LOL Letter — August Update
“Sometimes you have to look back to see what’s been changing all along.”
Living Out Loud
LOL Opening Reflection
At the beginning of the year, a trusted friend took some time to look through my Living Out Loud website. She gave me thoughtful feedback, asked good questions, and pointed out several places where the site could be clearer or stronger.
I appreciated her perspective.
I also remember looking at that list and thinking, Whew.
There was a lot to do.
Over the months that followed, I kept working on Living Out Loud. I revised language. I clarified services. I moved things around. I changed things that didn't quite feel right and sometimes changed them again. There were plenty of moments when I was frustrated because I knew what I wanted something to communicate, but I couldn't quite figure out how to make it say what I wanted it to say.
A few weeks ago, I happened to pull out that original feedback again.
Every single thing on the list had been addressed.
I just sat there for a minute.
Because I hadn't been working from the list.
There hadn't been some grand weekend when I sat down and transformed the website. There was no dramatic before-and-after moment.Over the months that followed, I just kept working on Living Out Loud. I revised language when it didn't sound right. I clarified services when I realized they still weren't clear enough. I moved things around, changed my mind, tried something else, got frustrated, came back to it, and kept going.
There wasn't one big moment when the website suddenly became what it is now. Most of the time, I was simply responding to whatever was in front of me and trying to make the next decision a little better than the last one.
Then when I pulled out that original feedback again, I realized every single thing on the list had been addressed.
That caught me off guard because I hadn't been consciously working my way through the list. I had just been living inside the process.
And I think that's what struck me most.
While change is happening, it often doesn't feel like transformation. It just feels like work. It feels like revising something again, wrestling with a decision, noticing what still isn't right, or wondering why something is taking so long.
We usually don't get to experience the whole transformation at once because we're standing too close to it.
Even this newsletter is a good example. I've been thinking about writing it since the beginning of August, and now it is August 19th and I'm finally getting this sucker written. From where I'm sitting today, I could focus on the fact that it took me this long.
But in a little while, I'll be able to look back and say, Hey, it's done.
Maybe that is part of becoming too.
Sometimes the evidence that something meaningful has been happening only becomes visible when we have enough distance to look back and see what all those small adjustments, frustrations, decisions, and attempts have added up to.
What’s Happening at Living Out Loud
Educator Renewal Preview Experience
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time this month continuing to shape the Educator Renewal Series, including developing a 90-minute Preview Experience for school teams. The Preview gives educators an opportunity to experience guided reflection together while exploring how reflection can support well-being and the work they do every day.
One of the most valuable parts of developing this experience has been talking with educators. Those conversations are helping me listen more carefully, test my assumptions, and make sure what I’m creating responds to the realities educators are actually navigating. There is still work to do, but I’m excited about where it is going.
Closing Out 90-Day Flex
We’re also approaching the end of our first 90-Day Flex experience. For nearly three months, our small community has been experimenting with simple wellness anchors around hydration, movement, rest, reading, reflection, and spiritual well-being.
What I’ve appreciated most is that Flex was never about doing everything perfectly. Real life kept happening while we were doing it, which gave us plenty of opportunities to practice returning when routines got interrupted or priorities shifted. As we prepare to close our 90 days together, I’m looking forward to reflecting on what we learned, what we’ll carry forward, and what this experience might become next.
LOL Moments
I recently gave a little more attention to a part of the Living Out Loud website called LOL Moments.
It’s a space for some of the stories behind the work. The moments that have shaped me, stretched me, taught me something, or simply made me stop and pay attention. Some are celebrations. Others come from seasons that were much harder to appreciate while I was living through them.
The first featured moment is my doctoral graduation in May. Nearly ten years passed between beginning that journey and finally walking across the stage, so it feels like a fitting place to begin.
As August continues, I’m reminding myself that everything meaningful does not arrive with a big announcement. Sometimes change is happening quietly while we are busy living, working, adjusting, and trying again.
So wherever you find yourself right now, give yourself permission to notice what has shifted, what you’ve learned, and where you may already be growing.
Keep becoming.
Until next time,
Sonya
Living Out Loud
Align. Reflect. Become.