If you’ve been following along for a while, you know I’ve been on a journey—a journey of growth, self-awareness, and learning to say the word that used to make me cringe… no. For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with boundaries. In therapy, I learned that my inability to say no wasn’t just my own challenge. It was modeled to me from childhood—watching my mom navigate the same struggle, and unknowingly, I was validated when I said yes to everything. Yep, people pleaser at maximum levels!

Fast forward to my adult life, and the theme continued—whether in my career, relationships, or even daily life. There I was, jumping through hoops to make others happy, while I was feeling drained, frustrated, and often, taken advantage of. Sound familiar? If you’re nodding along, you’re not alone. It’s a tough cycle to break.

The past few years, I’ve worked HARD on this—practicing saying no, setting boundaries, and learning to put myself first. But it’s not always easy. Every now and then, those old patterns sneak back in. Case in point: recently, I found myself stressing over not having sent a newsletter in weeks. The worry crept in… were people wondering where I’d gone? Were they disappointed in me?

Then, I paused.

And I asked myself: So what?

The truth is, all this internal work I’ve been doing is slowly paying off. I’m making decisions from a place of what feels right, not what I should be doing. I’m aligning more with my true bandwidth, saying no to things that don’t light me up, and yes—taking much-needed pauses.

Something that’s been a huge gift to me in this process has been learning how to recognize what lights me up and how my body responds to things. This is something I’ve discovered through my journey with Human Design. In fact, I talk about it in my most recent podcast episode! Knowing how you are designed to respond to what’s presented to you daily is paramount to making choices that feel aligned, not forced. It’s changed the way I approach everything.

In fact, I’m taking a pause right now. As you’re reading this, I’m on vacation, and for the first time, I’m allowing myself to fully unplug (well, as much as I can). Sure, I still feel a tad guilty about leaving my pups behind, but hey, progress is progress, right?

This is one of the few times I actually feel excited about not having to do anything. There are some plans (mostly by my husband, who’s booking things on his own—ayayayyy), but I’m trusting that practicing presence and mindfulness will be more than enough.

So, if you’re feeling like you need to hit pause, too, I’m giving you full permission. We all need to reset sometimes.

I can’t wait to share my experience with you—pictures, stories, all of it. But for now, let’s take a moment to breathe, to be, and to remember: we don’t always have to be doing something.

Talk soon, Ydaiber
P.S. Take that pause, guilt-free!

P.S. 2: Have you checked out our new merch yet? I’m beyond proud of these beautiful designs, and trust me—they’re even cuter in person than in the pics! Don’t miss out—take a look HERE!​