10/01/2026
Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is where our inner work actually lives.
I’ve spent many years in and around spiritual spaces. I’ve studied, practiced, taught, questioned, changed my mind, learned some more, and kept going.
And over the years, I’ve noticed something interesting.
It can be relatively easy to have a “spiritual life” that exists in its own little sphere. We meditate. We go to retreats. We read the books. We do yoga, breathwork, or energy work. Some of it finds its way into our relationships, our parenting, and the way we care for ourselves.
But what about the rest of our lives?
What does any of it mean when we’re making difficult decisions? Running a business? Navigating conflict? Working with people who see the world very differently than we do? Participating in our communities? Stepping into leadership?
That question has become increasingly important to me.
I’m less interested these days in spirituality as an ideology or something we practice separately from everyday life. I’m much more interested in what I think of as practical spirituality. How does greater awareness actually change the way we listen, respond, make decisions, relate to other people, and move through the world?
And I think this is becoming an increasingly interesting space as research continues to explore things like meditation, contemplative practice, attention, nervous system regulation, neuroplasticity, consciousness, and the relationship between our internal states and how we experience and respond to the world around us.
There are some really interesting places where ancient practices, lived experience, and modern science are beginning to have conversations with one another.
It’s one of the things I value so deeply about my work with Sarah Marshank.
Sarah is the founder of Selfistry and the author of Being Selfish and Selfistry. Her work brings together philosophy, psychology, contemplative practice, and embodied inquiry. She has an incredible depth of knowledge, but what has probably influenced me most is the way she lives what she teaches.
Sarah is my teacher and mentor, and she has also become my friend. Working with her has genuinely changed me. Her work continues to inform my own practice, the way I work with people and, increasingly, the way I show up in the rest of my life.
And right now, that feels especially relevant.
Running for Town Council has put me in a very public and very practical space. I’m talking about budgets, housing, business, water, development, jobs, and the future of our community. I’m listening to people with very different experiences and perspectives. I’m being asked what I believe and how I would make decisions.
Interestingly, this feels like exactly where this work belongs.
Can I listen before reacting? Can I stay curious when I disagree? Can I notice my own assumptions? Can I stay grounded when things become uncomfortable? Can I listen to someone whose perspective is very different from mine and genuinely try to understand it? Can I make thoughtful decisions without needing everyone to agree with me?
For me, this is where the practice becomes meaningful.
Myself and another amazing woman, Bradyn, are currently working together with Sarah on something new that we hope to bring into form in 2027, centered around this deeper integration of inner work and everyday life. We’re also continuing our Slow Spirituality Book Club, which has become a really lovely place to explore some of these conversations together. (And it's free.)
I don’t know exactly where all of this will lead yet.
But I do know that I’m increasingly interested in a spirituality that doesn’t require me to step away from ordinary life to practice it.
I want it to inform how I parent. How I work. How I run my business. How I participate in my community. How I handle disagreement. How I make decisions. How I treat people.
For me, that is becoming the work.
