What I've learned about reinvention, uncertainty, and making room for what's next
It always starts with a feeling.
An energetic itch. A restlessness.
An inkling that something is about to change.
I've felt it before layoffs and restructurings. Before major career pivots. Even before a surprise pregnancy.
It's the feeling that something is ending. And something new is about to begin.
Lately, I've been feeling it again.
Anyone who has ever been asked to reinvent themselves knows this moment.
The space between chapters.
When you know one door is closing, but you're not sure what's waiting on the other side.
It's uncomfortable.
We want certainty. We want a plan. We want to see the whole path laid out in front of us.
But as my friend Shawn once told me,
"If you can see the path in front of you, you're probably not forging your own."
The truth is, not knowing where you're going can be a sign that you’re breaking through.
Because real reinvention rarely arrives with a roadmap.
It arrives with questions.
And over the years, I've learned that the key isn't finding the right answers.
It's asking better and better questions.
Sometimes those questions lead to a passion project.
A book.
A podcast.
A creative experiment.
Sometimes they lead to an entirely new direction in life.
I can't tell you what my own path looks like ten steps from now.
But I do know the next step.
And it's one I'm excited to share with you soon.
Over the past several months, I've been quietly building something in the background—a podcast designed to support people navigating their own next chapters, reinventions, and identity shifts.
More details are coming soon.
In the meantime, this will be my last newsletter before I take my annual summer break.
Every year, I step back from newsletters and social media to spend more time with my family, pursue creative projects, read, think, and make space for whatever wants to emerge next.
It's one of the best gifts I give myself.
And I hope you'll find ways to give yourself that same permission this summer, too.
Sometimes the most important thing you can do is make space for what's next.
If you'd like to stay connected, keep an eye out for the podcast announcement, or come say hello on Instagram. I'll likely pop in from time to time.
And if you're looking for a summer read, I'd be honoured if you packed my novel, Again, Only More Like You, in your beach bag this season.
Wishing you a joyful and adventure-filled summer.
See you in September,
Cat xo
PS: Last summer I charted 20 Ways To Write Your Book (That Don't Look Like Writing). If you’re on your own book writing sprint this summer, have a look at the 20 ways I write my books, to help you gain momentum for your own project.