Melanie Albright Writer, Yogi, Wanderer

Dearest Community

Is it just me, or was August absolute fire

As you know, my intention for this month was to "get real", and boy did I ever. 

This took the form of me putting myself ~out there~ in all sorts of ways.

Reaching out to friends first? Check. Joining a beautiful community of like-interested women? Check. Taking action on things I've been wanting or needing to do for a while? Check. 

The result?

ALL OF THE GOOD THINGS.

...and all because I consciously worked to show up as my full authentic selfno holding back, no letting fear or discomfort stop me. Just full on going for it.

Some of my favourite moments from the month are:

  • getting to try voice acting thanks to my friend Stephen (remember him from one of our earlier check-ins? he created a whole ass mini series in his living room during the pandemic); this was an actual dream come true.
  • sitting on a cat named Roonil Wazlibwhat this translates to is that I watched over my friend Geraldine's house and cat while she was away; I got to enjoy her lush backyard (where I snapped the below photo) and trendy neighbourhood (vlog of that coming soon...); I also shared a series of mewsings of an existential cat, featuring Roonie, which you can see via my Instagram highlight, titled Mewsings.
  • tapping into the nourishing power of community, from spending time with loved ones, having great conversation with the people I've met in the women's group I've joined and interacting with creators on YouTube who inspire me

If I've learned anything, it's that hiding myself does me and nobody else any good and, actually, being myself does a whole hell of a lot of good.

So it's official: the time has come for me to break out of my shell. I have to shout that I AM COMING OUT... of hiding, looking up to the sky, feeling the sunshine on my face and extending a hand to you to do the same. 

With love
Melanie

In this issue: Latest blog post | What I've been up to | Learn reiki with Kate September intention | What's up(coming) | 20-minute superhero training and journalling exercise

Surrounded by flowers, Melanie leans in to take in their fragrance.
Are You Lost? How to Recover from Total Burnout
New on the blog: the steps I took to reconnect with myself and totally change my life. Grab your favourite hot drink and click the button below to read.
Read
Reflections...
What I've been up to

Sharing videos on YouTube has been wonderful (and at times weird); here's what went live this month: 

In addition to watching Roonie, I got my kitty fix by:

  • starting the process to foster cats with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home; I had my first of two inductions today!
  • tuning into Dean Schneider, a human member of a lion pride; as if this weren't fascinating enough, he also inspires you to follow your dreams and be the best version of yourself that you can be

I've also come across some bad ass women, who've been inspiring my creative, personal and professional empowerment; I want to share them with you in case they light you up in a similar way:

  • Chimdi Ihezie, who shows how powerful breaking free of the mould to follow your unique path is
  • Natalia Benson, who fuses the spiritual world with practical tools for empowerment
  • The Purple Palace, who talks following your dreams late in life, overcoming heartache and living as an American artist in Paris

What have been some key moments for you over the last month? Reflecting on these is a great practice for gratitude, motivation and more. It can also be a great conversation starter (hint, hint). I'd love to know what your moments of note were: don't be shy; click reply!

A smiling Kate reaches out to touch a yellow flower.
The Space Between Healing with Kate
I will never forget the synchronistic way that reiki came into my life: a flight cancellation led to a 2-month overstay in Bali and a teacher turned dear friend. Said dear friend is Kate, a reiki master who introduced me to this beautiful energy healing practice that aims to bring body, mind and spirit to balance. Kate offers courses to attune you to reiki and teach you how to give yourself and others treatments. With offerings both in person and online, you can become attuned from anywhere. MEL£50VOUCHER will give you £50 off of any of her courses and me a small commission. The next course starts in Sep; click the button below for details.
Learn reiki

Got a passion, practice or something else you'd like to share with the community for creative, wellness or travel inspiration? Get in touch!

A forward glance...
Intention for the month: prepared

I'm calling in that Virgo vibe to set September aside to get organisedreading that back, did I just do a freestyle rap? Am I still?

Okay, back to September's intention...

I've got a feeling that things are going to start popping for me soon. I don't know what this will look like exactly—maybe those new writing clients I've been calling in are coming, perhaps another creative collaboration is on the horizon or it's something totally outside my realm of expectation—whatever it is, I can already feel the momentum picking up.

To ensure I'm able to keep up, I'm getting my ducks in a row (btw, where did this expression come from?).

I want to be prepared for that POP, hence the intention for this month. Rather than making it sound like just another to do (i.e. prepare), I want to embody the confidence that comes with already being prepared.

Being prepared opens the door to being present. It allows you to become fully absorbed with whatever it was you were preparing for and to simply perform, i.e. to be. In that unfiltered state of flow, of pure co-creation, you not only transform the task by bringing it to life, but the task transforms you. It shows you what you're capable of, and once you know that, you're locked, loaded and ready to make your wildest dreams come true. 

So, what's on your horizon? Anything you're preparing for or procrastinating on? Can you harness that confidence of preparedness right now, before you've even taken one iota of preparatory action?

I invite you to be prepared with me this September, perhaps starting by journaling, meditating or simply reflecting on the prompts below, either on your own or guided by this month's video.

I would love to hear what your intention for September is and any insights that came up for you in this exercise. Share them with me by replying to this email.

What's up: classes, events and goings-on in the month ahead
20-minute superhero training
This 20-minute exercise starts with a power pose that'll see your posture straighten and your confidence elevate, followed by guided journalling to discover the power of preparedness.
Be prepared
Melanie struttin' amongst a foreground of flowers.
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