Back from Sabbatical, Moving Mindfully
It’s good to be back.
Over the past few months I’ve been on sabbatical—completing my Master’s, traveling with family, resting, listening, and letting my nervous system catch up with my life. As I step
back into classes and responsibilities, I’m doing it slowly and mindfully, making space in my life to live into all of the learning I’ve done and to further embody the practices I teach.
For nine years, school held a huge part of my life. Earning my bachelor’s and master’s degrees (with the latter overlapping with the former) was meaningful, hard and beautiful… and it also quietly expanded until it took up more territory than I realized. When it ended, I expected relief, but what I really felt was how thoroughly it had shaped my days, my attention, and even my sense of self.
For a long time I thought I was “swallowing a frog”—doing the hard thing, powering through, pushing it down so I could keep going. But I’ve realized something truer: I wasn’t only swallowing the frog. I also was the frog, sitting with my little froggy legs in the pot as the water warmed so gradually I didn’t notice the rise.
Now the heat is off. The timeline is different. And I’m learning how to live in the quiet that comes after a long season of striving.
Living into the work I’ve done
This next chapter isn’t about rushing into the next big thing. It’s about living into what I’ve already built.
I’m returning to the work I’ve created over decades—songs, stories, and the creative threads that have been waiting patiently while I focused on finishing. With a B.A. in Songwriting from Berklee, finished in December I’m ready to write, record, and publish the music I’ve carried for a long time.
And with my M.Ed. in Social Emotional Learning, Mindfulness, and Yoga, I’m also holding the learnings that changed me: how to make space, how to be with what’s true, and how to lead from presence instead of pressure.
That means I’m giving myself time for the structure, creation, intention, and conveyance of what I’ve already begun to settle. I’m practicing letting things land.
Present… and a little quieter
I want to name something clearly: I’m here, and I’m excited about what’s coming—but I’m also preparing.
I’m taking time with home and family. I’m backing up from much else for now. Not because I’m disappearing, but because I’m choosing to be more deliberate.
When I add something new—projects, offerings, collaborations, commitments—it will be with more intention. With more planning. With a stronger sense of self.
I’m letting readiness take its time.
What’s next (a little more specifically)
I’ll be making a slight reduction at the Yoga Barn for now. Weekly Sound Baths will pause/reduce for the time being, and I may reschedule them in the fall.
I’m also considering how to bring Frolic back to regular performances in the area (a frequent request since Frolic has been hibernating from the public for the last year). I’ll be rethinking my schedule for professional development, Frolic, and consultation in schools.
And if you don’t know: I’ve built some neat things to enhance wellbeing in schools. This is also I also want to bring to families. I’m also working on a few consulting matters focused on integrating song and wellness into schools. It’s time to do a lot of writing and publishing for all of it.
This is the time when all the strands of work are merging, Togetherly.
What I’m carrying forward from Berklee, Breathe for Change, and my veteran roots
My time at Berklee taught me how to take inspiration and turn it into craft: how to listen closely, write with intention, collaborate with other artists, and bring a creative idea all the way to something shareable. Breathe for Change deepened the other side of the work: nervous-system awareness, trauma-informed practices, and the kind of embodied mindfulness that actually translates into sustainable leadership and healthier communities. And lately, I’ve been leaning back into my veteran roots. Especially through Soldier Songs and Voices, anorganization I will write more about soon. I’ve been remembering the power of story, service, and belonging, and how music can help us process, connect, and heal. And the importance of community within growth..
I’d love to hear from you
Please share what you’d like to see, and where. If you have a group who would love to propose a Frolic “starting spot,” or if you have a school that could use Frolic, yoga, educator yoga, SEL, or professional development for your organization, now is the time to reach out. I’m in this for the impact, and the learning will all support that. I’ll be growing into the spaces and work that can produce the greatest impact for what I can do.
Ready for the big things coming
I don’t need to force what’s next. I can be faithful to the work that’s already in me, and to the life that’s already here.
So this is me, stepping back in, with mindfulness, with patience, and with a quieter kind of confidence.
Thank you for being here. I’m grateful to share what comes next slowly, honestly, and on purpose.
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