What’s next from As We Are Now?!
From the Sunday Self-Care Chronicles | 1/11/26
As the new year creeps in, I am busily at work creating a suite of self-paced, self-care resources and offers to support you in survivorship.
This first Sunday Self-Care Chronicles of the year is full of exciting news:
✨ A free guide that names the gap in survivorship care and reorients you to thriving, not just surviving
✨ A revamped workshop on sex and intimacy, because no one should suffer in silence
✨ The Body Empowerment Program - my signature offer designed to change the way people live in their bodies after breast cancer
Read the full email below - and if something speaks to you please feel free to comment, share, or reach out!
Hello sweet friend — happy new year!
I’m so glad to be back in your inbox for the first time since mid-December.
My two-week break was everything I hoped it would be — a chance to rest, recharge, and refocus, both personally and professionally.
I spent time with family and friends, did a bit of crocheting, a lot of coloring, and yes… made merry throughout.
This past week back with clients felt especially good.
And in between sessions, I’ve been quietly working on some new resources and offers that I’m really excited to share with you.
As I’ve probably said before, I deeply love my hands-on work with my in-person massage therapy and manual lymphatic drainage clients.
It is the foundation of my career, and I truly can’t imagine ever letting it go.
But after more than 13 years in practice, I’ve also learned some important lessons — for myself and for the people I care so deeply about supporting.
One of them is sustainability.
In-person, fee-for-service work like massage therapy is meaningful and powerful… but it isn’t always the most sustainable model.
When I’m unable to work — because of travel, weather, illness, or something as big as a global pandemic — I don’t earn income.
That’s a kind of pressure I don’t want attached to work - and people - I love so much.
Another lesson is consistency.
I’m humbled and honored to use my hands to support healing — whether that’s after surgery, during chemotherapy or radiation, or in long-term survivorship for pain, mobility, lymphatic support, or whole-person care.
But the truth is this: when people rely only on me (or any professional) to move forward, progress can feel like two steps forward and one or two steps back.
The clients who experience the greatest physical improvements — and the deepest mental and emotional shifts — are the ones who learn to connect with and care for their bodies at home, between appointments.
They move from being a patient… to becoming the main character on their own care team.
And eventually, they learn to navigate the world without me — which is honestly the very best outcome I could ever hope for 🥹
And then there’s impact.
As I continue to age (thankfully) and grow in perspective (luckily), I’m acutely aware that my literal hands limit how many people I can help.
I feel a strong pull not just to support more individuals, but to help change the way survivorship is approached altogether — away from piecemeal, reactionary care, and toward a foundation people can rely on to feel more confident, capable, and self-sufficient in life after breast cancer.
The only way I can even hope to do that is by leaning into these goals with real, repeatable, accessible resources.
So — with all of that in mind — I’m excited to share a look at what’s coming this spring from my online work at As We Are Now.
🌱 What’s Coming This Spring
January
The Survivorship Starting Point: A Re-Entry Guide to Life After Breast Cancer
This free guide is a nine-part email series designed to offer a calm, grounded place to begin making sense of life after treatment — no matter how long it’s been.
I like to think of it as a breast cancer self-care starter kit for the part no one prepared you for: the stretch of survivorship where your body, nervous system, and sense of self are still catching up.
I’ve been deep in creation mode on this (including video and audio options!), and I expect it to be ready within the next week or two.
Even if we’ve been connected for a long time, I hope you’ll consider this for yourself — not because you’re “behind,” but because you deserve support no matter where you are.
February
The Intimate Self: Sex & Intimacy After Breast Cancer
with April Stearns of Wildfire
This is the updated, evergreen version of the workshop April and I co-hosted in spring 2023.
Sex and intimacy are so often impacted after breast cancer — physically, emotionally, relationally — and yet they’re rarely talked about.
Instead, many people carry their grief and frustration quietly and alone.
April and I decided it was worth pulling back the curtain on our own stories, so others could feel less isolated.
We’re thrilled to bring this back with updated reflections, resources, and the core elements that resonated so deeply the first time.
March
The As We Are Now Self-Care Basics Series
(Tiny Wins Edition)
This will be the first in a series of short, focused email experiences designed to support foundational self-care — starting with sleep.
This self-paced, low-cost series will offer education, inspiration, and gentle motivation to look at your sleep habits and why they matter so much for overall health, healing, and long-term wellbeing.
Think compassionate support for the basics that often get overlooked.
April
The As We Are Now Body Empowerment Program
As my mom always says, “the good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise,” April will mark the official launch of this program.
This has been years in the making — with all the puzzle pieces finally clicking into place.
It’s my deepest offering yet: a program designed to help you shift your relationship with your body and build the knowledge, confidence, and skills to support your healing throughout your life with practical, relevant, and safe self-care.
There’s much more to come, but I truly believe this will be a game-changer for people learning to live in a changed body finally with the guidance they deserve.
✨ A Few Personal Updates
This fall, my husband and I took a leap and decided to both be self-employed — leaning into the autonomy and location freedom we’ve always wanted.
To celebrate, we’re planning our most ambitious trip yet: spending two and a half months abroad in Italy this spring (yes, we’ll both still be working!) — and celebrating my 50th birthday along the way.
Because of this, my in-person work will be on sabbatical starting in April.
I’m currently booking about 2–3 weeks out, with good availability in February and March.
If you’re a regular client, I encourage you to book your preferred dates soon.
And if you’d like to get on my table before I head out, reach out — I’m happy to reserve a spot for you.
There’s so much more to come, and alongside all of this, I’ll continue sending my usual weekly Chronicles — reflections, education, resources, and gentle encouragement.
Thank you for being part of my world and for supporting this evolving vision.
Many of you have shaped these offerings simply by showing up, sharing your stories, and trusting me with your care.
I can’t wait to bring this next chapter to life.
And one last reminder:
Despite what gyms, diet culture, and January noise would have you believe — winter is still winter here in the Northern Hemisphere.
It’s a time for rest and renewal.
For physical slowness or reimagining what life could look like next.
Please allow yourself to lean into that, in whatever way feels right.
So glad to be back and until next week, remember, I am always in this with you.
P.S. I’m deeply aware of the heaviness many of us are carrying right now — here in the U.S. and around the world. If you’re feeling it too, you’re not alone. Please take care of yourself in whatever way you need, whether that means logging off… or leaning in.
P.P.S. If you enjoy these weekly emails, please consider sharing the sign up link with someone you know. It's the best form of support I could ask for!