We have a 4-month-old puppy named Zumi. We're deep in puppy-training mode right now and our neighbors probably think we're having constant parties.

Why? Because Pete and I decided to not train in the demure way most dog trainers teach puppy parents to train.

Instead of using a clicker, finger snap, or a quiet, “good job”, we are in a constant state of celebration. Anytime Zumi does something positive, he gets a boisterous:

“YAY!!”

“OH MY GOODNESS!!”

“WHAT A GOOD BOY!!”

And I invite you to do the same. Even the “what a good boy/girl” part!

…and it made my year. Here's what happened.

It's early May. I'm riding my bike in warm and sunny Florida, coming up to the top of a bridge when what to my wondering eyes appears?

Santa. On a mountain bike. No reindeer or sleigh in sight.

He's got a big bushy white beard (as expected) and he's wearing a bright red t-shirt with bright red shorts held up by candy cane suspenders with flashing red and green lights.

I was secretly hoping he would respond with, “ho ho ho” when I said good morning to him but he just said, "good morning" and flashed a sparkly smile.

I want to introduce you to Ariana. Ariana, like so many humans, was feeling stuck. Stuck in her job, stuck in her mind, and stuck in life.

We became Facebook friends after I taught a mastermind group she was in about Human Design. Maybe a year later, I got an intuitive nudge to invite her to join my email list (I wasn't even sure who she was or how I knew her at the time).

During our time together, she activated her own unique magic and realigned with her soul's blueprint. She became a mentoring client of mine, quit her job, and started her own Human Design business and podcast, both called Just Follow Joy.

People come from hundreds of miles away to see the bald eagle nest in a nearby state park. We are lucky enough to walk by that nest every single day and we were even luckier to see one of the baby eagles take its first flight ever.

Something you may not know about eagles is that it’s really a pass or fail for whether they are able to take flight. And only 40% of baby bald eagles fledge successfully.

If they can successfully fly, they pass.
If that first flight isn’t successful, they fail.

Did you also have to learn the recorder in elementary school? Oh my goodness

I had a recorder phase in 5th grade. I tried, I reeeeally tried, to learn it. Turned out, I was terrible. The rest of the class was tweet tweet tweeting so perfectly and I was honking like a duck. Nothing I did seemed to make the noise coming out of that stick sound the way it was supposed to.

And they kicked me out of music class because of it. Not because I had terrible music skills.

They kicked me out for not trying.

So, remember when I had that “divine download” a couple of months ago? And followed the call to open up the very first Money Class?

I am blown away by what’s been happening, and I realized something:

I love money.

Before we move on, are you ok with talking about money? And can we agree not to be super awkward about it?

Let's hop back to the '90s for a sec.

I had the perfect dress for the 7th and 8th grade semi-formal dance. It was a red floral number with off-the-shoulder straps and a knee-length poofy skirt. I loved it. I'd probably still love it (with a few updates).

But shoes. I needed shoes. So, my mom took me to the local department store where we waited patiently in the ladies' shoe department. Finally, the salesman--a short-ish guy in a fancy suit--came over to help us. He asked me what size I wore. "11," I told him.

He looked disgusted and, in what sounded to me like a very snooty tone, said, "we don't carry that size here."

Human Design first came into my life in 2018. We'd just moved to Florida after traveling around the country in a camper for 16 months. I'd been coaching for 5 years and making The Find Your Awesome Podcast for a year. I was content in my life and business. I didn't feel like anything was missing.

And then, after we finished recording, a podcast guest said to me, "Have you heard of Human Design?"

I cocked my head to the side like a confused puppy and said, "um, like anatomy?"