The Crystal Ball Ciao Bella!  Grab your tea, matcha or coffee, and come sit with me for a few minutes. I want to share a beautiful reflection I had this week as I’m writing to you from sitting on the Arno River where I write you weekly while I am in Florence, Italy. I’m sitting overlooking the Ponte Vecchio, watching people go by, listening to the gorgeous inflections of the Italian language, and marveling at the beauty of it all. The energy here is so beautiful and inspires me daily, I love sharing the behind the scenes with you here in these letters each week. It’s almost been two months since I arrived in Italy, and I realized something this week about why I was

The Love Affair Hi, Ciao Bella What if the very life you’ve spent years feeling you needed to explain, justify, or apologize for is actually the life you were always meant to live? And what if the love you’ve been looking for has been waiting for you to recognize it within yourself? I’ve been having a bit of a love affair here in Florence, Italy. And while this city certainly knows how to romance a woman, with its beautiful architecture, charming streets, candlelit restaurants, and couples walking hand in hand, this love affair has been something entirely different. I’ve fallen in love with myself and the life I’ve chosen. I know that may sound like a bold declaration, but something happened this week that made

The Miracle Hi, Ciao Bella What if you’re already living your miracle? What if the life you’re living right now is a life you once dreamed of, wished for, or prayed would someday be yours? And what if, somewhere along the way, that dream came true, but you were so busy living it, looking for what’s next, or wondering what was missing, that you forgot to stop and recognize it? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. This week, I found myself having one pinch-me moment after another here in Florence, Italy. And it wasn’t just because of the beauty of this city, although I still find myself walking these streets in complete awe of the art, the architecture, the history, and the charm

The Present of Being Hi, Ciao, my beautiful friend, from Florence, Italy! Another week in Italy, and I am blown away by how quickly the time is passing. These past few weeks have brought me one of the most beautiful lessons, and perhaps one of the very reasons I was guided to come here. The power of presence. I found myself feeling overwhelmed this past week, not because anything was necessarily wrong, but because there was so much I was doing and so much more I wanted to experience. I’m running my business, leading my team, supporting my clients, and bringing a creative project to life. At the same time, I’m building a life in another country where I don’t speak the language, making new

The Next Chapter Hi, Ciao Bella, Can you believe I’ve officially been in Italy for a month? As I head into October, I’ve been thinking about everything September gave me. The experiences, the adjustments, the unexpected moments, and especially the lessons. And one of the biggest was actually something I already knew, but apparently needed to be reminded of again: The beautiful, extraordinary life happens because I decide to create it. And I don’t just mean making the big decision to move to another country for three months. I mean what happens after the bold move. Because I can come all the way to Italy, but the friends aren’t simply going to find me. The events aren’t going to keep appearing if I don’t seek

The Women of Florence Hi, Ciao bella, I’ve been in Italy almost a month now, and it has taken some time to get settled in. There have been endless things going on that I’ll share more about, so definitely make sure you’re following me on Instagram for the full behind-the-scenes of what it actually looks like to live in Florence, Italy, travel the world, and choose the life you want versus the life you were expected—or told—to want. Because that is what I’m doing. I left behind who I thought I needed to be to pursue the life I know is meant for me—and to do it unapologetically. That, to me, is The Bold Life. And this week, I was reminded of exactly why I

Let Go of Control Hi, Ciao from Firenze. I’m going to be really honest here. I got to Italy, and as you know, my home is not exactly what I wanted. But it has been exactly what I needed. I used my voice. I asked for what I wanted. And when I couldn’t change it, I stopped fighting the answer. That isn’t settling. That’s self-trust. It’s a haven outside of the city. Being here is allowing me to become more planned and oriented while also surrendering to what it’s like to truly live here. Most Florentines don’t live in the center of the city, where the majority of tourists come and go. They live outside of it, in the surrounding neighborhoods. I’ll have the experience

Bold Moves Hi, I’m in my second week in Florence, Italy. If you read last week’s letter, you know that my arrival did not go as planned. My apartment, although beautiful, was not in the location I had pictured, and I found myself frustrated. I tried to get out of it. I used my voice. I asked for what I wanted. And I wasn’t able to change it. But here’s the beauty of what living The Bold Life actually is: I’ve learned to make friends with discomfort. I’ve learned to find faith in uncertainty. I’ve learned that inside the discomfort, there is always an opportunity. And I’ve seen that so beautifully this week. Since being here, I connected with someone who I believe may become

When It Doesn’t Go as Planned Hi, Ciao from Italy. I got to Italy, and it is not what I expected. After a lovely travel experience, I arrived at my apartment, and the cab driver said to me, “Oh, you’re far from town.” I had spoken with the owner before booking and was told it was a ten-minute bike ride into Florence. Having studied abroad and lived here for nine months, I thought, Okay, that’s great. I love to bike. What I didn’t realize was that the apartment was more than an hour’s walk from the center of the city. Everything I had planned—from the gym I wanted to join to the networking events, business opportunities and the life I intended to create while I’m here—was

The Plan for the Plan Hi, I was 10 minutes away from my mother when she died. Ten minutes. The night before, I had said, “Hey, Mom, I’m heading out to dinner. I’m picking you up tomorrow for a Christmas movie marathon.” It was three days before Christmas. There was a plan for tomorrow. There were movies we were going to watch. Time we were going to spend together. Another memory we were supposed to make. But the next morning, I got a phone call. My mother had passed away in my father’s arms in the driveway. I didn’t make it. I was 10 minutes away from their house and 10 minutes away from the hospital—and I still didn’t make it. I don’t share this