Last night I was on an accountability call with a few of my cohorts from Factory 45 (a fantastic accelerator for sustainable and ethical fashion I went through this past year). We were all feeling various versions of frustration with ourselves and our brand progress. I admitted I was feeling straight up burnt out. I even shared that I recently had the thought, “What if I just quit right now? What would be the loss?”

If I quit today –– on paper –– not much would be lost. I’d be out my initial investment in my brand, but I could make that money back over time. I could play it safe, call this journey a big and wonderful lesson in a new field, and move on with my life.

The truth is, I am burnt out right now. But I’m still so passionate about my vision –– about designing in a way that honors both our bodies and the planet, and providing fashion forward options that align with pro Mother Earth values. If I give up today, the world loses all of that, and if I give up today I’ll never know if I could have made it happen.

In the midst of my burn out, I also had an epiphany. I can do this however I want to. It’s my brand! I shared this epiphany with my cohorts last night, and here’s the cool thing –– they were also all having their own versions of epiphanies about how to move forward with their brands, in the best way that serves them and their vision.

It’s so easy to get lodged into the “I should’s” and the “right ways” of the process, yet all that does is bog us down. So I’m reminding myself (and you, in whatever way this rings true for you) to let go of the “shoulds” and listen to your gut. Try a bunch of ways –– it’s all a part of the process –– but don’t be afraid to re-evaluate and let go of what’s not serving you! And trust that inner voice when it’s talking to you…it’s usually right.

We tend to try to go about our lives, and forget that we’re still doing all of this work under the backdrop of a pandemic. We are still living through unprecedented times, and that’s enough to burn anyone out. So over the next fews weeks, I’m going to slow down when I need, and give myself permission to move forward at a pace that best serves me, and my overall vision.

I’ll keep you updated of course. Our first sample is just around the corner, and once I can share that with you all, things are going to start to get really exciting! But in the meantime, I might be a little more quiet than usual.

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