Blog Post #5: Metamorphosis
Knocking down the door of my mid-forties, I can’t stop thinking about how “mid-life transformation” should replace “mid-life crisis”. We need better titles so that we lean into what happens at our mid-points instead of coming to it from a fear based mindset. Clearly, life is an absolute adventure; one that is filled with constant unexpected twists and turns. And, not surprisingly sometimes, the most profound transformations occur when we least anticipate them. How is this always the case? What if we turned it around, and did actually anticipate or look forward to them?
As I launched into my 40s, I found myself standing at a pivotal crossroads, contemplating a career shift after dedicating over two decades to public education. Was it my age? Or was it because this shift came on the heels of a global pandemic? In any case, I left my stable and consistent situation and leapt into the uncertain but totally exciting realms of entrepreneurship and the world of health and wellness. The wildest part is that all of this happened within the past year, making it a metamorphosis steeped in high energy and magic wonder.
Now, how exactly did this unfold? And, why did I lean into such a radical change at this time in my life?
Chapter 1: A Long and Fulfilling Era in Education
For over 20 years, my life was intricately woven into the fabric of public education in California. My journey started by joining “Teach For America” immediately following college graduation from Columbia University, and being placed in Los Angeles to teach 6th-grade math and science in between Korea town and Downtown LA. Subsequently, after 7 years of teaching middle-school, I made my first professional pivot. Not venturing out of the education industry, I returned to my roots in San Francisco, where I left the classroom and took on the role of coordinating the new teacher mentor induction program for the district.
Both of these very different experiences in education were profoundly enriching and became a source of professional pride. They were both characterized by fostering nurturing environments (for kids and/or new teachers), as well as building strong communities, and always thinking about how best to serve the folks in front of me to help them thrive. My days and my plate were full, as I dedicated my time to planning, preparing and executing lessons as well as crafting professional development trainings and embarking on the mentoring and coaching train.
When I think of my first two professional decades, education was so much more than just a career; it was a way of life. Surrounded by a circle of other outstanding adults who all shared this common drive to have a positive impact on our world, my community felt very tight knit. And, like most in the field, it was within these classroom walls that I met lifelong friends and even my husband, underscoring the indelible role that education played in shaping my identity.
Chapter 2: A New Twist
However, one catalyst in my career pivot was going on sabbatical in the French alps in summer of 2019. This break coincided with taking a big pause two decades in, as well as the onset of the pandemic and the threshold of my 40s. Little did I realize at the time that these extraordinary circumstances would set me on a path of profound change.
In a nut shell, amid a world turned totally upside down, where school districts shut down in person learning and shifted everything to the online realm, and people sequestered themselves in their homes, aborted their regular schedules and stopped all travel and interactions, my focus slowly but surely completely shifted towards health and wellness. People were not ok, I was not ok, and the kids were not ok and all of this was tied to our health and wellness. Though this was probably always the case, that message crystallized in my brain during the pandemic.
For two years post sabbatical, I was trying out different ways to feel good in my own body and brain as well as help kids navigate these sensations in their own beings. Lots of rest, exercise, supplements, self-help books, and knee to knee chitty chat cafe sessions later….It became so clear that everyone, and kids in particular, needed more tools to help them manage life’s roller coasters and to feel good, then what they were given.
The key, I realized, lay in equipping people, but again…particularly young kids, with an understanding of their physiology and a versatile array of tools to enhance their health, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills. Kids, and adults, needed to focus more intentionally on their own health. To me, this meant that they needed to move their bodies, to prioritize good rest, to eat nutritiously and to learn how to use their breath to change or improve how they were feeling. Hence, my motto: Breathe, Move, Eat & Rest.
My passion project (I say that fully understanding how cheesy it sounds!), “Big Belly Breathing”, was born out of a desire to introduce children to mindfulness, meditation, and well-being practices. It was a project deeply rooted in my belief that children should develop essential life skills early on. The podcast, offering guided meditations in both English and French, was my entry into a world that seamlessly combined my passion for education with health & wellness and rituals & routines. If you know me, you know how much I love rituals and routines. They are the frame from within my freedom lives, but I’ll save my “ode to habits” for a different blog post.
Chapter 3: A Multipronged Approach
In addition to the “Big Belly Breathing” bilingual podcast, my journey has led me to explore various other avenues. All of these are completely intertwined, to fully support this vision of helping boost education about health and wellness in both French and English so that folks feel better and experience more joy. At the end of the day, that’s my goal: to help increase others’ Joie de Vivre! By teaching kids how to do this, my hope is that we will have more “enthused with life” adults later on.
Inspired by my love for my hometown and for adventures in the holistic health world, I began writing a regular column for a local indie newspaper (Broke Ass Stuart, check it out!), sharing my insights and experiences with a broader audience. These articles are called “THE CITY Counselor”, and are a creative writing exploration that uses a Dear Abby framework. I create a character with a problem, who writes to THE CITY (ie San Francisco) Counselor (whose name happens to be Big Belly Breathing) to ask for advice, and all of the Counselor’s answers are in the shape of holistic health solutions and micro SF neighborhood deep dives. Each article is set in a particular SF neighborhood and leads readers to explore places to exercise, shop, eat, drink and boost their culture and fun. Like I previously said above, I want to propose fabulous field trips through these articles so that readers look forward to embarking on fresh new adventures, all the while focusing on local businesses and cultural touch points that I love.
Furthermore, I also took a leap of faith and submitted a children's book this fall (“Zucchini Pals and Big Belly Breathing”) that I’d been working on for fifteen years to a beloved local publisher (Chronicle Books, I’m talking to you!), a testament to my love for storytelling and my constant enthusiasm to weave all of my worlds together.
Last thing to diversify my portfolio, is that I recently launched a YouTube channel dedicated to young audiences called “Book Nook by Big Belly Breathing”. This is where I read my favorite picture books aloud in French and English, and wrap up each session with a breathing exercise. So fun!
Chapter 4: The Power of Movement
However, I can’t fully talk about health and wellness without addressing my main priority, which is on movement and strength training. One of the most crucial elements of my newfound passion for health and wellness was becoming a yoga teacher. During that second year after the pandemic started, I went through a yoga teacher training program through “Breathe For Change” (excellent program by the way, created by educators for educators). This particular program was designed to teach kids, which was perfect because in August 2021 I had just made another big professional pivot and become a Physical Education elementary school teacher. Turns out that as a PE teacher, yoga classes quickly became cherished moments in my curriculum.
It was amazing to see all of the kids in the elementary school where I was teaching, stretch their bodies gleefully and find profound relaxation during the restorative segments of each class. Teaching kids the art of mindfulness through breath and movement became one of the most rewarding and integral parts of my career journey. It was a way to connect with children on a deeper level and impart skills that could benefit them throughout their lives. And, it was so fun!
I only started teaching yoga to adults recently, and am blown away by the intensity of this experience. It has allowed me to share my love for mindfulness and the profound connection between breath and movement with a more mature audience. Designing playlists that seamlessly synchronize music, breath, and movement has become one of my favorite creative pastimes. It's a way to provide nurturing care to my adult students and introduce them to exceptional artists and music. See, I’m always thinking about how to weave in Joie de Vivre with health and wellness :)
Chapter 5: Leaning into Change
Where am I now?
Within the span of a single year (ie starting summer 2022), I took a leave from the school district and catapulted myself into entrepreneurship in the world of health and wellness. This decision marked a MONUMENTAL shift in my career and life.
I left my comfort zone, embraced many challenges, and have been learning so much since that moment (the list is long and includes things like: how to build a website, record and host a podcast, film and edit video clips, understand how to use social media for marketing purposes, instruct yoga to kids & adults, network and carve paths in new industries, write articles, submit book proposals, learn book keeping skills, etc…) .
Basically, I’ve had to learn how to become comfortable with being a beginner, how to fully embrace change as well as lean into the unknown and welcome the ever changing landscapes of entrepreneurship. Without a doubt, this change has totally invigorated me and has made me feel very alive, and rekindled my passion for making a positive impact on people's lives.
What stands out to me is how I feel like I’m in the driver’s seat of my own life, and more in control of what happens, and I am really enjoying this new sensation. In contrast, this is not something that I felt like I needed in prior years. So, I’m not sure if it’s because of my age, or how unsettling the pandemic was to our sense of control, but at this time in my life, it feels amazing to feel like I’m navigating my chosen path.
Conclusion
Entering my forties has been unbelievably cool. Yes, there have been some of the most stressful times in my personal and professional life that have happened too, but overall I want to holler to the younger generations that it can be truly amazing, particularly if you view your age as a “mid-life transformation” versus “crisis” and lean into your own agency.
The metamorphosis of a major career pivot in my 40s has been the most exhilarating adventure. Leaving behind a long and fulfilling chapter in public education, I discovered a new world of possibilities that combined my love for teaching, storytelling, and health & wellness. My heart is full, and my spirit is alive with the thrill of this new adventure. Cheers to boosting “La Joie de Vivre” everywhere, but particularly with children right now, right here!
