Summer Was My Permission Slip
Hi friend,
The pool towels are still on the deck railing, and they are not going to dry today. Woke up to sixty-five degrees. Yesterday it was 88.
Summer doesn't end with an announcement. It just gets quiet. And every year, for a long time, that quiet came with a low dread I couldn't name. Now I can: summer was my permission slip. RosĂ© didn't count. The boat didn't count. The neighbor's driveway at nine at night didn't count. Then the last week of September would come, the umbrella would come down, and I'd be standing in my kitchen at 5:15 on a regular Tuesday with no season left to hide behindâpouring the wine anyway.
I wrote about that this week, plus the five things that helped me and my clients at the end of every summer. If the light changing at 7pm is doing something strange to you right now, this one's for you.
And here's the good news from that post, because I mean it: this is the best week of the entire year to start. So here's what's happening around here, in case one of these is your start.
One queen bed left in Nashville.
The retreat was filled. Then more of you wanted in, so we added a cute boathouse. And now there is exactly one extra queen bed, and I'd love for it to be yours. Fall foliage hike, a fire, a lake, kayaks, a workshop, good food, real downtimeâand we're the special guests at the Draper James Sober October Sip & Shop. Twelve women, two hosts, zero hangovers. Fall lets you go inward. This is that, with better views.
GRAB THE LAST BED â RETREAT LINK HERE
In Wisconsin? Come see me.
Fun, Food & Connection under a harvest moonâSaturday, September 26, in Evansville, with my friends at Living Kindness. I'm a new board member, and I get to help host, which is a very Wisconsin-girl full-circle moment for me. Alcohol-free, all welcome, and I'd love to hug you in person. Hit reply and I'll send you the registration link. I've got some actual Old Fashions from a Wisconsin mocktail company to share! đ„ đ Can you say ON BRAND!?
The Dare to Dream Collective is open.
I named it after a journal I made as a kid, and I am not going to be cool about it. I love growing this thing. Coaches, mixologists, writers, advocates, and community buildersâwomen and men building something real in the alcohol-free space, most of them years or a decade in. Founding member spots are open now. The first coworking call is September 24, weekly calls start October 1, and Tawny Lara is teaching a pitch class in October. If you have a dream on the back burner, the burner is on. Spots are filling, and founding members are limited to 25.
SEE THE DTD COLLECTIVE â HERE
Inside Insider this week:
- A new masterclass dropped this morning on Building AF Communityâgo watch it
- Monday 9/14âMonday call with host Deb
- Tuesday 9/15, 6 pm CTâretreat prep call for my retreat ladies (rides, packing, meeting each other)
- Tuesday 9/15, 7:30 pm CTâLIVE yoga nidra. This week's theme: building an alcohol-free community. So we are doing our weekly yoga nidra LIVE in the community. Get cozy, cameras on or off, no yoga poses, just get comfy, grab a blanket, lie down, and listen.
- Wednesday 9/30, 7 pm CTâfree workshop: how to make the most of Sober October. First challenge or a decade in, come. Working on stopping the scroll, the sugar, or the sauvignon blanc? All of it is welcome. SAVE YOUR SPOT â HERE
If you missed Tammi Salas's Art for Healing live, we heard her story and learned new ways to make art, journal, create gratitude lists, and more. This week, I didn't know I needed the noticing walk until I spotted the sunflower in a field. The replay is still available inside.
Sober October and the last 90 days to finish strong
Something new is coming to the community for Q4: more calls, more engagement, and more fun. A tarot card reading in October (yes, really). Story share in November. A virtual holiday party in December. Daily lessons and prompts all the way to the end of the year. Half the women I talk to in September are quietly saving their reset for January, which is a very sophisticated way of drinking for four more months. Don't wait. Your first week is freeâcome sit and just read. No one will make you say anything.
Soâwho do you want to be standing in that kitchen at 5:15 in February? I'm going to go bring the towels in now.
XO,
Heather
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