experience.

Today marks one year since that moment. People always ask me, 'How’s New York? Are you happy you moved?' I’d always say, 'Give me a year.' Well, it’s been a year, and while I don’t have everything figured out, if there’s one thing this season has taught me, it's how to embrace the 'and.'

For a while, I believed life was about choosing one path over another. Success or rest. Structure or spontaneity. Hustle or ease. It felt like every decision required me to pick a side, as if blending both couldn’t exist.

One of the most surprising lessons I’ve learned is that embracing the 'and' allows you to hold space for the complexity of growth. It’s not about forcing balance, but about accepting that both things can be true at once, and that’s okay.

This past year, I’ve felt both energized and overwhelmed. I’ve experienced career wins and moments where I felt stuck. I’ve found new connections and faced periods of loneliness. I’ve felt completely at home and utterly lost in the same afternoon. But by embracing both sides of those experiences, I found clarity and confidence that didn’t exist before.

Embracing the 'and' is also about releasing pressure. There’s a kind of freedom that comes from realizing you don’t have to be all in on one identity or outcome. You can be building your career and figuring out what truly lights you up. You can take bold steps forward and acknowledge that you’re still learning as you go.

For me, this shift has meant learning to trust that things don’t have to be perfectly aligned for progress to happen. Some weeks, I’m deeply focused on my goals; other weeks, I need to slow down and reset. It’s in those moments of pause that some of my best ideas have surfaced.

More than anything, embracing the 'and' has helped me recognize that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be in this season. Even when things feel unclear or messy, I’ve realized I’m not behind, but I’m just in the middle of figuring it out. And that’s okay. Every doubt, every win, every uncomfortable stretch, it’s all part of the path I’m meant to walk right now. I always tell people, 'This is the season I'm supposed to be here.' And now, with another year ahead (yes, I resigned my lease), I’m trusting that even more.

Living in New York has a way of revealing this duality in everyday moments. I've had days where I’ve felt powerful like I could take on anything, only to be reminded hours later that I’m still learning how to navigate this city. Listen, you think you understand the train until you look up and realize you've been going in the wrong direction for 15 minutes, and have to wait for the next one which throws your day off. This city can make you feel both very big and really small at the same time. It’s full of contradictions, and maybe that’s what makes it the perfect teacher for embracing the ‘and.’

So if you’re feeling like you need to pick a side, fast or slow, loud or quiet, sure or uncertain, consider this: maybe you don’t. Maybe the magic lies in allowing yourself to embrace the 'and.' Because when you do, you open yourself to new experiences, greater self-trust, and a deeper sense of ease…all unfolding exactly as they’re meant to.

When I first moved here, I remember telling myself to 'keep the manual, but stay open to the magic.' And that's exactly what I did. Here’s to trusting the ‘and,’ and everything this next season has in store.

3.19.24