Hello Reader,

When I was first laid off four months ago, the manager in me was excited (warning, she's a LOT!). I would finally do all the things that I never found the time for while working: I would renovate the basement, write a book and finally commit to a daily mediation practice. I would grow my own fruit and vegetables (maybe even go full-on farmstead!?) and pick up a new hobby or two all while being a present parent, loving wife and stellar community member!

Only when it came to starting any of it, I couldn't.

I was exhausted.

Just thinking about starting any of these projects made me want to crawl under my bed and hide from the world.

I took meetings out of habit not because I wanted to be there, I put on a brave face even thought I didn't feel like it. Until that, too, became too exhausting.

In reality, all I wanted was to be alone. Having worked in the community for two and a half year and thriving as an extrovert, for the first time I wanted to be alone with myself and hear myself think.

I had been so used to thinking about how I could help and support others that I lost the ability to listen to myself.

Suffice to say: My basement is still just a basement, the weeds are taking over my raised beds and I'm an ok parent.

Here's what I did, learned and experienced instead:

• I changed a flat tire on the side of the highway in 100-degree heat.
• I simplified and cleared out my schedule. My calendar right now is filled with Morning Pages, going to the gym, meeting friends, Artist Dates, hiking and the occasional meeting around things I want to do in the community and clients I want to work with.
• I deleted social media apps off my phone and have been blissfully unaware of what's happening in the world of Instagram and LinkedIn!
• I read a lot, went to the pool a lot, and read some more (see below).
• I did a 3-week Sugar cleanse and am still sticking to a mostly wholefoods diet of homecooked meals. Croissants from my local bakery allowed - I'm still human after all.

Between my ears

Life, most recently: Things I'm excited about, pondering and trying out:

• As we're easing into fall, I've been experimenting with some pumpkin recipes from Eating Birdfood: My two favorites have been Pumpkin oatmeal and Healthy Pumpkin muffins (My husband said exactly that, "Oh, they taste... healthy." I don't think he meant it as a compliment.)
• I love books. And you know what's almost as good as books? Local Indie bookshops! On October 1st, I'm convening a panel of Indie bookstore owners to talk about their importance in the Shenandoah Valley. Joining us: Evan Friss, New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop. The History of the American Bookstore. If you're local, please join us:

On my Bookshelf

• ​The God of the Woods, Liz Moore. Un-put-downable. I flew through this one once I'd made it through the first 50 pages. Highly recommend.
• ​Night Watch, Jayne Anne Phillips. I don't know what all the fuss was about. This book left me cold. I didn't connect with the characters and found the plot disappointing.
• ​Hera, Jennifer Saint. Meh. An entertaining enough read but I felt the plot was meandering at best. I like the way it ended but don't know that the 300+ pages leading up to it were worth it.
• ​How to do nothing. Resisting the attention economy, Jenny Odell. I did this one as an audiobook and lost interest within the first tow chapters. The narrative did not grab, let alone hold, my attention.
• ​The Simple Wild, K.A. Tucker. No THIS was a great read. The kind of book after which I didn't want to read anything else so I could savor it longer.
• ​briefly perfectly human, Alua Arthur. I bought this one on a whim on my last trip to Richmond and thoroughly enjoyed it. A death doula talks about our short time on earth.
• ​The Bookshop, Evan Friss. Like a warm hug for those who love bookshops.
• ​Husbands & Lovers, Beatriz Williams: Another Book of the Month hit! You may want to put this on your reading list for the fall! I found another Beatriz Williams book in one of my local used book store and grabbed it without hesitation.

On my radar

Here are events to keep an eye on:

• September 24 - 25: SuperConnect. The Future of Ecosystem Building, Baltimore, Maryland (meet me there!)
• October 6-9: Entrepreneurship Funders Network Annual Convening, Baltimore, Maryland (exclusively for foundations and other entrepreneurship-focused funders)
• October 7-9: University Economic Development Association’s (UEDA) Annual Summit, South Bend, Indiana
• October 22-24: E.Builders Forum, Kansas City, MO
• October 28-30: SOCAP Global, San Francisco
• October 30 - November 1: Startup Champions Network Summit, Bay Area, California
• November 14-15: Innovation Ecosystem Summit (virtual)

What events are missing that other changemakers should know about?

I will be back in your inbox in two weeks!

In camaraderie,

Anika