May 2026 Care & Clarity Update
The Courage to Bloom : Mental Health & The Entrepreneurship Transition
Greetings Beloved,
This month, I did something I have not done publicly before. I pulled back the curtain not on a framework, not on a strategy but on the actual experience of building Love Before ALL from the inside.
I shared that I was raised in Haiti, where respecting authority was not a value, it was survival. And that when I took the leap into full-time entrepreneurship last August, I thought I was finally free. What I did not realize was that I had accidentally packed that old nervous system pattern in my bag. I was the founder now and my body was still waiting for permission to lead.
I shared that there is a gap between what we post about wellness and what we actually practice in the dark. That consistency not inspiration was the only anchor when doubt sat down next to me and asked "Who do you think you are?" I returned again and again to the mantra that kept me grounded: My people will find me. My thoughts create my world. My beliefs drive my actions.
And I shared the profound paradox of leaving Nashville after 21 years to co-create a new life with Mychal in New Jersey while navigating full-time entrepreneurship, all at once. Of being beautifully held and still doing the hardest work completely alone. Of realizing that no matter how well someone loves you, they cannot carry your specific weight for you.
As we wrap up May, I invite you to pause and check your own soil. In our rush to appear strong, capable, and unshakeable, we often forget that mental health is not a destination. It is the daily, rigorous, honest practice of tending to yourself, even, and especially, when no one is watching.
🫶🏾 THE RELATIONSHIP SPOTLIGHT (Talk to Me)
This Month's Conversation: Nikki Piispanen on Relationships & Change Airs on May 29
In this month's episode of Talk to Me, I sat down with Nicole "Nikki" Piispanen, therapist turned storyteller and host of the It's Both podcast, to explore one of the most honest and necessary conversations of this season: what change actually does to your most important relationships.
Nikki's work lives right where two things can be true at once. She holds space for the duality of transition, the grief and the growth, the joy and the loss, and teaches us how to sit with tension long enough to find what is wise and kind.
💡 The "Gold Nugget":
"The messy middle is where the relationship either breaks or becomes unbreakable."
If you are navigating a major transition and wondering why your closest relationships feel different or why you are resisting the very support you need most, this conversation will give you language for what you are experiencing and practices to move through it.
Subscribe on YouTube or Spotify!
🌍 GROWING THE ME & THE WE
We explored several paths to The Courage to Bloom this month. Here are the key takeaways for your practice:
For Your Self (The ME): On the blog and social media, we examined what we carry into new seasons (the survival habits, the old nervous system patterns, the beliefs that kept us safe in one environment but hold us back in the next). Remember: you are not broken. You are a human being whose nervous system is doing exactly what it was trained to do. Your work now is to give it new evidence. Read The Soil Check here
For Your Leadership (The WE): We broke down two practices this month in our Love as a Strategy mini-series: The Metacognitive Check (Ep. 12), a three-step framework to stop feeding fear and start feeding your values instead and The Witness Practice (Ep. 13), the courageous act of letting someone actually see you, without deflection, without minimizing, without armor. If you missed them, catch the full playlist here: LAS Playlist
🎯 STRATEGY IN ACTION
The Practice: The Soil Check & The Witness Practice
How do we move from insight to embodiment? As we close out May, try these two LBA strategies this week:
Micro (Self): Run your own Soil Check. Ask yourself: "What is one belief or survival habit I developed in a past environment that I am still running on today?" When that old pattern surfaces, physically pause, place your hand on your chest, and remind yourself: "I am in new soil now. I do not have to operate by the old rules."
Meso (Team or Family): Practice The Witness. Think of one person in your life who is currently in the middle of a hard season. This week, resist the urge to fix, advise, or evaluate. Simply say: "I see you. I am here. You do not have to carry this alone." Let that be enough.
🌸 The Invitation
Transformation happens in layers.
Ready to root deeper personally?
Join The Cultivation Circle, our monthly membership for ongoing inner work.
Explore our Inner Work Studio for clarity, alignment, and purpose.
Ready to transform your organization?
If you are a leader seeking to improve your team’s effectiveness, let's schedule a Discovery Conversation.
With care and clarity,
Annie 💛
Your Curious Cultural Architect
