Reset and Restart: When Life Calls for a Pause, Answer with a Passport
After spending nearly two transformative weeks in London, coming back to the States felt like a crash landing. No cushion. No pause. Just a hard shift back into grind mode. I knew I had to get back to business—finalizing the details and pushing ticket sales for my Professional Pretty Conference. And I did just that. In one week, I locked in my goal and sold out the conference. Mission accomplished.
I told myself I wouldn’t travel again until after the event—aside from a one-night Beyoncé experience in Chicago (because… Queen Bey is therapy, too) and a brief Miami recharge. But as Memorial Day weekend approached, I could feel something bubbling under the surface. I was tired. Mentally, emotionally, and spiritually tired.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed something more than sleep—I needed a reset. Not a spa day. Not a nap. I needed sun, stillness, and space.
The idea of being near the ocean, disconnected from constant demands, started to sound like a form of survival. I brought it up in therapy, almost laughing at myself, unsure if I was just being impulsive. But my therapist said something powerful: “If that’s what your spirit needs to recharge, book the flight.”
So, I did.
Was it in the budget? Not really.
Did I care? Not at all.
Grief has a way of distorting your internal compass. Since losing my dad, I’ve felt unmoored. Some days, I’m on top of my to-do list. Other days, I’m trying to remember to eat or breathe. My therapist described this stage as “confusion.” That word fits like a glove. I feel like I’m floating between functioning and feeling, succeeding and surviving.
Cancun wasn’t about escape—it was about clarity. I booked the flight, set up my hotels, and reached out to my photographer friend in Mexico for a content shoot—something I hadn’t done since last year. That moment reminded me that I’m still a creative. I’m still me.
In Mexico, I gave myself permission to just be. I laid by the pool, let the sun kiss my skin, sipped passionfruit margaritas, and rested. Not the kind of sleep you get in between deadlines—but real, soul-nourishing rest. I remembered what it feels like to be still without guilt.
This wasn’t just a trip. It was a reset. A restart. A reclamation.
The Professional Pretty Conference is less than two weeks away, and I’m going into it with a renewed sense of purpose. I created this event to inspire and uplift women who, like me, juggle dreams and deadlines, grief and glam, ambition and anxiety. And now, more than ever, I understand the power of carving out space for yourself—whether that’s through travel, therapy, or turning off your phone.
So if you’re reading this and feeling like you’re running on empty, I hope this is your sign: Take the break. Book the flight. Honor your feelings. You deserve it.
The best version of yourself is on the other side of rest.
