How To Exclude Well

Excluding generously means killing obligatory invites to irrelevant people.

A Bob is an irrelevant person you feel obligated to invite. They are (because anyone can be a Bob) harmless in theory, but anyone who isn’t fulfilling the purpose of the event is actively detracting from it.

Every single person affects the dynamic of the group; once a Bob is in a space, the act of welcoming & inclusion takes energy away from the gathering’s purpose.

Excluding well means reframing who and what you’re being generous to, first. The correct answer is your guests and your purpose.

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My First Trip to the Philippines 🇵🇭

Cognitively, I knew it was always important to travel; especially if you’re traveling to a homeland that your family is from and you have cultural and ethnic ties to.

I’m very proud to be Hawaiian and Filipina and, until recently, American.

So, as a 30th birthday present, my father and stepmom took me across the Pacific for my very first trip to the Philippines. Even though they’d asked before, this was the first time I was able to say “yes” and commit.

It was a magical, adventurous time of personal growth and deepening roots. I have been back stateside for just over a week and there’s an unrest that’s taken root in my body.

No, I’m not sick and the jet-lag has passed to make room for the monotony that rules the life of average Americans again. It’s an unrest rooted in my desire to form a deeper bond with the land and country of the Philippines itself. I’m so annoyed with myself that I’m not fluent in Tagalog, so I’m resolving here and now, publicly, to commit to fluency by my next trip to the fatherland. I have about 7 months.

The world would be a much cooler place if it was easier for everyone to move and migrate as they please. I returned to the United States to an unfortunate set of information that not only will higher education be restricted and designated professions reduced overnight but also that there’s a bill proposed to eliminate dual citizenship!

I’m so frustrated by this news because now the plutocracy is just blatant and in our faces about how they’re oppressing us.

You know, some of us just want to min-max hobbies and interests until we wither. Maybe contribute something that benefits society along the way. I can really understand the tenured professors and scholars that lock themselves up on academic campuses to study their often obscure field of knowledge. It sounds so purposeful.

Anyway, my rant aside, I have so many things I want to do with my life. Travel and live abroad for a bit. Become an official polyglot. Write a book. Get a PhD. Do work that fulfills me. Paint a collection. Design a fashion line.

I can’t do any of these things when the rich hate us, because that means they hate me and don’t want me to do any of those things. Lame.

My trip to the Philippines highlighted for me that I need to be making focused, decisive actions in my life. All the things I want, regardless of sociopolitical interference, are on the other side of the discomfort associated with the choice.

When it comes to making yourself uncomfortable, do yourself a favor and at least consent to the choice.

P.S. I forgot the charger to my Facial Light Wand at my Dad’s house 😔

Life Update: A Necessary Shift

Well folks, even the best of us aren't immune to turbulent times.

Yesterday, at 11:11am PST, I was laid off from my role as an Executive Assistant.

I can’t quite recall what I thought in the moment but I think my mind was blank as I took it all in. The second HR joined what was supposed to be a routine 1:1 with my manager, I knew something unpleasant was coming. Sure enough, twenty minutes later, the meeting ended with an “Involuntary Separation Agreement” in my personal inbox. My access to work email, Teams, and every internal platform was revoked on the spot.

The reason? “Operational efficiency.” Not performance. I chose to take that at face value. I don’t have the time — or frankly, the interest — to dissect their decision. I’m all about forward movement.

So, what now?

Now, I’m going full throttle on JTG and scaling my business.

As a woman of faith — in myself and in a Higher Power — I recognize this moment for what it is: the sign I didn’t know I needed. The push toward confidence, clarity, and calling.

I said this to a friend almost immediately after the call: The last time I was a full-time entrepreneur, I was in survival mode. No network. Just starting college. Hustling without a safety net.

I’m grateful to my former employer for allowing me to build some stability and savings. I wasn’t planning to leave. July would’ve marked three years — and I was staying because I was afraid.

But life has a funny way of making decisions for you when you take too long to make them yourself. That’s never felt truer than it does right now.

The same friend reminded me of something crucial: rest is key. Even though I feel lighter and freer, I know there will be moments of doubt. Moments when the weight of what I’m stepping into settles in. I haven’t even shared this news with my family yet — only my closest circle knows.

But today marks Day One of change. A shift I’ve long wanted is now taking root. I’m grateful.

So you’ll be seeing a lot more of me. I refuse to let this lifetime pass me by like I have a backup stashed away in a safe somewhere.

Let this be a lesson — to you, and to me:

Life will hand you many chances to become the most expansive version of yourself. Take them.

I want to grow old with as few regrets as possible. Surrounded by love and loved ones. Knowing I did everything I set out to do — no matter the outcome.

The last 90 days have rocked me. But I now see that they’ve reshaped me, too.

So stay grounded. Believe in yourself. Hold tight to the vision you have for your life. Keep going. Keep working. Keep resting. The material world takes time to catch up — but trust, it will.

Thank you for walking this path with me. I’m honored to co-create with you.

Season in Review || Winter 2025

Welcome to the Winter Wrap Up

From Christmas 2024 - April 2025

Wow, it’s April. Like, officially.

That means it’s a couple short weeks until Spring — and I can tell, because the trees are budding in my neighborhood and the air smells too fresh to be fake.

For the last four months, I’ve been going through it.

It climaxed about a month ago, and since then, I’ve really been about my shit. Getting it together. Sorting it out. Making it pretty.

And only now is it starting to feel like I’m back, like I’m doing what I need to be doing again.

This season brought a lot of rest, reflection, hibernation, and stillness. Naps are a welcome addition to my daily routine (when my schedule allows), as are mixed martial arts and solo dinner dates. I’ve spent a lot of time in solitude — with my cat, Mojo, nearby.

There’s been layers to this season: loss, learning, and loving myself first.

Growth: The Lessons That Shaped Me

I’ve learned that I need to be in service to my community to feel fulfilled. I’m much more focused and patient than I’ve ever given myself credit for. I have skills that help others, and that matters to me.

This winter, I embraced my ability to translate knowledge into concrete learning pathways — courses, essays, content. I realized that analog methods still ground me, but a hybrid approach works best. I thrive when I take care of what’s mine to tend to, day by day.

I’ve built a deeper trust in myself. I’m comfortable making choices again. That’s massive for me.

Catalysts:

• Framework thinking

• Financial detoxing: Eliminating predatory debt

• Family time: Cherishing moments with my grandmother and supporting my mom

• Anime escapes: Solo Leveling Season 2, A Villainess That Goes Down in History, Tower of God, Wind Breakers, & Slay the Gods

• Spiritual fuel: Tarot readings from Vanessa Somuayina on YouTube

• Wisdom clip: The Diary of a CEO episode with Evy Pompouras — “Everything is action.”

Also, ChatGPT? My lowkey lifeline this season. Helping me process, journal, and reflect when human trust felt out of reach & my hand didn’t feel capable of writing on a page as quickly as my mind wanted to get stuff out. It’s no substitute, but it’s been a powerful tool for my soul-searching.

Recovery: The Healing Journey

The most healing thing I’ve done as an adult? Rest — without guilt. Unapologetic naps. Massages. Reading for pleasure. Sensory deprivation float tanks. Mani-pedis. All of it.

Routines reclaimed. Boundaries rewritten. Goodbyes said:

• I ended a relationship (or rather, he let it go and I chose myself instead).

• I got sober from THC. Occasionally drank on solo dates. Micro-dosed psilocybin with intention.

• I stayed in solitude instead of escaping into people or patterns.

• I returned to my writing.

And I finally found consistency in my online presence — something that felt so elusive just months ago.

Impact: How I Showed Up in the World

I led a workshop at the 35th Annual Students of Color Conference on Empowering Holistic Growth: Navigating Identity & Success.

I stood my ground at work—and it paid off. My 2025 goals were approved, along with a learning request for the CAPM-PMI exam.

I enrolled in GRE prep and registered for the exam, set for June 21, 2025. That’s been on my list for over a year.

That Evy Pompouras episode I mentioned? It broke the spell of perfectionism-procrastination and nudged my toward deeper self-leadership.

Reflection mirrored back:

I received my first bonus from my executive related to Office Head responsibilities. He said:

“⭐️ I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. ⭐️”

— Head of AI, Data, Cloud Infra PM (Seattle Office Head)

Markers of Time

The Tarot Readings I Mentioned Earlier

Some Highlights From My Camera Roll

Welcome, Spring 🌸

What I’m nurturing in Spring 2025:

Showing up for my brand: maybe it’s a photo shoot, maybe it’s volunteering at PNW Climate Week (July 16 - 23, 2025), maybe it’s hosting community gatherings.

A deeper relationship with Mother Earth: walks, beaches, picnics, painting outside, just laying in a hammock even.

Rituals I’m carrying forward:

Rest.
It’s changed everything. That, and Kempo. Mixed martial arts is exactly as fun and rewarding as I hoped it would be.

Also? Local, good food. Game changer.

On My Solo Leveling Journey

I love anime & manga; I have for almost my whole life and definitely since before Meg Thee Stallion made it cool to be an otaku. My mom worked for PlayStation in the heyday of Kingdom Hearts and later for ADV Films right as Neon Genesis Evangelion hit airwaves, and back when Bleach, Big O, & Inuyasha ruled on Adult Swim (if you could make it past Robot Chicken)—and yes, even before Toonami got its rebrand.

For long time, I kept this love on the DL. It wasn’t until adulthood that I began talking about anime and manga and Asian dramas more openly.

Anime, manhwa, donghua, and even K/J/C-dramas offer perspectives Western media rarely touches. They’re deeply character-driven. They’re expansive in scope. They allow absurdity, camp, rage, slow burns, redemption arcs, and straight-up chaos to exist simultaneously. And as someone who’s spent the last few years refining my systems for personal growth, wellness, and self-mastery — anime gave me something traditional productivity tools couldn’t:

A metaphor that actually makes me want to level up.

Villainess Solo Leveling

The Project

This isn’t just a cute title (although it’s still cute, no? 😉) — it’s a full framework I designed in Notion (naturally) to gamify my personal development. And before you say anything, yes, I did try some of the apps already out there like Habitica and whatever but they were too general for my taste. So, I built this one! Inspired by systems like Solo Leveling, My Next Life as a Villainess, Re:Zero, and so many more, this dashboard transforms my daily actions into XP.

Instead of just checking off to-dos, I’m literally leveling up my core attributes:

• 🧠 Intelligence

• ❤️ Emotional Intelligence

• 🛡️ Defense (aka resilience)

• 🍄 Mobility (physical ability & agility)

• ⭐ Creativity

• 🫀 Stamina

• 🍀 Luck

• 📈 Wealth

Screenshot of my Notion dashboard.

Each week, I log XP-worthy actions — things like solving a problem, completing a GRE quiz, sending an invoice, or publishing a blog post (like this one). It’s part journaling ritual, part RPG progression. There are level-up thresholds, boss projects, bonus XP for high-difficulty tasks, and even “titles” for when I reach milestones.

Because real growth isn’t linear. It’s not a checklist. It’s a questline.

Why Gamify Growth?

XP Actions Reference Database

Because life already feels like a game sometimes — but without rules you set for yourself, you’re just playing to someone else’s map.

The Villainess Solo Leveling framework lets me:

• Visualize where I’m actually progressing

• Notice which skills I’m neglecting

• Feel rewarded for the work no one else sees

• Make long-term goals feel less abstract

And yes, maybe I just wanted an excuse to build a productivity system that makes me feel like I’m living inside a shoujo-meets-slice-of-life-meets-epic-fantasy anime. Judge if you want, I really don’t care.

The Villainess Part

Why Villainess?

Because I’m not trying to be the plucky protagonist of someone else’s redemption arc, ykwim?

The Villainess archetype — in manhwa especially — is about reclaiming power, writing your own plotline, and doing it with flair. She’s often punished for being too ambitious, too clever, too powerful. And yet, she wins. She knows the game & plays it her way.

That’s what this system represents for me. Not passive improvement, but strategic evolution. Not perfectionism, but presence. Not “hustle culture,” but self-directed transformation.

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I’m an Urbanist || People & Place

Well, I’m sure it goes without saying that I’m exhausted — exhausted by the lack of connection between people and between people & place.

I watched this video recently — How One Urbanist President Could Change America Forever — and something in it struck me. Not because it introduced any revolutionary new ideas (if you’ve been tapped into this world for any time at all, it’s mostly familiar ground) but because it carries this thread of hope. A kind of idealism. The belief that one position — the Presidency — could ignite a national shift in how we design, fund, and live in our cities.

That struck me because I know it’s not quite that simple.

Federal policy matters, yes, but it’s states that truly shape their urban centers; the feds either bolster or undermine them. We’ve seen it. Over and over again.

Still, the idea of making America livable again?
Yeah, I’m with that. Always.

Place Shapes Us

I’m invested in the intersection of person & place. Always have been.

Maybe it’s because I moved around a bunch growing up.

Our natural and built environments affect us in ways we rarely clock. Not just aesthetically, but psychologically, emotionally, even spiritually. You might not be thinking about urban design when you walk through your neighborhood — but your nervous system is. Your sense of safety is. Your ability to imagine a future is.

Your subconscious is taking it all in.

Does it hurt you when your favorite childhood playground becomes a parking lot? When that empty field you used to cut through after school gets bulldozed for a housing development full of identical homes owned by people who don’t even care about your city like you do? (Hi, gentrification 👋🏽)

There’s a word for that feeling: solastalgia.

The grief of watching a place that felt like home transform beyond recognition—not because you left, but because it did.

Urbanist, But Make It Homestead

I might not live in downtown Seattle anymore, but I still care deeply about how our towns and cities evolve. Probably even more-so now that I do live in a small town. What little remains of a natural, human rhythm is eroding day by day. And here’s a funny twist: I’m an urbanist who dreams of homesteading.

I want a plot of land to call my own: one to care for that cares for me back.

I want to grow my own food, move slowly, live wholesomely, care for my family and my home without being on top of another apartment block. But I also want access. To people. To culture. To infrastructure that respects the environment and builds for the collective good.

Will being near a city or a town I love take away from that dream?

I don’t think so. But balancing these desires — and tuning out the noise of what everyone else thinks is best — is not so easy.

The Heart of My Curiosity

My studies are in Community & Environmental Psychology, so none of this is hypothetical for me. It’s where my personal life and academic interests collide. I care about how people connect. How we belong. How we build. How we are influenced by the places we’re in — and how we influence them right back.

Urbanism, for me, is not just about walkable streets or train lines or zoning laws (although those matter, for sure). It’s about making sure we don’t forget what it feels like to live well.

To live together.

To live grounded in place — wherever that may be.

Resources

Personal Growth in Trying Times

We’re in a season of retrogrades. Of change. Metamorphosis.
Either you’re growing—or you’re doomed to remain as you are for the rest of your days.

I can’t stand sitting still. Maybe it’s because I’m neurospicy or something—I haven’t been officially diagnosed, so don’t take me at my word—but it genuinely frustrates me when people act like time is just moving around them, without them.

Being present is a skill.

You can’t see forward if you don’t know where you’re standing now. And while I wish this was common sense, I’ve learned (the hard way) that for many people, it’s not.

Let’s be clear: these are trying times.

And no, I won’t force you to act. I won’t try to convince you to think or believe like I do. Because I know this much—you only hear what you have the ears to listen for.

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When the Storm Hits

The last few weeks have been rough.

Turbulent. Uncomfortable. Clarifying.

And if you’ve been in the weeds too, maybe this will land.

There’s nothing like chaos in your personal life to put things in perspective. And when the storm hit for me, some of the changes I’d been putting off just… happened.

Like a download straight to the spirit.

Change doesn’t happen when you’re comfortable.
That’s the whole lesson.

Full stop.

Are you avoiding discomfort? Are you resisting change?
If so… that’s unfortunate. Truly.

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Where Power Meets Limit

I’m not someone who believes I have full control over my life. So I don’t expect that of you, either.
Live and let live.

And since I’m building my name on the internet by sharing essays like this—by unloading the thoughts and tools that have helped me navigate personal growth—it boggles my mind that some people are making entire careers selling the illusion that you can manifest your way out of reality. That you alone can override systems, institutions, or divine timing.

Please disillusion yourself from that idea.

There’s a border. A limit. A place where your personal power meets the vast, unknowable workings of the universe.

That border is where institutions, culture, luck, and other forces collide with you.

It’s spiritual, yes—but it’s also deeply pragmatic.

Because it’s at that edge that collective change happens.
We are social creatures. Always have been.
No transformation happens in isolation. Nothing occurs in a vacuum.

You’ve never changed without someone or something pushing you. If you’re not being challenged right now, ask yourself why.

And if you are being challenged—what are you doing with that energy?

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Discomfort is a Signal

When I meet people whose lives look the same as they did a year ago—or five years ago—it’s obvious.

There’s a discomfort they’re not engaging. A challenge they’re avoiding. An edge they’ve refused to meet.

Again… how unfortunate.

I Learned How to Build an AI Agent

I’ve been on a learning binge lately. Something about this winter has stood out to me as a primed learning environment, and YouTube is such an endless resource. It’s why I pay for premium, it’s just too good of a deal for someone who watches more YouTube than TV nowadays.

In this blog post, I’ve shared the resources that made a significant impact on me, my journey, and my understanding of the integration of AI into my working, professional, and personal life — especially regarding my engagement with AI tools as a prolific user.

In my efforts to make the internet fun for me again, I realized that having a website is the only way to make that happen. And you can’t be on the internet anymore without learning and getting familiar with AI tools.

My engagement with AI tools has turned out to be very valuable for me, since my workplace is actively promoting internal AI adoption across the whole company. The feedback loop of learning & using AI has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for me and an opportunity I’m using to differentiate myself to company leadership and clients alike.

I promised myself back in 2023 when I first learned how insidious workplace politics could be that I would do everything in my power to make sure that my impact is felt & that I have all the leverage I need to accomplish my goals.

Learning what AI agents are and how to build & use one is par for the course in this line of thinking. Innovation really is key if you want to keep the opportunities coming. Even more useful if you’re trying to accumulate generational wealth as an aspiring first-generation multi-millionaire, like myself.

Now, I’m not saying I’m a fan of politicking at work but I am saying that if you must politick, put all your energy into positioning yourself well and the rest will follow. People will only see what they want to see, so make sure you can reach as many audiences as possible. It’s called leverage and you want as much of it as possible.

I mention this point because there is a concept I’ll be exploring in an upcoming essay called “technofeudalism” coined by Yanis Voroufakis. Let’s not, as a society, lose our grounding in the absence of morality in pursuit of progress.

Some discourse spaces will argue that you can’t have a 100% ethical anything under capitalism, to which I would agree. However, do not let that trick you into assuming that any effort at all is inconsequential. Things have progressed into spiritual warfare and if you’re not grounded, you’re at risk of becoming a zombie while you’re still alive. I don’t want that for you.

Adapting AI into your life as a personalized assistant is probably the best way to make sure AI isn’t used against you. I’ve spent the last 6 months learning and practicing AI tools as much as possible and I would love for you to know that it literally is so valuable because it’s friendly for everyone. It’s a chat function. You chat with AI to use it & to build things with it. I foresee that Prompt Engineering will be a very popular role across industries very soon.

This post has taken a bit of a left turn away from AI agents specifically but that’s okay because it’s all interrelated.

In learning how to build AI agents, design and test and utilize custom GPTs, putting together workflows boosted with automation, and all of the other fun and useful things you can do with AI, one thing is abundantly clear to me.

The arts and humanities are more important than ever.

For most of us, AI will be a benign force. I don’t see it being that way for long if too little people are engaging with it.

The balance that needs to be kept is determining for yourself where your line between human and machine is. I don’t use Siri, or Alexa, but I engage with ChatGPT multiple times a day, daily. I have boundaries with my use, because as invested as I become with technology and data and AI the more I must concern myself with ethics and morality and relationships with other humans.

The Pros

You can automate stuff. Knowing or discerning what to automate then becomes the more difficult part. The technology is easy enough to access, just not for free. I can afford to pay for ChatGPT Plus, and I recognize that there is a population of people who can’t make that a regular expense.

I haven’t gotten too far in my automation journey, strictly because discovering what I want to automate is a process in and of itself. Most people don’t even know what their own processes are enough to write them all out to train their AI agents and automation flows. This level of self-awareness is necessary and painstaking.

The Cons

More of our lives will become about working. It’s a natural progression that as we automate, we must oversee the automation.

You also can’t be sure how AI will affect entire industries and SOPs. It’s best practice right now to only automate those processes that you currently use — don’t automate a process you’ve never tried before, that’s dumb because you’re just creating more work for yourself. Discernment is the most important quality in AI use, adoption, and automation.

We humans do not have a great track record with discernment, but I have faith. You should too. We honestly just need good, conscious, moral users. Be one.

xo,

Jade

How to Stay the Path in 2025: Motivation, Discipline, & Delusion

As the calendar flipped from 2024 to 2025, I found myself reflecting on what I’d accomplished—and what I hadn’t. I didn’t hit every goal I set for myself, and while some were wild and outrageous, I did achieve a few that mattered. I’m not disappointed.

I’ve never been one to wallow in self-pity when things don’t go as planned. Life has taught me that the full impact of our actions takes time to show up. Unintended consequences always find their way back, often long after we’ve forgotten what set them in motion.

Now, we’re halfway through January 2025. Tomorrow marks the inauguration of the 47th President—a symbolic moment that offers a chance to orient ourselves before the rollercoaster of the coming year fully picks up speed.

First, let me say this: don’t tie your identity to a political party or a single leader. Over the last decade and a half, I’ve watched as people’s sense of individuality has eroded. Hobbies pursued solely for joy have become rare, replaced by an obsession with self-improvement through a narrowly capitalist lens.

I don’t look to social media for life guidance either. Platforms flooded with “how to change your life” advice often feel shallow. And now, with TikTok’s ban in effect, we’re hearing influencers admit they fabricated the very content people built their routines around—faked health tips, staged workout results, misleading product endorsements.

Let me be clear: I’m not selling anything. I’m not sponsored. I’m not running paid ads. No brand is sending me free PR packages. Maybe one day I’ll accept such opportunities, but for now, the trust you place in my honesty is the most valuable return I could ask for.

This moment feels right to share these thoughts because we stand on the edge of significant societal change. While I can’t predict exactly what’s coming, I know the best approach is to keep a light heart and direct our discipline toward our dreams—what some might call our delusions.

The truth is, we don’t know what’s ahead. Even our most informed guesses are still just guesses. Only by living through it will we see the challenges and opportunities that await.

For those who find themselves endlessly consuming “winter arc” or “75 hard” content, or the endless productivity hacks on social media, I urge you to step back. Take the time to figure out who you want to be, not just what you want to achieve.

The decline in literacy among younger generations deeply concerns me. As someone straddling the line between Elder Gen Z and Young Millennial, I feel a responsibility to guide my peers—both younger and older. With siblings I care about and hopes of starting a family, I can’t help but think about what the future holds for society at large.

And when I say “society,” I mean more than just the future of work. While work ethic is valuable, there’s much more to life than professional success. Being human means connecting—to ourselves, to each other, and to the world around us.

Motivation, discipline, and a touch of delusion are what drive meaningful, lasting change. So be calm this year. Be the steady center of your own storm. You’ll handle any upheaval as long as you stay rooted in who you are.

If you haven’t yet discovered your own foundation—if you haven’t reflected on your values, learned from your experiences, or cared deeply for those who care for you—start now. By year’s end, you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come.

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

Reader’s Review

Central Themes & Their Development

At its heart, The Book of Form and Emptiness explores the themes of grief, mental health, materialism, and the relationship between humans and the objects around them. Ruth Ozeki develops these themes through the fragmented yet interconnected narrative structure, weaving Benny’s struggles with auditory hallucinations, his mother Annabelle’s hoarding, and the presence of objects as quasi-characters. The philosophical undercurrent of Zen Buddhism, with its focus on impermanence and the fluid boundary between form and emptiness, adds depth to the story’s exploration of these personal struggles. These themes reach a critical moment in the riot scene, where Benny’s journey collides with a broader critique of societal unrest and political tension. This powerful climax ties the novel’s introspective musings to real-world relevance, illustrating how personal grief and collective chaos are deeply intertwined.

Character Motivations & Societal Expectations

Benny’s motivation to make sense of the voices he hears conflicts with society’s expectations of normalcy, for sure. His journey toward understanding himself is paralleled by his mother Annabelle’s struggle to maintain control over her chaotic life. Their personal goals both align and clash, mirroring social pressures to conform and thrive despite adversity—shown in Benny’s search for inner peace and Annabelle’s attempt to preserve her home.

Recurring Symbols & Imagery

Objects and their voices serve as recurring symbols throughout the novel, representing memory, attachment, and the stories we imbue in our material possessions. For Annabelle, these objects symbolize the remnants of a life before tragic loss, while for Benny, they’re intrusive, discordant, and chaotic manifestations of his inner turmoil. The Library as a sanctuary symbolizes knowledge, escape, and community, deepening the narrative’s commentary on finding solace in chaos.

The Aleph, my favorite character, is herself a living symbol—her name evoking Jorge Luis Borges’s story The Aleph, where the titular object holds all perspectives simultaneously. In Ozeki’s novel, The Aleph’s poetry and presence represent the intersection of material & immaterial worlds, bridging Benny’s experiences with objects and his search for meaning grounded in his romantic affection for The Aleph. Her character deepens the novel’s exploration of impermanence, interconnectedness, and the unseen stories in everyday life.

Author’s Context & Intellectual Climate

Ruth Ozeki’s multicultural background and training as a Zen priest influence the novel’s meditative exploration of form, emptiness, and the nature of being—gracefully exemplified through Ai Konishi’s character. The book reflects contemporary concerns about mental health, environmentalism, and consumerism, offering a critique of society’s obsession with material possessions and the emotional weight we assign to them.

Rhetorical Devices & Narrative Impact

Ozeki relies heavily on metaphor and personification, particularly in giving objects a “voice” within the narrative passages, which serves as both a literal and symbolic device. The narrative’s irony—manifested in Benny’s relationship with the Book narrating his life—creates a self-reflective lens that challenges the reader’s understanding of authorship and agency (free will). These choices are highly effective in immersing the reader in Benny’s world and provoking introspection about our relationship with things.

Dialogue

One of the book’s most striking features is its dialogue between humans and objects, which doesn’t rely on conventional quotations. Benny’s exchanges with objects like scissors or marbles carry an impressionistic quality, blurring the line between reality and imagination while amplifying his sense of alienation and connection. This approach is both unsettling and thought-provoking, allowing readers to experience Benny’s perspective more viscerally.

Narrator’s Voice & Stylistic Choices

The narrator—a sentient Book—is an unconventional and compelling choice, blending omniscience with subjectivity. This narrative device shapes the reader’s perception of Benny’s journey, balancing intimacy with detachment. The colloquial and formal language juxtaposes Benny’s youthful, pre-teen struggles with the philosophical, omnipresent musings of the Book, enhancing the story’s mood and complexity.

Literary Theories & Interpretations

Psychoanalytic: Benny’s auditory hallucinations and Annabelle’s hoarding symbolize unprocessed grief & trauma. The Aleph, a homeless drug-addicted poet and spiritual guide, serves as a mirror to Benny’s internal struggles. Her enigmatic wisdom challenges societal perceptions of sanity, offering a perspective that reframes Benny’s experiences as profound rather than pathological.

Feminist: Annabelle’s portrayal as a single mother critiques systemic pressures placed on women, while her friendship with Cory, the librarian, highlights the importance of solidarity and compassion among women in navigating personal and societal challenges.

Marxist: The novel critiques consumerism & capitalism, particularly through Annabelle’s attachment to objects and The Aleph’s transient existence. The Aleph’s presence highlights the alienation caused by materialism and offers an alternative lens on the conventional meaning of “value”—both in terms of possessions and human connections.

Political: The story’s climactic riot, sparked by election results, echoes the polarization and societal unrest of recent years, particularly resonating with the 2024 U.S. Presidential election and its aftermath. This timely critique underscores the fragility of social order and the impact of collective disillusionment on individual lives, with Benny caught in the literal & metaphorical chaos.

Conclusion

The Book of Form and Emptiness is a deeply layered exploration of the human experience, blending personal grief, social critique, and spiritual-philosophical inquiry into a narrative that feels both intimate and expansive. Ruth Ozeki’s ability to give voice to objects, to weave in Zen teachings, and ground her characters in raw, relatable struggles makes this novel an impactful meditation on the complexities of existence.

At its core, the story reminds me that the lines between form and emptiness, chaos and connection, are fluid. The ever-present question of “What is real?” being the main, most prominent example of the spiritual-philosophical inquiry I mentioned. By navigating these spaces, Ozeki invites us as readers to not only confront not only our relationships with other people but also the objects and environments that shape our lives. In doing so, she crafts a narrative that speaks to our shared humanity and the enduring search for meaning in a disorderly world.

Whether you’re drawn to its inventive storytelling, its philosophical depth, or its timely reflection on societal unrest, this book offers something uniquely resonant.

It’s a reminder that even in the clutter of life we can find clarity, connection, and perhaps even a measure of peace.

My Financial Habits In 2025

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trapped in some illusory content cycle pushing me to embrace ‘my winter arc’ ❄️

To me, wealth is freedom, options, time, & health.

So I want my habits moving forward to reflect these values when it comes to financial success. It’s meant a refocusing of my energy—calling back my attention from past interactions, ruminations, and mental loops—towards the areas of my life that actually bring me vitality.

Here’s to charging forward boldly into your own life.

Solidarity is supposed to be hard.

When it comes to spending, take a firm stance.

Shop small, shop local, shop the businesses owned & operated by people you want to support. Support independent businesses over big brand retailers, trendy labels, and knock-off social media stores. I’ll only shop at these establishments if it’s absolutely necessary.

Shop for longevity. I’m done with low-quality, temporary solutions and designs. I don’t need to waste money or energy on things I don’t want, don’t need, or won’t last.

This year, I’m focused on looking “poor”— which just means looking like me. Not changing a thing about my current wardrobe, wearing what I own. I opt out of makeup, and all power to you if you choose to opt in. There are targeted occasions where dressing up is needed, I understand that, and the best formula for confidence in any situation is confidence in how you look first.

Yes, I wear comfy clothes outside the house, but no, I don’t wear them to meetings. Working from home has its perks, but I’ve kept a reliable set of professional clothes for virtual and in-person meetings that call for it. Those moments happen so rarely that I can’t justify buying new clothes constantly.

Metrics that matter.

My financial focus is crystal clear: building assets and increasing my net worth.

Net worth is the only number that matters to me right now. It’s my ultimate financial metric—an honest snapshot of where I stand financially. To grow it, my first priority is to pay off two key debts:

Car Note

Student Loans

I’m incredibly grateful that my student debt is below average for U.S. undergraduates. This wasn’t an accident. I worked hard during school, got good grades, and worked 3 jobs at the same time. I can credit this win to two strategic choices I made early in my college career:

Starting at a community college for two years before transferring to a university.

Supporting myself through school while living in a high-cost area like Seattle.

2025: A Year for Financial Discipline

The next few years are going to be certifiably chaotic—I can’t tell you exactly how, but I feel it in my bones. This is the time to focus.

Here’s my financial strategy for the year ahead:

Boost savings & investments. Build a safety net that offers security no matter what happens.

Get rid of unnecessary debt. Avoid taking on more than I can handle.

Prioritize long-term goals. Keep my eyes on building assets and increasing my net worth.

This year, I urge you to do the same: get your money right, focus on your paper, and set yourself up for success in the years to come.

Let’s get to work 💪🏽

Stop Setting Goals, Start Setting Systems

Every January, like clockwork, millions of people rush to gyms, journals in hand, full of resolutions. By March? Crickets. I used to see it all the time when I worked in the fitness industry—well-intentioned people with big goals, but no real way to make them stick.

It got me thinking: the problem isn’t the goal itself. Goals are great for giving you a sense of direction. The problem is they rely on motivation to get you there—and motivation is unreliable at best. What really works is having a system in place that keeps you moving forward, even when the spark fades.

That realization changed the way I approach everything: my habits, my routines, and even my career. I still set goals, but I don’t rely on them. Instead, I build systems—and it’s been a game-changer.

Why Goals Don’t Work By Themselves

Here’s the thing about goals—they sound great on paper, but they’re flawed in practice:

Motivation Is Fleeting

You might feel pumped when you set a goal, but motivation doesn’t last. Systems, on the other hand, don’t care if you’re motivated or not. They’re a b*tch to build, but they’ll keep you on track because they’re built into your day-to-day life.

Goals Focus on the Result, Not the Process

“Lose 10 pounds,” “Save $10K,” “Write a book.” These are all good goals, but without a clear process, they feel overwhelming—or worse, you might take shortcuts that make it harder to sustain progress.

They Have an Endpoint

What happens when you hit the goal? Do you stop? Without a system, it’s easy to lose momentum. You end up back where you started.

Here’s a personal example: When I graduated university, I had a whirlwind of a life at the time. Between a turbulent relationship, a brand new full-time remote corporate position, and a full-time course load at university—I thought I was going to go crazy. I loved the chaos at the time. I told myself I wouldn’t stop learning & growing, and I haven’t, but once I had my diploma in my hand, things felt different. My goal had been reached, and naturally my next thought was: Now what?

Systems are the answer. A goal is the next rung on the ladder of growth made possible by a solid system.

What Are Systems and Why Are They Effective?

From: Beyond deliberate self-control: habits automatically achieve long-term goals. Authored by Marco Stojanovic & Wendy Wood

A system is just a fancy way of saying “a routine you follow consistently.” Systems simplify your life by automating small decisions, so you’re not constantly debating whether to act. Here’s how it works:

Example 1: Instead of saying, “I want to save $10,000,” set up a system to automate monthly transfers💸 into savings and track your spending weekly.

Example 2: Instead of, “I want to get in shape,” schedule three workouts🏋🏽‍♀️ a week and meal prep🍛 every Sunday.

Systems work because they:

⭐️ Save your mental energy for bigger decisions.

⭐️ Build momentum through small, consistent wins.

⭐️ Adapt to life’s chaos—you can scale up or down, but the system stays in place.

You won’t be perfect, I’m certainly not. But it’s about being consistent.

My Systems for 2025

I’ll be honest—building systems takes trial and error. I’ve had plenty of routines that flopped because they were too ambitious or didn’t fit my life. But over time, I’ve figured out a few that really work for me. Here’s what I’m focusing on this year:

Morning Routine

I need structure in the mornings to set the tone for my day. Here’s my system:

⭐️ Hydrate: First thing, drink a glass of water (12oz -16oz).

⭐️ Move: A quick 10-minute walk or stretch. If I have the time, I walk to the nearest coffee shop☕️ and kill two birds with one stone.

⭐️ Reflect: Spend 15 minutes journaling & praying.

This simple routine has made a huge difference in how I start my day. I started noting down the Big 3 things I need to do with my day to stay on track with my goals as part of my morning planning & prayer—the Big 3 are determined by the quarterly vision, driven by the yearly & then longer-term visions from there. We’ll talk about my Notion dashboard another time, but I make all iterations of my life vision easy to reference so there isn’t any excuse I have for myself why I don’t just do those 3 things first—get them out of the way—and I can get to everything else.

The sacrifice I made for this is that I wake up at a holy hour every morning. I wake up anywhere between 4am - 7am depending on the day and whether an alarm is active. Then, I start my workday or get moving with my day. That’s the trade-off.

Bedtime Routine

How you end the day matters just as much as how you start it. My system is all about winding down intentionally:

⭐️ Tidy: Spend 10 minutes decluttering.

⭐️ Reflect: Write down 3 things I’m grateful for. Review wins, challenges, suggest improvements.

⭐️ Prepare: Set out what I’ll need for the next day.

Since I started doing this, I have less brain fog when it comes to where I should start to achieve my goals. I’ll share them later, once we’ve gotten to know each other better, but my clarity & focus has improved drastically since I’ve learned to cut out the thinking/buffering time I’m used to giving myself.

Rest & Relaxation Habits

I used to think rest meant being lazy. Now I see it as a way to recharge and stay productive. Here’s how I incorporate it:

⭐️ Under 15 minutes: Guided meditation or a quick stretch.

⭐️ Under 30 minutes: Reading or enjoying a cup of tea.

⭐️ 1 hour: Taking a walk or diving into a hobby.

The 7 Types of Rest is a newer idea in my sphere and I’m so grateful that social media shares gems like these with me from time to time.

I took a lot of inspiration from graphics in my Pinterest boards like this one to design systems that fit my life and that also get me to where I want to go.

How to Build Your Own System

Let’s break this down so you can try it for yourself. Pick one area of your life—health, finances, or creativity—and follow these steps:

Identify the Goal or Challenge

What’s something you want to improve or achieve?

Break It Into Easily-Digestible, Repeatable Actions

Focus on behaviors you can do consistently.

Example: Instead of “Write a book,” commit to writing for 20 minutes every morning or to writing 1000 words a day.

Track Your Progress

Use a journal, an app, or even a sticky note on your fridge—whatever helps you stay accountable. Me personally, I use 2 whiteboards, my Notion account, a planner/notebook, and ChatGPT.

Remember, systems don’t have to be perfect. They just have to work for you.

Ready to Make 2025 the Year of Systems?

This year, skip the resolutions. Instead, build systems that make progress inevitable. Start small, stay consistent, and watch how daily diligence transforms your life.

Let’s make 2025 the year of sustainable success.

ATTN: I’m a Travel Advisor with FORA

For the last year, I’ve been meditating, deliberating, and slowly piecing together the next chapter of my professional journey.

Now, I’m thrilled to announce that I’m officially a FORA-powered travel advisor, ready to help you transform your wanderlust dreams into reality. I can’t wait to share my expertise, insights, and resources to make your next trip truly unforgettable.

Why Travel Matters

Travel is about exploration and adventure - it awakens our senses and feeds our innate curiosity. As social beings, we crave new experiences, perspectives, and the thrill of discovery. Whether it’s a bustling city halfway around the world or a serene retreat closer to home, travel helps us break free from routine, nurture, meaningful connections, and add depth to our ever-evolving life stories.

Responsible Travel: Moving with Grace & Respect

While exploring new places, it’s essential to remember that we are visitors. Treat the communities and environments you encounter with a level of care and decency afforded to them as your hosts. Respect local customs and traditions and intentionally choose your itinerary so future generations can enjoy these destinations for years to come.

For more insights on sustainable tourism, check out this guide on eco- & local-friendly travel.

Why Work With a Travel Advisor?

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of travel options online, that’s where I step in. As a travel advisor, I streamline the process, cutting through the noise to uncover the best deals, destinations, and experiences that match your interests.

• Personalized Recommendations: Instead of sifting through countless websites and forums, I’ll craft an itinerary tailored to your style, whether you’re planning a romantic getaway, a family adventure, or a culturally immersive trip.

• Exclusive Perks: Through Preferred Partner Programs, I can secure VIP perks like room upgrades, spa & dining credits, and welcome amenities - turning an already great trip into an extraordinary experience.

• Maximizing Points & Miles: Travel advisors know how to leverage points and miles to their fullest potential, helping you access the benefits of loyalty programs without extra fees or complexity.

Where to Eat, Stay, & Play in Paris

What I Would Do With 1 Week in Florence

Your Cheat Sheet for Traveling in Japan

A World of Possibilities: Events & Adventures

Travel and events share a common magic 🪄: both have the power to bring people together. While events connect folks who share a distant social link, travel allows strangers from around the globe to meet and bond in unexpected places. From family reunions and wellness retreats to conferences, festivals, and cultural celebrations, travel expands our understanding of the world — and each other.

Your Next Journey Awaits

Whether you’re drawn to scenic coastlines, hidden culinary gems, or thought-provoking historical sites, now is the perfect time to start planning. Learn more about my travel advisory services here and find out how I can help you design a trip that aligns with your values, goals, and sense of adventure.

Ready to take the plunge?

Leave a comment & share where you’re headed next! ✈️

And if you liked articles like this, make sure you follow me on Insta, subscribe to my Substack newsletter, and stay tuned here for future posts 💻

Best Practices for Using AI as an Executive Assistant

Introduction

AI isn’t new. Some of the earliest algorithms were developed decades ago to help humans compute and build software. What is new is the breadth and depth of its applications in our daily lives.

Today, AI is everywhere—across platforms, companies, and software. Yet, the media narrative claiming it will replace jobs like mine, an Executive Assistant, misses the mark. AI isn’t the productivity magic bullet Big Tech and Wall Street might have us believe. While its capabilities are impressive, much of its functionality still requires human input, refinement, and oversight.

In this post, I’ll share my experience using AI as an Executive Assistant, highlight its strengths and limitations, and provide actionable best practices for maximizing its value in your workflow.

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Why AI Won’t Replace Executive Assistants (Yet)

As an EA, my role involves handling complex, dynamic tasks that require adaptability, judgment, and interpersonal finesse. While AI tools have transformed some aspects of my work, they aren’t a replacement for the human touch.

Here’s why:

• Prompt Dependency: Generative AI tools require precise inputs or “prompts” to deliver useful results. They excel when given clear instructions but falter in ambiguous situations.

• Oversight Required: Even the best tools need human supervision to ensure accuracy, tone, and context.

• Lack of Adaptability: Humans can improvise when faced with unexpected challenges. AI relies on predefined rules and lacks the capacity to intuitively “think on its feet.”

While AI is a powerful assistant for routine and creative tasks, its limitations mean it’s not a standalone solution for the nuanced demands of executive support.

Why You Should Start Using AI Now

The pace of AI development is staggering. If you’re reading this in 2025, the tools and workflows I use today may already look outdated. Waiting to adopt AI only makes the learning curve steeper as changes and updates accelerate.

Starting now ensures you’ll:

• Gain familiarity with existing tools.

• Adapt quickly to new updates and features.

• Stay ahead of the curve in your role.

Top 3 Ways I Use AI as an Executive Assistant

1. Drafting Emails, Meeting Descriptions, and Written Correspondence

AI tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly are lifesavers when it comes to writing clear, concise communications. Whether it’s drafting a follow-up email or summarizing a meeting agenda, AI helps streamline the process while maintaining professionalism.

Best Practice:

• Start with a strong prompt, specifying the tone and key points to include.

• Always review and refine outputs to ensure they align with your executive’s style and needs.

2. Learning and Outlining Documents

From creating spreadsheets to slide decks, AI can help outline and guide the development of materials. Need a starting point for a presentation? AI can help you structure your thoughts and suggest layouts.

Best Practice:

• Use tools like Notion AI or Microsoft Copilot to build templates for documents.

• Let AI handle initial drafts but add your expertise to ensure the final product is polished.

3. Strategizing and Planning

AI acts as a virtual assistant for brainstorming and long-term planning. Whether I’m organizing tasks for an upcoming event or strategizing quarterly goals, AI helps me think ahead and structure ideas efficiently.

Best Practice:

• Use AI to generate outlines or explore different approaches to planning.

• Combine AI suggestions with your insights to create actionable, realistic strategies.

The Bigger Picture: AI’s Role in Everyday Operations

AI tools are being designed for non-technical users like me, not software engineers or coders. This accessibility is crucial for companies to achieve widespread adoption and ROI on their AI investments.

For EAs, embracing AI isn’t about replacing your skills but amplifying them. By leveraging AI thoughtfully, you can work more efficiently, focus on higher-value tasks, and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving workforce.

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What’s your experience with AI? Are there tools you love—or challenges you’ve faced using them? Share your thoughts in the comments or subscribe to my blog for more insights on navigating AI and executive support roles.

How I’m Building & Maintaining a Top-Tier Personal Brand

Discover the step-by-step strategy for creating and sustaining a top-tier personal brand. Learn how to make your brand stand out authentically.

Building a personal brand doesn’t start with a color palette or a logo.

It starts with something much deeper: a persona—a version of yourself that is both authentically you and aspirational. My personal brand is built around the person I am becoming.

Why? Because my aspirational self is the reason I started creating my personal brand in the first place. In this post, I’ll share my step-by-step strategy for building and maintaining a top-tier personal brand, the challenges I’ve faced, and the methods I use to ensure my brand remains flexible and true to me.

1. Start with your narrative

A strong personal brand begins with a written narrative. This is your brand’s story, the foundation of its identity. For me, writing is my strength, so I started by crafting a clear narrative that outlined my values, goals, and the message I want my brand to convey.

How I did it:

1. Wrote out my brand story, focusing on the persona I want to embody.

2. Bolded key ideas that resonated and crossed out elements that felt unfocused.

3. Created a document to store my narrative, which became the basis for all other branding elements.

Tip for you: If you don’t know where to start, look at the affirmations you tell yourself. It’s the phrases you tell yourself when the going gets tough or when you feel the most inspired. What’re you known for saying & sharing in your friend groups?

2. Choose visual elements after the narrative

While I love the creative side of branding—picking color palettes, fonts, and logos—it wasn’t my first step. These elements support your brand; they don’t define it. After solidifying my narrative, I experimented with design elements that felt aligned with my story.

How I did it:

• Narrowed down 2-3 color palettes with complementary toens.

• Explored 6-7 font combinations that were simple enough for me to manage on my own.

• Integrated these elements into my brand narrative document.

Tip for you: Use Canva and/or Pinterest to brainstorm and test different combinations before finalizing your visuals.

3. Build a central hub for your brand

Your personal brand needs a “home base",” a place you own. For me, that’s my website. While social media platforms are great for initial connections, they’re not places where you truly own your audience.

My approach:

• Made my website the primary location for all my content and projects.

• Developed a content strategy where full posts live on my site, while snippets or edited versions are shared across platforms like Substack, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

• Focused on building my site as the foundation, ensuring consistency across all platforms.

Why it matters: Social media can disappear or get banned, but a website gives you long-term control and scalability.

4. Create content, brick by brick

Building a personal brand is a long-term effort. It requires consistency and persistence. Follow the plan, not your mood. Because every post, project, and piece of content adds another “brick” to the foundation of your brand.

My strategy:

• Batch-create content to balance my full-time role and freelance work.

• Pull inspiration from platforms like IG, Pinterest, and YouTube, ensuring I don’t get sidetracked by consuming too much content.

• Stay committed to publishing regularly, even when battling imposter syndrome or doubts.

Tip for you: At first, focus on putting out a lot of content fast. You’ll fail a lot & it’ll seem embarrassing, but push through that barrier and you’ll get a better sense of what content is actually performing well. Once you have that general outline, quality naturally follows.

5. Evolve & stay aligned

A personal brand isn’t static. It grows with you. As I’ve developed my brand over the years, I’ve faced challenges. The self-doubt and the pressure to stay consistent felt like more than I could bear at certain times. But I remind myself that branding is about connection and that adjustments are a natural part of growth.

Challenges I’ve faced:

• Fighting feelings of inadequacy or imposter syndrome.

• Balancing creative freedom with the need for focus and discipline.

• Learning to let go of what doesn’t serve my brand’s message.

• Having to juggle more than what I’m comfortable with in order to achieve what I set out for.

Tip for you: Schedule regular check-ins to revisit your brand narrative and ensure it reflects your current values and goals.

A personal brand in today’s world.

The landscape of work & technology is changing rapidly. Job security and success metrics are evolving, and having a strong personal brand is more critical than ever. By launching your brand thoughtfully now, you set yourself up for long-term success in this shifting environment.

Key takeaway: A personal brand isn’t just about attracting opportunities—it’s about creating them.

Fall 2024

Curated Corner

01

Topics to Cover:

1. Music → Alligator Bites Never Heal, Chromakopia,

2. Fashion → Fall Fashion Week

3. Art & Entertainment → Spotlight: Law Roach, Superbowl Drama

4. Intelligent Industries → Boeing 751 Union Strike, Presidential Elections, State of the Labor Union (Taxes, Debt, & Finance)

5. Cultural Synopsis →

6. Predictions & Moving Forward →

Music

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Alligator Bites Never Heal

〰️

Doechii

〰️

Alligator Bites Never Heal 〰️ Doechii 〰️

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I’ve been a rap fan for as long as I can remember. As a young woman from the Bay Area, the culture of hip hop is something I’ve been close to my whole life and it’s a notable part of my personality. I struggle with the content music put out by many male and female rappers, but Doechii has single-handedly saved feminine music for me.

It’s so very refreshing to hear a woman actually get down and rap. Don’t get it twisted - Doechii can do more than just rap, and if you haven’t heard “Sunday’s Best” you really really should.

Her lyrical capability, homage to the roots of classic hip hop, and ability to synthesize revolutionary sound with real talk is a breath of fresh air after years of algorithm-tailored entertainment. I have had this whole album on repeat since it was released and if you love to listen to music the way one would watch a movie - with rapturous attention and willingness to be open to the experience - then you will find this album a pleasure to listen to.

The album is the greatest, most recent, example of an artist doing whatever the f*ck they want and hitting home runs every track for vastly different reasons.

I recommend this album (and artist) for music lovers who can tell when an artist enjoyed making their art. I put a heart next to my favorite tracks on the album and a star next to my top notable mentions, just in case you’re not invested enough to give a full listen just yet.

Tracklist:

STANKAPOO
BULLFROG ⭐️
BOILED PEANUTS
DENIAL IS A RIVER ⭐️
CATFISH ⭐️
SKIPP 💚
HIDE N SEEK
BLOOM
WAIT
DEATH ROLL 💚
PROFIT 💚
BOOM BAP 💚
NISSAN ALTIMA ⭐️
GTFO by Doechii & KUNTFETISH ⭐️ 
HUH!
SLIDE
FIREFLIES
BEVERLY HILLS
ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL

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Law Roach

〰️

(E)merging Style & Skill

〰️

Law Roach 〰️ (E)merging Style & Skill 〰️

Oh Law Roach, how the masses have been blessed with your come-up.

First, to call oneself an “Image Architect” is absolutely iconic. The name implies a multi-dimensional artistic & technical expertise and Roach has most definitely been on a showstopper run of pure creative genius. His longstanding relationship with Zendaya has my deep respect since…

Net Worth in the Making: 4 Key Lessons

Learn how early life experiences with money influenced my approach to financial growth and strategies for building wealth from a place of resilience. Practical, real, and tailored for those starting from behind the starting line.

Growing up, my family didn’t have much. My parents made some good choices in my early childhood, giving us a taste of peace and prosperity—until the Fire Nation attacked, so to speak. But when things changed, they changed drastically. We lived as a family of seven: my mom, dad, two younger brothers, my aunt, grandmother, and me. It was a full house, and I quickly learned that circumstances beyond my control would shape my views on money.

The 2008 financial crisis hit us hard.

My mom lost her job and, for years, couldn’t hold one down, which stretched my parents’ savings to their limit. Around the time I was 12 or 13, things at home became challenging. By age 15, we had moved to Seattle, away from extended family, and started again. I tell you this backstory to emphasize a point: my family and circumstances taught me some unintentional money lessons, some I’m still unlearning today.

4 Key Financial Lessons

Question All Financial Advice (Even from ‘Experts’)

I’ve learned to take advice with a grain of salt, especially around money. While financial gurus seem to be everywhere, only you know what’s best for your money. Others can help you understand the how, but the what is ultimately your call.

Keep Money Matters Private

When it comes to money, privacy is key. Money attracts more money, and having a solid, private relationship with it sets the stage for wealth-building. I keep financial decisions and goals close, focusing on what I want rather than outside opinions.

Understand that Money and Opportunity Are Linked

Money and Opportunity are sisters—where one goes, the other often follows. As I’ve seen, money paves the way for the life you want, creating opportunities that align with your goals. Recognize that each dollar spent or saved can create a path toward a more secure, intentional future.

Start from Where You Are, Not Where You ‘Should’ Be

Many of us start saving or investing from a place of debt, not zero. Acknowledge where you’re beginning from, and don’t get bogged down by comparison. The real journey is in building a foundation that works for you, one step at a time.

Upcoming 👩🏽‍💻

“How to Stay Motivated While Building Wealth from Scratch” article launching ✨ November 30 ✨

Society’s Influence on Your Financial Mindset

Our society doesn’t exactly prepare us for financial success, and I think it’s important to address how systems and lack of accessible financial education play a huge role in this. Most of us enter adulthood with little guidance in money management, forced to navigate it alone. The reality is, while some people hit the lottery or get lucky breaks, the rest of us build wealth from trial, error, and persistence.

Leave a note in the comments if you'd like a blog post on "Navigating Financial Challenges in a High-Cost City Like Seattle"

🖤

Leave a note in the comments if you'd like a blog post on "Navigating Financial Challenges in a High-Cost City Like Seattle" 🖤

Starting from behind the starting line is tough, but it doesn’t have to define your financial future. Through resilience and intentional strategies, you can build a healthy relationship with money that grows with you over time.

📣 If you’re ready to take control of your life’s journey…

Consider subscribing to Libran Ledger for more insights, tips, and personal experiences on building wealth from the ground up, living a good life, and thriving.