You Already Know….

Jun 10, 2026 | Reflection

If you’re here from She’s Got Papers, welcome.

You’ve known me through the cards. The words, the messages, the moments we send to others. But there’s always been another side to that. The part that doesn’t get sent.

The words you sit with before you ever say them out loud.

And instead of keeping those worlds separate, I’m finally bringing them together.

If this isn’t your lane, I completely understand. You can always unsubscribe below. But if it is… I’m glad you’re here.

You already know.

It took me a minute, but I finally got it. And once I got it, I couldn’t ignore it.

When was the last time you told yourself the truth?

Not the version that sounds better. Not the version that’s easier to carry. The real one.

The one you keep trying to avoid.

For the sake of a relationship. A paycheck. Or… do I dare say it… A perception.

For me, I remember exactly where I was. Sitting in a chair by the pool in St. Lucia last July at 5am. Not a single soul in sight. Just me and my truth.

And I wrote something I hadn’t said out loud yet.

Well… I’d said it to my sister, but that’s our business!

I needed to leave my job.

And once I wrote it, that solidified it. Once it was on the page, I couldn’t unsee it. It went a little something like this:

Dear Gloria, I’m done.

At 50 years young, I knew what I wanted to do and what I didn’t. That chapter had served its purpose and it was time to move on.

There are things we know but we don’t say. We soften them. We delay them. We dress them up so they’re easier to live with.

Or worse… so we’re easier to live with.

The funny thing about the truth is that wherever you go, there it is. Including, but not limited to, the Royalton Hotel.

While you busy yourself checking off items on your never-ending to-do list, or riding on a catamaran in the Caribbean, the truth simply waits.

I had a time, did I mention that?!

When you write the truth, the page holds you accountable. Maybe that’s why writing still matters. Not just to someone else… but to yourself. You already know. This is how you move on it.

The BARE Method:

Bring up what you’ve been holding in

Acknowledge what needs your attention

Recognize the patterns shaping your decisions

Emerge with your next move in sight

Start where you are. Purchase the BARE Method below.

Beginning Again, On Purpose

Mar 5, 2026 | Reflection

March is Women’s History Month.

And while we’ll spend the next few weeks celebrating women who changed the world, I’ve been thinking about a different kind of history.

The many women I know who changed their own lives.

Not publicly. Not packaged for Instagram. Not dramatically written up in a 600-word Substack post.

Just with a decision.

The kind of history I’m thinking about is private.

Sometimes it happens at a kitchen table after a long day of, well, everything. Or in a journal named Gloria sitting in a private pool at the Royalton in St. Lucia while celebrating your 50^th birthday. What a time I had!

It happens in the moment a woman decides she will not live the next decade the way she lived the last one.

Beginning again isn’t impulsive. It’s intentional. It’s what happens when you’ve lived enough to know what no longer fits. And you make the decision to do something different.

Years ago, I designed a piece for She’s Got Papers that reads:

I’m Still Standing.

Inside I printed: I’m stronger. I’m wiser. I’m grateful. And I’m here.

if that message resonates with you, the “I’m Still Standing” card is available in the She’s Got Papers shop. Click here.

At the time, I thought it was about resilience. Now I understand it differently.

You’re not lost. You’re reassessing.

Mar 5, 2026 | Reflection

You’re not lost. You’re reassessing. There’s a difference and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.

Lost feels frantic. Disconnected. Like you’re in a rush with no clear direction.

Reassessing is quieter. It has a rhythm to it.

It’s what happens after you’ve lived enough to know that not every next step needs to be rushed.

You’re taking a beat. And beats are necessary.

A lot of women I know reach this point after years of doing what needed to be done.

Building careers. Holding families together. Being the dependable one. The capable one. The good Sister. The reliable Auntie. The one who couldn’t buy a break on sale at a discount store. It’s been a lot.

Nod your head if you know what I’m talking about.

And then one day, the questions change. You go from can I do this? to Do I still want to?

That doesn’t mean anything is wrong. It means you’re paying attention.

To the signs. To your body. To the sound of your voice that you learned to silence just to get through.

Reassessing is a season that asks for honesty more than action. For space instead of pressure. Pushing through pressure impairs your judgment.

Believe me, I’ve tried it. That’s a newsletter for another month.

I’ve learned to treat every season with respect. To give it time. To let clarity arrive instead of chasing it. The pause that putting pen to paper provides is like no other tool.

You don’t have to name the next chapter yet. You just have to tell the truth about the one you’re in.

That’s usually where everything begins to shift.