Project 180: Coming Home to the Work That Makes Me Feel Alive

Project 180: Coming Home to the Work That Makes Me Feel Alive

There are moments in life when everything suddenly makes sense.

Not because something new appears.

But because you finally recognize a pattern that has always been there.

This week, after another successful Ladies of Saugeen Shores event, I felt something I haven't felt in a very long time.

Alignment.

Not excitement that quickly fades.

Not temporary motivation.

Real alignment.

The kind that settles into your body and quietly whispers,

"This is where you're supposed to be."

As the event came to an end, I didn't feel exhausted.

I felt energized.

Instead of needing days to recover, I found myself planning the next event, organizing new ideas, completing projects, and moving forward with enthusiasm.

The momentum stayed.

That feeling was familiar.

It took me a few days to understand why.

Then it suddenly came back to me.

Years ago, in the Philippines, I worked as a Territorial Area Manager for Biofemme Women's Wellness.

Most people would probably assume my favorite part of that career was working in pharmaceuticals.

It wasn't.

My favorite part was creating events.

I loved designing every theme.

I loved launching new initiatives.

I loved bringing people together.

I still remember being part of the pioneering launch of Celeteque during its first year. There was something deeply fulfilling about building community around women's wellness, education, and health.

Looking back now, I realize I wasn't passionate about selling products.

I was passionate about creating experiences.

That same feeling is alive again.

Only now it has a different name.

Ladies of Saugeen Shores.

When I facilitate events, meet new women, organize activities, collaborate with local businesses, and watch friendships begin to form, I don't feel like I'm working.

I feel like I'm living.

For years I thought I needed to reinvent myself.

Instead, I was simply being invited back to the work that has always made me feel most alive.

This realization has changed more than my career.

It has changed my home.

Over the past week I cleaned my basement.

I emptied my master bedroom.

I donated boxes of things that belonged to previous versions of my life.

Old nursing supplies.

Equipment from my skincare therapy practice.

Items I had been holding onto "just in case."

Then I asked myself a simple question.

If I truly believe this is my calling, why am I preparing to go backward?

The answer became obvious.

I'm not.

I don't see myself returning to traditional nursing.

I don't see myself spending my days inside a treatment room again.

There is nothing wrong with those professions.

They simply no longer fit the woman I am becoming.

I have learned something important about myself.

I am not meant to stay inside one room all day.

I am meant to move.

To connect.

To organize.

To gather people.

To build communities.

To create meaningful experiences.

My office is no longer defined by four walls.

My office is wherever women gather.

A library.

A community hall.

A lakeside pavilion.

A coffee shop.

A beach.

A conversation.

A circle of women who simply needed someone to say,

"You belong here."

As I embraced that realization, another transformation quietly unfolded.

My treatment room is becoming something new.

Not another clinic.

Not another space filled with supplies.

A simple, minimalist office.

A computer.

A notebook.

A few meaningful tools.

That's all.

The rest lives in relationships, conversations, ideas, and community.

I have also returned to something that has always restored me.

Celebrating life.

After productive weeks, I don't want to collapse from exhaustion.

I want to enjoy the life I am creating.

Lunch with friends.

Dinner and good conversation.

Music.

Dancing.

Watching Vela laugh as we danced together on the beach while a live band played under the summer sky.

Those moments aren't distractions from success.

They are part of success.

Perhaps the greatest lesson Project 180 has taught me is this:

Momentum is sustainable when your work matches your nature.

When your work is aligned with who you truly are, enthusiasm doesn't have to be manufactured.

It becomes renewable.

As my birthday approaches on July 14, I don't feel like I'm entering another year older.

I feel like I'm entering another year clearer.

Clear about what energizes me.

Clear about what no longer belongs in my home.

Clear about the work I want to devote myself to.

Clear about the life I want to build.

Project 180 has never been about becoming someone else.

It has been about removing everything that isn't me.

And underneath all the titles, careers, expectations, and possessions, I found something wonderfully simple.

A woman who loves bringing other women together.

A woman who believes wellness grows in community.

A woman who comes alive when people gather with purpose.

For the first time in a long time, I don't feel like I'm chasing my calling.

I feel like I've finally come home to it.