Tip Toeing Back In
Me, many moons ago, quite literally tip toeing…
A wise woman recently reminded me that I don’t owe anyone an explanation for my recent radio silence. In fact many of you, busy in your own lives, may not have even realized that I dropped off. Yet, in a world where we constantly update our circles via social media, blogs, vlogs, email blasts, and texts, I’ve felt like I dropped the ball — and a major building-my-business ball at that. But life happens when you’re busy building your business, and I’ve been deep in the thick of life.
Several months ago I lost my grandmother in an unexpected tragedy. The term “grandmother” doesn’t do this woman, or my relationship with her, justice. My grandmother was young, young in spirit, and with more energy than most people half her age. She was also my friend, and one of my confidantes and role models.
Since her passing, I’ve been consumed by grief — maintaining a strong exterior to the world around me while taking on a new role on behalf of my grandmother and within my family — meanwhile crumbling behind closed doors. If you’ve ever dealt with this kind of loss, I see you in a whole new light, and empathize so deeply. It’s something that if you’ve haven’t faced, I wish so fiercely that you never do.
Loss puts everything into perspective, and for a while it felt difficult for me to care about anything other than my responsibilities to my grandmother and to my family. Returning to "work mode” has felt almost impossible. However, living in the embers of someone else’s life is not actually a way to live, and I’ve recognized it a necessary part of my healing process to return to living my own life, and continuing the pursuit of my dreams.
Even though my Petal + Ash updates have recently dwindled to none, behind the scenes some exciting things have been happening. So I wanted to take a moment to share...
This winter, I went through the Sustainable Design Entrepreneurs certificate course at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), furthering my knowledge in sustainability as it relates to the apparel industry — specifically in materials, supply chain, design, and manufacturing.
With the support of a grant from Career Transition for Dancers, I’m currently working my way through FIT’s Intimate and Swimwear Design certificate course, deepening my understanding of undergarment construction and helping to build the best possible undergarments for you!
In January, I began the pursuit of my masters degree in Sustainability Management at Columbia University. I’m thrilled to be a part of this amazing program, and to see how it furthers my endeavors with Petal + Ash and my desires to support other brands in sustainability initiatives.
The original Petal + Ash bra and panty is moving along in development, and I’ve just begun developing a second style. I’m really stoked about the possibilities and can’t wait to share more.
And with that, I can’t promise that I’m ready to rebound back to my “regularly scheduled programming.” But I can say that I’m tip toeing back in, in a really big way. I know one of the best ways I can honor my family’s legacy is to keep moving forward.
In the coming weeks I’d love to dive, with you, a bit deeper into each of these developments so you can hear more about how this all serves Petal + Ash, and therefore serves YOU! And in the meantime, whether you’re dealing with tragedy or not, these are hard times. As I continue to remind myself, I’ll remind you to pause when necessary and take a deep breath. It’s simple and it always helps.
Do you want more Petal + Ash content? Excited to stay up to date as we gear up to launch our line of circular lingerie? Sign up below, and get our free guide, Seven (Easy) Sustainable Swaps!
