So You Do Not Break
Self Reflection
I endured over a decade of career-driven burnout before coming to the realization that I was not living.
As a result, I stayed stuck in a pattern of making it through each day.
Meanwhile, I was always looking forward to my next vacation, my next career success, my next big thing, my next meal, etc…
In fact, I lived for the future. Eventually, I realized my life was right here, at this moment too.. Future accomplishments motivated me, the present distracted me, and the past kept me trapped.
“There is a good Zen story of a student who went to a roshi (a teacher) demanding to be taught the secret of enlightenment.
Instead of saying something, the roshi began to pour the student a cup of tea. The cup became full, yet the master kept on pouring and the tea spilled over onto the floor.
“My cup is full, Master. Why do you keep on pouring more and more into the cup?” The student asked.
“Like this cup of tea, your mind is already filled with something.
If I pour my knowledge into your cup, it will just go onto the floor because there is no room in your mind for it.
You will interpret my instructions according to what you already think and your own beliefs.
Your mind will not be able to accept the truth I provide you.”
-The Living Gita, by Sri Swami Satchidananda
You can find the balance that you seek, you only need to open your mind to the unknown and allow new information to guide you. – Brooke Coleman
To explore more about this journey of awareness, burnout recovery, and intentional living, read the full conversation here:
Be Grateful
Today, gratitude has become one of the greatest teachers in my life.
Not the kind that pretends everything is perfect, but the kind that allows me to see purpose in every season.
The wins, the losses, the rebuilding, the starting over, the lessons that did not feel like lessons while I was living them.
However, for a long time, I thought success meant chasing more, doing more, proving more, and holding everything together.
Instead, now I understand that gratitude is what brings me back to the present moment.
It reminds me that I am not behind. I am becoming.
Every version of my life has given me something I needed. Motherhood taught me presence. Business taught me resilience. Yoga taught me awareness. Energy work taught me alignment.
Marketing taught me how to take everything I see and feel and turn it into something others can understand.
As a result, that is also what shaped the way I work as a marketing strategist and business consultant. I do not just look at a brand as a logo, a website, or a content calendar.
Instead, I look at the full story, the people behind it, the message trying to come through, and the strategy needed to help others recognize its value.
Ultimately, I am grateful for the path, even the parts that redirected me.
Because every chapter gave me the vision to build this one.
Be Intentional
Intention is where everything begins.
In life, in business, in branding, in healing, and in growth, what you create must first become clear within you.
For years, I lived in two different worlds. One part of me understood business, systems, dentistry, marketing, operations, and strategy.
\Another part of me understood energy, manifestation, yoga, alignment, and the power of the mind.
At first, I used to think those parts of me were separate.
However, now I know they were always meant to work together.
That is the foundation of everything I build today. Strategy matters. Execution matters. Data matters. SEO matters. Digital marketing matters. However, intention is what gives it direction.
Therefore, when you know who you are, what you offer, who you serve, and why it matters, everything starts to align differently.
Your message becomes clearer.
A stronger business foundation begins to form.
Marketing efforts become more focused and intentional.
Your brand becomes easier for others to understand.
Ultimately, the work you create carries more purpose and meaning. Likewise, as a marketing company, we do not believe in creating to create.
We believe in building with purpose, moving with clarity, and aligning the vision before pushing it into the world.
That is where real brand strategy begins.
Be Flexible
In many ways, flexibility is not just something I learned on a yoga mat.
It is something life required from me.
A version of me who built from survival had to learn how to soften. Another version that chased control had to learn how to trust.
Eventually, I realized the person who believed success had only one definition had to learn that growth often asks us to change direction.
Likewise, that same flexibility is what shapes the way I see business now.
For example, marketing is changing. Technology is changing. Google is changing. AI is changing the way people search, choose, and connect with brands.
As a result, the businesses that grow will not be the ones stuck in old systems. They will be the ones willing to adapt, evolve, and see things differently.
That is what I believe in as a business coach, marketing strategist, and consultant.
Staying rooted in who you are while remaining open enough to grow into what is next.
After all, because alignment is not about staying the same.
It is about being honest enough to shift when the old version no longer fits.
GOOD READS
Fiction
I am not much into fiction novels, but here is my current shortlist
The Return
Nicholas Sparks
The Living Gita
Sri Swami Satchidananda
Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens
Non Fiction
There are so many!! These ones listed here changed my life…
The Power of Now
Eckhart Tolle
The Tipping Point
Malcolm Gladwell
Peak Performance
Alan Sullivan