Transitions: into the unknown!
unafraid in mid-air
Hello, Friends!
I hope you’re doing well—I’ve really missed connecting with you through these letters. Thank you for you sticking around this last year, and HELLO to the new folks just joining in. I am excited to be back and to share some quick updates…
On the professional front, as of July 1st, I have said a bittersweet goodby to my role at USC as Director of Belonging. I’m so grateful for the last six years and how much I was able to learn by doing alongside gold-hearted people from nearly every department.
I especially want to thank Jim Burklo, who brought me into USC and gave me carte blanche to meet students where they were. Any idea I came up with, he would say, “Go, go, go!” Even when they involved stuffed octopuses and inflatable flamingos. And I want to thank every student who came to me and gave me the gift of their stories, questions, insights and hopes. You all formed a nest of warmth and support that has launched me into the next, bright blue phase.
And what does that look like? The thing about the sky is its formlessness. Its nearly infinite possibility. And that doesn’t scare me anymore, despite being a single mom in an unpredictable city. Right now I am enjoying the rush of take-off. The awe of being lifted by something invisible and kind. And the giddiness of invincibility: I’ve learned that nothing can stop you from doing your work. From creating. From saying yes in the face of nonstop no’s. And that makes you unstoppable.
What I do know about the next phase is that I want to make the work more human. More personal, creative, messy, place and story-based. Because that’s what humans are— messy, creative beings living out their stories in real places. We don’t need more research, startups, card decks or Surgeon General warnings. We don’t need more information; we need transformation. We don’t need more answers; we need sincere questions. We need to slow down. And start sharing our honest experiences—what they’ve been and what we hope to God they can be.
By pouring my energy into speaking, writing, and creative projects, I hope to create the coziest possible space for a broader group of people (you and your friends!)
to jump in and start making a beautiful mess together. This summer I’m finishing a book proposal and launching a podcast, which I hope to have many of you on. *Oh, and I did recently found The Belonging Studio to continue the consulting and training work, it just won’t be my focus because I don’t like suits.
On the personal front, my son, Noah, is headed to high school, and, NO, I CANNOT PROCESS IT. I’m so proud of him and excited to teach him how to drive. In the cemetery. I’m loving having a simple, homebody summer with him, our puppy, Boba, and our geriatric cat, Zoey. And I’m planning a day trip to the channel islands because I’ve never been there, and it’s time to start doing new things.
I love hearing from you, so feel free to reach out. Talk soon.
Cat
P.S.— ABC is doing year-long coverage of loneliness, and I’m helping out. Fingers-crossed for the green light to do a segment where Boba and I go around LA sniffing out the people and places that foster connection. :) Here’s a link to the piece focusing on Gen Z:
