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Week 3 of sabbatical took me further than I expected — literally and figuratively.

I flew to DC to close out my last consulting client. And then I stayed. Because DC is where my people are. And for the first time in years, I gave myself more than 48 hours to actually be with them, no packed agenda, no back-to-back meetings, no performance of availability. Just real, unhurried time with the women who know me best.

What followed was one of the most restorative weeks of this entire sabbatical. We're talking pedicures and long lunches and a hotel bar conversation that went on for hours with not a single drink between us. One of my girlfriends booked me a surprise photo shoot, just because she knew I needed to feel like myself again. And in that moment, I understood something I want to talk about in this episode: the right people in your life will see you before you can see yourself.

We also get into my very first Amtrak experience, specifically the Acela, which I expected to feel like the Eurostar and did not. My first trip to Philly. And a dinner in New York hosted by Carla Harris that put me in a room full of Black investors, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs, and reminded me exactly why intentional network building is one of the most important things you can do for your future and your family's future.

And then I landed, went straight to school pickup, and reported back to mom duty. Because that's the duality.

This episode is about reconnection. About what real friendship looks like in hard seasons. About carrying things well but not alone. And about the infrastructure,  human infrastructure — that holds you up when titles and calendars no longer define you.

If you've been in a season where you needed someone to remind you who you are, this one is for you.

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