Hello Friends,

Over the last few years, you’ve received this newsletter as “All The Bits,” a creative outlet for writing about self-employment, personal growth, creativity, community, and wellness.

When I started it, I had a list of ideas scratching at my psyche, and it’s been so satisfying to flesh them out into this collection of five-minute glimmers. Thanks for reading and being part of it.

This year, my creative inspiration has shifted toward building community around my interests. You can see it in the extracurricular things I’ve been pursuing:

1. Leading moon circles with Portland Women’s Social Circle,

2. Launching Wellness Business Owners, a community for Entrepreneurs who help others heal,

3. And most recently, launching Portland Networking Roundup newsletter, a single source for upcoming business networking events in greater Portland, Maine.

I’ve also been using the brand of my business, Avi Fox Creative, to sponsor the community groups above. Since that’s where my creative energy is heading, I’m retiring “All The Bits” and shifting this publication over to Avi Fox Creative. As this transitions, all the past pieces from All The Bits will stay published in case you want to look back at anything.

If you want to unsubscribe, seriously, no hard feelings. As an advocate of Inbox Zero, I totally get it. But if you want to stick around for this next evolution, I’d of course love to have you here. If so, stay tuned for more:)

Avi

There is a particular kind of person who becomes a wellness business owner. They are someone who believes, deeply, that healing is possible. They know that humans are capable of growth, of transformation, and of becoming more whole. They have likely done a lot of their own work through therapy, energy healing, or somatic practice. They know the power of turning inward because they have seen it change lives, including their own.

Most wellness owners are experts at the architecture of other people’s healing. They know how to hold the heavy stuff, how to witness the breakthrough, and how to stay present for the messy middle. But there is a specific kind of isolation that happens when someone spends their day being the “strong one” or the “healer.” When you pour all of your energy into holding space for others, you often forget you need a container, too.

Wellness practitioners often become the loneliest people in the room because they have built lives around being the person everyone else leans on, while having nowhere to lean themselves. Then, they go home, open their laptops, and stare at a to-do list and completely forget that any of those healing principles apply to their business, too.

I say this with love, because while my primary work is strategy and design, I am one of these people. I have spent years working alongside them, and I have at times felt that same disconnect between my intuitive self and my “business” self.

Why I Started This Group

For the past 8 years, I have been self-employed through my creative studio, Avi Fox Creative, where I work with small businesses on web design, photography, and strategic consulting. Over the years, I have noticed that a huge portion of the business owners that are drawn to me are in the wellness world. Therapists, energy practitioners, massage therapists, and doulas tend to be the clients I jive with most.

I am starting to realize that we find each other because when I work with a business, I do not only think about the strategy. I think about the person behind it: their vision, their energy, their fears, and what is in the way. My Reiki Master training helped me hone this. I see businesses energetically and holistically. This helps me understand where to jump in with practical skills and where there may be energy blocks that need movement before anything can really change.

I also love the world of self-employment: the agency it allows, the creativity it requires, and the way you have an opportunity to infuse your values into what you build. Working for yourself is not always easy, but it is a particular kind of freedom that I find endlessly meaningful.

But here is what I kept noticing: wellness business owners are incredibly skilled at holding space for other people’s growth and simultaneously often the loneliest people in the room when it comes to their own. Running a solo practice or small wellness business can be isolating. You’re doing all of it: the clients, the admin, the marketing, the self-doubt at 3 am. Unlike a corporate job, there is no team and no manager to offer a quarterly review or tell you that you are doing great. You’re just you, doing the work, hoping it is enough.

I wanted to create a space that applied the very tools wellness practitioners often offer their clients—reflection, intuition, and guided inner work—to the experience of running their businesses. I wanted to do it in community, because I believe that is where the real magic happens.

A Novel Event: Maine Wellness Business Owners Community Circle

So, on a Wednesday afternoon in March, I gathered a group of wellness business owners at East Pine Plant Shop in Windham, Maine. It is a beautiful, plant-filled space that makes you feel like you are in the jungle regardless of the weather outside. Over a dozen people came: from therapists to energy workers to bodyworkers and others. Some knew each other, but most did not. After introductions, I led the group through a guided meditation I have been calling The Business House Vision Quest.

The Vision Quest

I asked everyone to find a comfortable position to lie down, close their eyes, and take a few deep breaths. We let our bodies settle, and I guided them across a vast, open field toward a house in the distance: their House of Business.

Inside, there were three rooms. The first was the Wins Room, filled with everything that is working: the value they are putting into the world and the clients who have been changed by their work. The second was the Challenges Room. Before entering, I asked everyone to surround themselves in a protective bubble of golden light. This room holds the hard stuff—the fears, the doubts, and the things that feel stuck. The golden bubble let people observe it all with curiosity, without being overwhelmed. The third was the Vision Room, which held their dreams for the future and the version of the business that is still becoming.

After the visualization, everyone journaled their experience and then moved into small peer support circles. There was space to share, get feedback, brainstorm, ask for advice, and receive support from people whose business experience was relevant to your own.

The quality of conversation in the room was unlike anything I’ve witnessed at typical business meet ups. People were vulnerable, honest, specific, and genuinely supportive.

What People Experienced

One participant, Gigi Fischer (an incredible EMDR therapist and founder of Wired for Transformation — whose website I built), felt inspired by the event and offered to write a testimonial:

“As a business owner who works from home, the Maine Wellness Business Owners Community Circle was exactly what I needed. In a field as vast as wellness — and with the often isolating experience of working solo — it felt incredibly grounding and connecting to gather at the beautiful East Pine Shop and meet other business owners who are all working to help people relax, recover, heal, and thrive. Not only did I get to meet over a dozen wonderful people, but Avi’s guided meditation and journey helped me clear the cobwebs and reconnect with where I’ve been in my business and where I’m headed. I can’t wait to stay connected with the people I met and to join again the next time Avi offers this to the community.”

— Gigi Fischer, EMDR Therapist, Wired for Transformation

This meant a lot to me, especially “Clear the cobwebs and reconnect with where I’ve been and where I’m headed” because that’s exactly what I hoped this would do and place I love going with business owners.

Try the Visualization Yourself

After folks asked for a way to return to the experience, or share it with someone who couldn’t make it, I recorded a version of the Business House Vision Quest that you can listen to or share with someone. It’s 18 minutes long and all you need are some headphones and a quiet place to lie down.

Listen to the Business House Vision Quest

Whether you’re a wellness business owner or just someone who runs a business and could use a moment to check in with your wins, your challenges, and your vision, I made this for you.

New: Wellness Business Owners Community

I love the idea of building a community specific for wellness business owners. Although I planned on this being a one-time event, the energy was so strong after this event that I’m scheming to do more in person events here in Maine, and perhaps open up to the larger Wellness Business Owners community online so people can join from anywhere.

Who knows if this will be something I do for a few months or if there will be energy and reception for it to grow bigger for longer, but as a part of this experiment, I …

• Built us a website WellnessBusinessOwners.com

• Launched an Instagram WellnessBusinessOwners

• Planned our next event, Moving Energy: A Walking Peer-Coaching Circle to help folks identify an area of stuck-ness in their business and receive support around moving that energy forward. It’s on Wednesday, April 22 from 1-2:30pm in Falmouth Maine. If you’re a wellness business owner and would like to join us, tickets and info are here.

If you are a wellness practitioner, studio owner, healer, therapist, bodyworker, coach, physical therapist, herbalist, dietician, retreat leader, reiki practitioner, or anyone who has built a business thats on a mission to bring health and wellness to the world, I’d love to hear from you!

Sign up here to stay connected and hear about upcoming events, or drop a comment or message to tell me what you’re craving from a community like this that you can’t find elsewhere.

Here’s to doing the inner work on ourselves, and on our businesses.

With love,

Avi

Avi Fox is a business strategist, web designer, and Reiki practitioner based in Maine. She supports small businesses and wellness practitioners through her agency Avi Fox Creative.

Over a decade ago, a new friend introduced me to the concept of Animal Medicine. Hailing from Indigenous traditions, this practice suggests that every creature carries a specific essence, a message, or a gift for us if we are quiet enough to receive it.

Similar to Tarot, you can draw cards to gain insight into your life. As I’ve leaned further into my own woo-woo world—from hosting moon circles and practicing Reiki—I’ve found myself increasingly drawn to these interpretations. Similar to Tarot, I believe the power of any card lies in what our reaction to it reveals to be intuitively true.

Since I discovered Animal Medicine, I’ve started noticing animal (and plant!) medicine showing up in my life beyond my deck of cards, viewing encounters in nature as offerings from the universe. When an animal (or plant) makes itself present to me, I try to meet its energy with my own presence, observing its essence and asking my intuition: What can be learned from its way of being?

Recently, I was in Playa Chiquita, Costa Rica, where I was moved by the sheer abundance of friendly plant and animal life that welcomed me into its ecosystem. The older I get, the more I appreciate the childlike experience of being in nature with nothing to do but observe and belong to it all. Here is the medicine that presented itself in the jungle. These are not necessarily the “textbook” definitions, but the wisdom my intuition took away. Maybe some of the medicine these animals have to offer is just what you need, right now, too.

The Howler Monkey: The Simplicity of the Animal Self

On my first morning, I woke before dawn to a resounding OOO OOO OOO echoing through the canopy. It was the Howler monkeys; the males announcing the morning and claiming their troop… just like my rooster does with his flock back in Maine. Later, I watched the monkey’s bound through the treetops; mamas carrying babies and teenagers testing boundaries. Everyone was munching on leaves and basking in the sunshine, scratching an itch or hanging upside down with a smile just to enjoy that particular vantage point.

As a close relative of the monkey, I found it particularly moving to watch them because I recognized my own anatomy. They made me realize how silly we humans are, overcomplicating our happiness. They reminded me that our primary needs are actually quite simple: a tight-knit community, a sense of humor, plenty of “leaf snacks,” frequent movement, and a good dose of sunshine.

The Medicine: Humility. Remember your basic needs.

The Golden Silk Orb-Weaver: The Tapestry Within

You might think living among huge spiders would be terrifying, but these eight-legged creatures felt friendlier than I expected. They are as large as the palm of my hand, so big you can actually see their legs pulling golden silk from their own bodies. Every night, they scurry into action. By day, some of the webs would get knocked down, but the spiders would return to repair them time after time. It was a visceral reminder of persistence. We all have an abundance of unique inner resources worth spinning into a beautiful life, even if the “web” gets knocked down. We don’t have to look outside ourselves for the material; it is already within us.

The Medicine: Resourcefulness. Weave from your own center.

The Two-Toed Sloth: Intentionality Over Speed

Sloths are everywhere in Playa Chiquita, and it’s a true joy to stop and watch one hang from the trees or move along in slow motion. They spend nearly 90% of their time upside down and move slowly to conserve energy, as their metabolism is so low compared to other animals. One day I saw one hanging from a lone tree over the beach; I assumed it would always be there, for it looked frozen in a nap. Ten minutes later I came back to check on it and it was gone, clearly not in the tree anymore. This meant it had snuck past me on the forest floor and up another tree. It made me think about their slowness. We may think they are slow, but they move with such quiet, deep intentionality that their transitions can be missed. They reminded me that you don’t always need to hurry to get where you are going.

The Medicine: Patience. Trust the pace of your own journey and evolution.

The Leafcutter Ants: The Power of Unison

On the forest floor, I’d often spot a literal highway of ants moving in a vibrating line. In one direction, they carried fragments of green foliage nearly as big as their little bodies; in the other direction, they moved unburdened to fetch more material. They even cleared debris to keep the “train” moving. When it rained, they’d mysteriously dissapear, abandoning all of the leaf fragments on the trail. But as soon as the ground dried, they’d pick up where they left off and the path became alive again. They reminded me of the impact we have when we stop trying to do everything in isolation and move in unison toward a shared goal. And, importantly: don’t let a rainy day stop you; the ground will always dry eventually.

The Medicine: Teamwork. Small actions, multiplied by community, create massive change.

The Kapok Tree: The Architecture of Life

Next door to where I stayed there was a gigantic Ceiba tree, also known as the Kapok or “Tree of Life.” New friends told me that this was one of the largest in Costa Rica, and I decided I had to go see it. Approaching the ancient giant was a humbling experience; I felt like a guest in its energy field, which I was. Looking up from buttress roots that stood taller than my head, I saw an entire universe hosted up its trunk and amongst its branches: climbing vines, tropical plants, nesting birds, and marching bugs. Its ancient age reminded me not to be afraid of taking up space or growing older. There is a specific beauty in being “big” and “old.” It is a gift to the ecosystem to hold your ground, nurture other life forms, and breathe with the world.

The Medicine: Expansion. Your growth provides a canopy for others.

The Intuitive Within

Even back here in snowy Maine, these tropical animal teachers continue to wander back into my minds eye, offering their energy. I love how nature offers endless wisdom if we just slow down to observe and reflect.

We often look to specialists and guides to help us learn about ourselves. This is valuable, and it’s helpful to remember that we all have our own intuition and insight if we just query inwards.

So next time an animal presents itself to you, if you feel inspired, you could simply ask yourself: What does ___(insert animal here)______ have to teach me today? Observe and reflect on it’s way of being, see what bubbles to the surface in your heart and mind, and whether that resonates with you.

I hope you have some good animal medicine sightings of your own soon, or at least enjoyed sharing in the medicine of mine.

Pura Vida,

Avi

P.S. Thank you to Tierra de Suenos Lodge for being such warm and welcoming hosts!

Recently, I read a book called Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy. It is about a woman who travels to Scotland to help reintroduce 14 wolves as part of a broader effort to heal damaged ecosystems and slow the effects of climate change. That is the surface story, but underneath it, the book is about sensitivity, belonging, and what it means to live in a body that feels everything.

You see, the main character has a condition called “mirror-touch synesthesia.” This means that when she sees someone else experience something, she physically and emotionally feels it in her own body. For example, if she witnesses a person being struck, she feels the blunt force of the blow. When she watches the wolves run, she feels the rush of the wind and the power of their muscles as if they were her own.

I had never heard of this condition before, but as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), I felt immediately seen. While I am not yet claiming this specific neurological label for myself, reading about mirror-touch synesthesia provided the language for a phenomenon I have lived with but could never quite name. My nervous system doesn’t care if something is fictional or happening before my eyes; it responds anyway. In moments of beautiful connection, this can mean heartbursts and choking up with happy tears. In painful situations, it can mean physical tightness, heat, and panic.

In the book, this sensitivity is both a gift and a liability. This is a duality I relate to daily. Empathy can create closeness and a natural pull toward helping roles, shaping our careers and friendships. But without boundaries, it can become dangerous. You can end up over-identifying with others, absorbing what isn’t yours, or staying too long in situations that hurt you because you understand them so well.

And here’s the thing: too much empathy without protection can turn into self-abandonment.

Deeply feeling the world around me is what allows me to truly sidle up to my clients and understand the nuanced vision behind their work. I have learned the hard way how to protect this gift. In a previous business I had, the shadow side of my sensitivity often took over; I over-identified with the viability of the venture, viewing it as a personal reflection of my worth rather than a business subject to market forces beyond my control. Today, I consciously lead with much clearer boundaries. This detachment doesn’t make me care less; it makes me a more effective advisor. Because I am no longer submerged in the emotional weight of the “what ifs,” I can deeply resonate with my clients’ experience while simultaneously teasing out the strategic action needed.

So over time, I am learning that the answer isn’t to shut down, but to build better containers. For me in my work, this means recognizing that my business systems are actually energetic boundaries. Inbox zero is my container for mental load. An organized Google Drive is a container for my focus. Even working with my therapist is a container that helps me develop myself and get out of my own way personally and professionally. Ironically, this is exactly what I am so good at helping my consulting clients do: getting organized and strategic so they can stay above the trees in their own work. These systems allow for a healthy relationship with work without being consumed by it.

I’ve also started looking at sensitivity through a biological lens. I’ve noticed that how loud my sensitivity feels is directly correlated to how buffered my nervous system is. When I am depleted of rest or minerals, my system jumps at even a car door slamming or snow falling off the roof. Using tools like magnesium spray and prioritizing nutrient density isn’t just self-care; it is a professional strategy. A well-buffered body provides the “sturdiness” needed to witness the world and be a productive helper without being immobilized by it.

Maybe this resonates with you, or perhaps you have used emotional distance as a survival skill, a necessary armor that you are now ready to inspect. Or perhaps you are curious about softening.

We are all wired differently, but I believe how we feel the world is worth talking about more. Bringing our bio-individuality into the light helps us learn ourselves better, allowing us to step into the gift side of the coin while becoming better keepers of the challenges.

So this week, I leave you with a few questions to think about, either in your work or in your personal life:

• When you think about your own sensitivity, where has it helped you connect?

• Where has your sensitivity asked you to carry more than was ever yours?

• What would it look like to honor your wiring and your biology without abandoning yourself?

With care,

Avi

Over the last few years, I went through a process of healing my gut after more than a decade of food intolerances and digestive issues. What finally made a difference wasn’t a single cure, but a mix of functional nutrition, nervous system healing, energy work, and lifestyle/relationship changes.

That experience taught me something important: our culture loves quick fixes and single “magic pills,” but complex problems often need multiple approaches woven together.

That lesson was in the back of my mind when I started experimenting with ChatGPT earlier this year. I wondered if AI might help me do the same kind of weaving, only faster. Could I use it to connect the dots across different aspects of my health and understand my own bio-individuality more deeply?

I began uploading what I had collected for years: bloodwork, cycle logs, Oura ring data, educational resources and research on health conditions and tendencies I knew were unique to me, even my health insurance documents. I also included alternative energy tools that have been helpful for me, from my Human Design chart to perspectives in alternative and non-western medicine.

(Note: At first I was nervous about putting so much personal information into an AI, but the insights I got back were so eye-opening that I realized the potential for knowledge was something I personally wanted to experiment with…but this is a personal choice for everyone)

Understanding Bio-individuality

The idea at the center of this is bio-individuality. No two bodies are the same. We metabolize differently. We carry different genetic variants. We respond to stress, food, and medicine in our own ways. Yet the medical system in the U.S. is not designed for individuality. It is built on standardization, on diagnosing disease, on keeping people alive once they are already in the hospital, and on training specialists to operate in narrow verticals. If you need lifesaving care, it is extraordinary. But when it comes to prevention or integration or understanding how your whole body works as a system, it still feels stuck in the stone ages.

Until I created my own “Health & Wellness GPT,” there was no single container where medical information, alternative practices, and personal data could talk to each other. Western doctors rarely cross into holistic territory. Holistic practitioners often avoid medical language. The energy and “woo-woo” world which I love so much exists in its own separate universe. But the body does not separate. Every hormone, organ, mood, and stressor interacts as one continuous conversation.

For me, AI became the bridge. I want to share an example of what I’ve learned about myself, along with some tips for building your own, in the hope that it helps you get to know your body, mind, and spirit more deeply and explore how they all connect.

An Example from My Own Bio-individuality: Gilbert’s Syndrome

One of the first things I explored was Gilbert’s Syndrome, a genetic condition unique to my own body. This is just one example. Yours might be something else entirely like thyroid issues, migraines, allergies, mental health. For me, it happened to be this.

Doctors always told me Gilbert’s was benign, mentioning it only when my bilirubin came back high and then dismissing it. Because of that, I never really got educated on it until recently when some online articles from holistic health practitioners made me more curious.

Gilbert’s affects an estimated 3 to 16 percent of the population worldwide. It means my (and many others’) liver’s main detox pathway is sluggish. Anything processed through glucuronidation (hormones, alcohol, stress, sugar/fructose) moves through me more slowly.

But research is starting to show that most people with Gilbert’s are not symptom free. Fatigue, hormone sensitivity, mood swings, gut issues, and poor alcohol tolerance are common. For me, it explained why I could never drink like my peers, why sugar hit me harder, why my energy felt unpredictable. For years I assumed it was all in my head.

When I dug deeper, I found courses and medical articles from practitioners who take Gilbert’s seriously. They were dense and hard to digest, but I merged them into my knowledge base and asked ChatGPT to summarize and connect them with my labs, cycle data, and Oura ring readouts…and that was when things started to click.

Connecting the Dots of Your Bio-Individuality

One of the clearest insights came from observations and data collected during my luteal phase. A friend and I were commiserating over how emotionally volatile this part of the hormonal cycle can feel, and she mentioned that chasteberry and ashwagandha were lifesavers for her once she had been on them for a month or two. That sent me into research on hormones. ChatGPT helped me connect that estrogen and progesterone are processed through the same slow liver pathway that Gilbert’s affects.

It explained why my mood often crashed in the luteal phase more intensely than most of my friends. At the exact moment my body needed extra support, I was least able to process hormonal byproducts. If I added sugar, alcohol, or let too much stress creep in, the whole system tipped into overload. Suddenly the overwhelm I felt month after month was not random. It was physiology. With the right supplements and lifestyle support, it’s slowly becoming more manageable. And when I fall off that self-care, it quickly becomes unmanageable again, showing me that the connection is real.

Another connection came from inviting my Human Design chart into the mix. Human Design blends elements of astrology, the I Ching, Kabbalah, and quantum physics into a system for understanding your unique energetic blueprint. I learned that I am a Generator with sacral authority, which means my energy works best when I only commit to things that feel like a full yes in my body.

What I realized, through putting this alongside my health data in ChatGPT, is that when my liver is stressed or my gut is overloaded, that ability to hear my “yes” gets foggy. Even if I am living within so-called normal lifestyle guidelines, my body processes things differently, which means I need a different baseline. ChatGPT helped me see liver care not only as physical management, but also as spiritual and energetic care. When my system is clear, I can hear myself. When it is in overload, I can’t.

These reframes changed how I approach taking care of myself. Not because ChatGPT magically knew the answers, but because it translated the dense research and advice I had uploaded, matched it with my personal data, and revealed connections across disciplines I’d never before considered. It gave me language, validation, and the confidence to start to make changes that fit my body. Now, as I implement these changes, I’m starting to see positive results and feel eager to keep going.

Curious to try this yourself? Here are…

Five Tips for Building Your Own Medical GPT

1. Bundle your knowledge base. On ChatGPT’s $25 plan you can only upload ten files… but they can be large. Use a program like Adobe Acrobat to merge documents into big PDFs. For example, merge all your bloodwork into one PDF, and all of the research and scientific studies and articles you want as your knowledge base into another.

2. Ask better questions. Prompts matter - try “Based on this knowledge base, what might I not know about my bioindividuality?” You can also ask it to ask you questions, which often reveals gaps you would not think to name.

3. Treat it as an assistant. AI is imperfect. Always check sources and consult your doctor. Think of this as a research partner, not a replacement for care. It can also help in the moment if you want to run a choice by it and ask, “How would this affect me, based on my bioindividuality?”

4. Include your insurance documents. Upload those 200-page PDFs and ask what you actually have access to. Hint: many plans include free telehealth therapy sessions(!)

5. Expand beyond ChatGPT. Notebook LM, for example, can turn your knowledge base into a podcast in plain language. Other tools will emerge too. You do not need to be technical to begin experimenting (just curious!).

The Most Valuable Takeaway

The biggest surprise hasn’t been the connections (those made sense once I saw them) it’s been the compassion this education has helped me cultivate for myself. I no longer see fatigue or sensitivity as weakness, but rather parts of how my body is wired and ultimately invitations to customize how I care for myself.

Instead of fighting these things, I can work with them. That reframing in and of itself is medicine that I’ve needed and that I suspect many others need as well.

And, I still go to my doctor. But this work has made me more literate when I do. It helps me know what to ask for, what to look out for, and how to advocate for myself inside a system that is bound by insurance and specialization. What AI has given me is not all the answers, but better questions. And in a medical culture that rarely sees the whole picture, that feels like the most healing thing of all.

To your health and wholeness,

Avi

P.S. Obligatory Disclaimer: This is my personal experience, not medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before making changes to your own care. And remember: entering personal data into AI tools carries risks, so be sure you’re informed and comfortable before you proceed.

Not because of some buzzy online quiz, but because a lot of women friends around me were navigating ADHD diagnoses with their school-aged children. As they learned more, their doctors began looking upstream. And suddenly, I was hearing stories that sounded a lot like me.

I'm 38. I don’t have kids. But as these women described what ADHD looks like—especially in girls and women—it felt like holding up a mirror. Like someone was finally giving words to aspects of myself I hadn’t known how to name.

ADHD—short for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—has been around since the early 1900s, but the formal diagnosis as we know it today solidified in the 1980s. For decades, it was seen as a childhood condition affecting hyperactive boys. That view held so tightly that girls, who often express symptoms through daydreaming, emotional sensitivity, or internal restlessness, were almost entirely overlooked. It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020—when systems broke down and daily functioning shifted—that many women began recognizing long-masked patterns in themselves. The adult female ADHD diagnosis surge was, and still is, a quiet revolution. And now that I realize I might be part of it, I’ve grown more curious.

I’ve been self-educating to become more literate about ADHD in women—not just for myself, but because many of my clients fall somewhere on this spectrum. This past spring, in a session with my energy healer and Reiki mentor Jaclyn Eisman, I brought it up as something I wanted to invite into the room. After Jaclyn listened to what I’d been noticing in myself—and how it was shifting my sense of self—Jaclyn took a breath and said, slowly and with total conviction:

I’ve been thinking about that ever since—how ironic it is that the trait giving me the ability to hyperfocus is called a deficit. Her perspective gave me a new lens, and it left me curious to go deeper. So in June, I sat down with Jaclyn for a longer conversation and I’m excited to share all the bits she offered on this topic.

You’re Not Distracted—You’re Absorbing Too Much

Jaclyn put it like this: anyone she knows with ADHD is “hyper aware, hyper in tune, hyper sensitive.” She wasn’t just talking about restlessness or disorganization—she was talking about sensory input, energetic awareness, emotional perception. The stuff no one puts on a symptom checklist.

“You’re aware of and observing and taking in so much more than [others], so they don't even understand what you're talking about sometimes,” she said. “You’re just more sensitive to energy… you feel and see and sense your world.”

That resonated. Because when I think about the ways I’ve adapted—wearing earplugs to work, filtering other people’s energy before they speak, craving space and stillness—it’s not about distraction. It’s about managing too much information. My nervous system just has more inputs. Like I’m a sensor.

To me, being overstimulated in this way feels like your nervous system is buzzing—agitated and electric. Like you're trying to escape something, only to realize that something is inside you. A kind of internal overstimulation triggered by a world that’s just too loud, too much, too fast.

Sensitivity Isn’t a Problem—We Just Haven’t Learned to Work With It

The deeper issue isn’t the sensitivity—it’s the environments we’re expected to function in.

We live in a world designed for different nervous systems. Classrooms with fluorescent lights. Offices that reward constant output over alignment. These aren’t neutral spaces—they’re actively disorienting to people with heightened perception.

In a culture that prizes linearity, detachment, and conformity, those of us who pick up on the subtle layers—emotional cues, energetic shifts, environmental mismatch—often get labeled dramatic or difficult. But what if we’re simply perceiving what’s actually there?

For me, this is where my Reiki training came in. Reiki offers a kind of literacy for the energetic parts of life—the things we can all feel but usually can’t see. It gave me language, not just for the way I feel—but for how to move through the world. It taught me to channel what I pick up on instead of being swallowed by it. The goal isn’t to shut it off. The goal is to work with it.

If you've ever been told you're "too sensitive," maybe you're not too much; maybe you're incredibly attuned.

We Don’t Need Less Sensitivity—We Need Better Systems

As Jaclyn and I talked, it became clear that the diagnosis itself reflects the problem more than the person. “When you’re attuned to a lot of other things,” she said, “you’re not a great candidate for sitting still, asking no questions, not questioning the environment around you.” Maybe it’s not just that our traits don’t fit the system—it’s that the system doesn’t know what to do with people who feel this much, see this much, or ask why.

Jaclyn has spent the past two decades working with sensitive, intuitive people—many of whom, especially women, have been afraid to even say out loud that they can sense or hear or perceive energy. “A lot of them come in completely terrified,” she said. “And when I reflect back to them what I see—that they’re deeply in tune—it’s often the first time they’ve heard that as a strength.” Jaclyn went on to share that many of these individuals cry from relief of being recognized, which is a beautiful thing.

What really landed for me was her point that the very people who are attuned to nuance—who can sense emotional and energetic shifts, who notice when something’s off—are often the ones best equipped to foresee problems before they happen. In another context, we might call them visionaries. But in classrooms and corporate offices, they’re often labeled “too much.”

Energetic Tools for a Loud World

I think many of us feel overwhelmed by life not because we’re too sensitive, but because we’ve never been taught how to work with the energy we’re constantly picking up on.

Jaclyn described how many of her clients have no idea what to do with their sensitivity. They’ve been absorbing information—energetic, emotional, spiritual—for years, but have never had tools to process or filter it.

This reminded me of how much I quietly adapted my own life. I choose self-employment. I wear earplugs while I work and sleep. I avoid fluorescent lights and mechanical or traffic hums in the background. I crave nature and stillness. All these little accommodations I’ve built in, because I didn’t have the tools—or even the language—for what I was managing.

And that’s where Jaclyn’s work shines. She spoke about the importance of nervous system regulation—something our culture doesn’t prioritize, but is essential for people with heightened perception. “Nature is one of the best ways to help regulate,” she said. “It’s quieter. Your system can relax. You don’t have to defend against all the constant inputs—Wi-Fi, electricity, noise.”

This is part of why she hosts Earth Medicine Gatherings and does sessions in her healing cabin on a farm in upstate New York. Nature, for people with ADHD or sensory sensitivity, isn’t just nice—it’s necessary.

Let’s Rethink the Frame Altogether

Throughout our conversation, Jaclyn kept circling back to something quietly revolutionary: what if the traits we label as disorders are actually indicators of giftedness?

“I’ve been framing it for years as extra sensory perception,” she said. “These people are hyper aware, hyper attuned. They’re integral to sensing things before they’re problems.”

It reminded me of the story I told her about British intelligence intentionally recruiting dyslexic thinkers after World War II, because their brains worked in ways that traditional thinkers couldn’t replicate, which I reference in my other recent piece on neurodivergence and self-employment. What if ADHD is like that? A different operating system that’s been undervalued—not because it’s ineffective, but because it doesn’t serve existing structures.

In her dream world, Jaclyn said, we’d rename ADHD entirely—maybe something like “attention attunement gift.” We’d teach people to recognize what they’re perceiving as intuition, not malfunction. And we’d reshape environments—like classrooms and workspaces—to support attuned nervous systems instead of shutting them down.

This conversation with Jaclyn opened up a different way of seeing, not just myself, but the whole frame we use for brains that work differently. It left me with more questions than answers, which feels like a good place to be.

This is just the beginning of a longer conversation. If you resonated with any of this, Jaclyn and I would love to keep it going. Feel free to chime in via comments and tell us if it resonates with you.

Diverging with enthusiasm,

Avi

P.S. Who is Jaclyn Eisman, and how do I know her?

I first reached out to Jaclyn in October 2021 after a neighbor of my mom’s—someone whose journey I deeply respected—shared how transformative her work had been. At the time, Jaclyn was based in upstate New York and mostly worked remotely. I was skeptical. I’d only experienced Reiki and energy healing in person before, and wasn’t sure how that kind of work could translate over a screen. But the recommendation came with such depth and trust that I decided to reach out.

From our first session, I felt it. The effects of the remote Reiki showed up as deep relaxation in my body, and the messages that came through her intuition resonated in a way that was almost eerie. Jaclyn has this rare ability to walk the line—she can go profoundly deep on an energetic level while also meeting you exactly where you are. I’m about 50% woo-woo and 50% aware that woo-woo is a little woo-woo, and she just got that.

Over the next few years, I kept working with her. In 2022, I felt called to pursue Reiki certification myself, and asked if she would mentor me through the training if I came to her in person. She said yes. I got to visit her healing cabin on a beautiful farm in Lodi, New York (photos below!), and my work with her to earn my Reiki Certification became what I now look back on as a key piece in the multi-modality gut healing puzzle I completed in 2022-2023. After having intense IBS/gut issues for over a decade, I can now eat all the foods.

Jaclyn helped me reconnect with myself—spiritually, physically, and emotionally—after a rough stretch of years that included a major relationship apocalypse and a business closing. Working with her felt like finding a gem that no one else had discovered. I’m so grateful to get to share her voice here.

You can find Jaclyn via her website, JaclynEisman.com

Then, my friend’s aunt began talking about the lunar cycle, where we were in the cosmos, and the astrology of the moment. She shared how our bodies are over 50% water, and how—like the tides—human bodies are influenced by the moon. She spoke of indigenous cultures and ancient religions that have honored the moon as a guidepost for thousands of years.

And suddenly, it made me forget the minutia of my day to day and made me remember: Oh yeah… I’m part of something bigger.

She went on to lead us in a meditation of self-reflection where we asked ourselves the questions:

What am I ready to let go of?
What intentions do I want to set?

And, she opened the space so we could share what came up for us. There was no pressure to perform or be profound. Just a room full of fellow travellers with no agenda other than to hold space for one another to drop in, share what felt real, and recalibrate for the next cycle.

And yet, it made me feel more grounded and connected to myself than I had in weeks. There’s something powerful about having a moment on the calendar—with others—that asks nothing of you except to pause and listen inward.

During COVID when I lived in the Philadelphia suburbs, I decided to start my own New Moon Circle with a group of friends. The new moon has become a kind of checkpoint for me and the others in our group—a moment to return to center. To drop the endless to-do list and ask ourselves two simple questions:

What am I ready to let go of?
What intentions do I want to set?

I thrived in holding that space—and in being held by it. There’s something deeply nourishing about making time for stillness and reflection in community. And the beauty of the moon cycle is that it repeats. It’s not a one-time transformation, but a rhythm. A pattern. An invitation to come back to yourself—again and again.

Whether alone or with others, the new moon continues to offer that chance: To pause, reset, and return to one’s self. To quote some deep wisdom from my mother, “Only in the silence of myself can I know what is right for me.”

So what can tuning into the new moon do for you?

It can help you:

• Feel less overwhelmed by the pace of life

• Check in with your actual intentions, not just your inbox

• Create a practice of monthly reflection

• Anchor yourself to ancient natural cycles

• Reclaim time for rest and clarity

• Notice your own rhythms and needs

It doesn’t have to be mystical (unless you want it to be) or take a lot of time. You can stare at the night sky and ponder for a few moments, or you can set aside time for journaling and deeper reflection. Or, you can gather in community and mark the lunar shift together, beneath the empty night sky, where the new moon is quietly getting ready to make its debut.

At the time of this writing, we’ve just passed the July new moon. If you’d like to catch the next one, mark your calendar (August 23, 2025) and look to the night sky in a moment of reflection. And for a little extra astrological or astronomical context, you can also google for a report of the significance of the new moon you’re observing.

Whether you’re new to this or already moon-aligned, I hope this awareness brings you a little extra grounding, a touch of alignment, and maybe even a spark of awe at the bigger cosmic rhythm we’re all a part of.

With moonlight and intention,
Avi

P.S. If you’re a woman local to Maine and feeling called to gather, I’ll be hosting a New Moon Circle on August 23, 2025 in collaboration with Portland Women’s Social Circle. **If you’re a man and want to attend a New Moon circle…keep scrolling to the P.P.S.!

New Moon Circle | August 23, 2025

New Moon Circle | August 23, 2025

And, a sneak peak of The Pond House where the gathering will take place:

P.P.S. This particular gathering is for a women’s group, but if you're a man reading this and thinking "I’d love something like this too, why are these moon circles only ever for women?!?!" I AGREE!! If there’s interest, I’d love to host a more gender inclusive version of New Moon Circle in the future. Chime in here for your support or drop me DM, comment, or email (hello@avilorenfox.com).

I’ve been self-employed since college—over 15 years—and in that time, I’ve worn many hats: pilates instructor, personal chef, fashion label founder, photographer… now website designer and business consultant. But through every pivot, one thing has stayed the same: I keep choosing self-employment.

For a while, I felt guilty—like I couldn’t commit to one thing. But eventually I realized: it’s not a field I’m drawn to, it’s a format. The autonomy. The flexibility. The chance to build a life on my own terms.

I used to joke that I was a professional at not getting a “real” job—but it’s not just a joke. The older I get, the clearer it becomes: self-employment isn’t a quirky preference. It’s a way to set myself up to thrive.

Lately, I’ve been learning more about neurodivergence, and I’m starting to see myself in the growing number of women who’ve quietly gone undiagnosed—sensitive to their environments, masking well, and figuring it out under the radar. I’ve also noticed how often I reverse numbers or mix up left and right—quiet signs that dyslexia might be part of my picture too.

This all clicked in a new way a few years ago, at a dinner party hosted by a client. I was chatting with Tayyib Smith, a Philly-based creative and entrepreneur, when he said something that struck a deep chord. We were talking about dyslexia and neurodivergence, and he casually remarked, “Most people I know who are self-employed are also on the spectrum.” Then he added something that’s echoed in my brain ever since:

“For a lot of us—especially folks who move through the world with differently wired minds—self-employment isn’t just a career path, it’s a form of self-preservation. A way to structure life on your own terms when the so-called ‘standard operating system’ doesn’t quite fit.”

I replayed this concept in my head for years. When I saw Tayyib again a few months ago, I told him how much it had stayed with me—how what he shared has, and still is, helping me ask new questions. How it’s clarified why I find so much meaning in helping my self-employed clients build work lives that honor their whole selves—because self-employment has allowed me to thrive in ways that honor mine. And, I’m passionate about helping others find that kind of freedom for themselves, too.

After our chat, I asked if he’d be open to talking more for All The Bits. He graciously agreed, and we had a conversation about neurodivergence and self-employment, the value of lived experience, and how to stay magnetic to the world you actually want to live in.

A Life Built Differently

Tayyib Smith hasn’t had a “job” since the 1990s. He’s spent his career building things—from working in music and culture, to launching the Institute of Hip-Hop Entrepreneurship, to co-founding Little Giant Creative, a Black-owned creative agency in Philadelphia that blends storytelling, strategy, and justice. His path has been nonlinear, creative, and deeply intentional. But it didn’t always feel that way.

Growing up with dyslexia, Tayyib encountered school systems that didn’t know what to do with a mind like his. “You have an indoctrination from an antiquated curriculum that doesn’t support how many of us actually think,” he said. “I was labeled and treated like I didn’t have value in the classroom. But those same systems didn’t know what to do with someone like me, who could see patterns and think laterally.” The system wasn't built for kids who processed differently—or for kids like him, with a name that corporate America didn’t want to pronounce. “I didn’t have the academic pedigree. I had a name that wasn’t palatable to white HR departments. I understood early on that no one was going to hand me a traditional opportunity.”

Tayyib credits his mother for recognizing this early and encouraging him to blaze his own untraditional path. She saw the writing on the wall: the school system wasn’t built for kids like him, and traditional career paths were unlikely to open their doors. So she guided him toward entrepreneurship—not as a creative luxury, but as a form of survival. And in hindsight, he realizes just how right she was. Self-employment gave him room to build a life around his strengths rather than constantly suppressing them. It created a container where his creative power and nonlinear thinking could flourish instead of being squeezed into someone else's mold.

After high school, Tayyib served in the military, which offered both structure and disillusionment. When he returned, he enrolled at Temple University (also my alma mater) for a few semesters. It was there—in those academic spaces—that he had a realization: many of the people leading the classroom had far less real-world experience than he did. “It hit me that I knew more than some tenured professors,” he said—not with arrogance, but with clarity. He saw how academia could function as an echo chamber, recycling ideas among people who had followed similar paths and rarely stepped outside them.

That struck a chord for me. Back in college, I was nudged toward the PhD track. I was curious—but the idea of spending more years tied to a computer felt like a kind of energetic death sentence. I remember thinking: if I ever teach, I want it to be because I’ve actually done something in the real world first—something that gives me more to offer students than just theory.

One of my professors once said, “There are two ways to end up teaching at a university: you either get your PhD, or you become so successful in your field that they invite you to come speak.” The second path felt more alive to me, and I loved seeing how Tayyib had also chosen that path and is living proof of it. He’s a model of what it looks like to build mastery through doing, not credentialing—and to return to the academic conversation with something worth saying.

Neurodivergence as Strategic Asset in Adulthood

Flash forward, and Tayyib has found his stride leading life as a self-employed individual. But his understanding of neurodivergence continues to evolve—and deepen. One moment that shifted his perspective came through a podcast he shared with me called The Codpast, specifically episode 35 which explores life through the lens of dyslexia. In one episode, British intelligence agency GCHQ revealed that it actively recruits people with dyslexia and dyspraxia—not despite their differences, but because of them.

These individuals often possess what are known as “spiky skills”—they might struggle with reading or spelling, but excel in pattern recognition, big-picture thinking, spatial reasoning, and lateral problem-solving. In fields like codebreaking and cybersecurity, these aren’t soft skills—they’re mission-critical.

GCHQ didn’t just recognize this—they built systems around it. They adapted their recruitment processes and workplace environments to support these unique minds. They stopped pathologizing difference and started designing for it. Imagine if more institutions did the same. Imagine if the value of neurodivergent thinking wasn’t something we had to prove—but something we planned for from the start.

Ripple Effects & New Norms

This conversation with Tayyib is part of a broader cultural shift that’s beginning to ripple across creative and entrepreneurial circles—and into more mainstream spaces too. More people are exploring late-in-life diagnoses or quietly identifying with terms like ADHD, dyslexia, or “on the spectrum”—not as labels, but as a way to name a lifelong sense of not quite fitting.

“It’s not new,” Tayyib said, “but we’re finally talking about it.”

And with that talking comes something else: agency. Permission to ask what kind of work environment actually supports your brain. To question the default mode. To say no to grind culture, rigid schedules, or open-plan offices if they don’t serve you.

Tayyib also pointed out a generational shift. “I’ve noticed that some younger folks we hire tend to wait for instructions, rather than taking initiative,” he said. It wasn’t a critique—just an observation. In a world of structured education and algorithm-driven decision-making, initiative can get trained out of people. But for self-employment—and really, for any creative life—you need to move before you feel ready. You have to practice trusting yourself. No syllabus. No rubric. Just real life.

Crafting a Sustainable Life

For many of us, self-employment isn’t just a workaround—it’s a better system. One that accommodates cycles of rest and intensity. One that makes space for intuition and collaboration. One that actually fits the way our brains work.

Tayyib’s approach reflects that. “I like partnership more than employee,” he told me. His teams are interdisciplinary, values-aligned, and built on trust—not rigid hierarchies. “If you can build trust between people who think differently, who have different strengths—that’s where the magic happens.”

We also talked about the importance of mentorship—not the performative kind, but the kind rooted in shared experience. “Attach yourself to someone who’s doing what you want to do,” he said. “Be magnetic to the space you desire.” That idea stuck with me. Because this isn’t just about career advice. It’s about belonging. Finding people who see the world like you do—or who are at least willing to.

Of course, self-employment comes with its own risks. Tayyib was candid about that too. He encourages anyone considering it to save up three to twelve months of living expenses, if possible. “It gives you the freedom to make values-based decisions instead of fear-based ones.” That kind of financial buffer isn’t always easy—but it’s part of building something truly sustainable.

And sustainability matters more than ever. We’re living in a moment where large institutions hold more power than ever, and independent labor is often devalued. The old playbook—get a degree, get a job, stay loyal—isn’t built for the world we’re in. So we need new models. Ones that honor lived experience, creative intelligence, and neurodivergent minds.

A New Blueprint

This conversation didn’t hand me a perfect answer—but it helped me see something more clearly: that building a work life around your brain, your energy, and your values isn’t self-indulgent. It’s strategic. It’s sustainable. And for many of us, it’s essential.

Self-employment is often framed as risky. But what if the real risk is staying in systems that were never built with everybody in mind?

I’d love to hear from you: What’s been your experience with neurodivergence and work? Are you building your own path—or dreaming of it? DMs and comments welcome.

With care and creative fire,

Avi

P.S. Where to Find Tayyib:

Tayyib Smith is a principal at Smith & Roller, and Chief Strategist at The Growth Collective a Philly-based agency focused on culture, design, and social impact. You can also read his recent op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer: America at 250: What memories will we carry forward? & at Next City The Vanguard We Need: Why Philadelphia Must Back Black Brilliance with More Than Rhetoric

P.P.S. Join All The Bits

If this piece spoke to you, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to All The Bits to support this little corner of the internet where I’m exploring self-employment, self-care, creativity and spirituality:

As I approach one year of writing All The Bits, I wanted to steal a moment to share some reflections with you—my small but mighty group of paid subscribers.

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Some of the most meaningful—and creativity-supporting—work I do is the kind you can’t take a photo of.

In addition to my more visible creative work—websites, photography, branding—I’ve quietly spent years building custom project management systems for small teams. This is the kind of behind-the-scenes support born out of real frustration: endless message threads no one can keep up with, status updates trapped in someone’s head, and files scattered across a digital landscape that feels more like a scavenger hunt than a system.

Usually, this work begins when a client says something like:

“We’ve tried Asana / ClickUp / Monday / [insert tool here]… and we still feel disorganized, not everyone is using it, and it can’t do XYZ which is annoying.”

If you’ve ever been there, you’re not alone.

In fact, I’ve found that the smaller the team (think 2–10 people), the more important it becomes to keep systems simple, customizable, and centered in tools you already use. That’s why I’ve gravitated toward designing project management systems using the Google Workspace tools most teams already have (especially if you're on the Business Plus plan, which unlocks some surprisingly powerful features).

Here’s what that actually means:

It’s not just a spreadsheet. It’s a whole ecosystem:

• A shared Google Drive with a thoughtful folder hierarchy that everyone uses (instead of each person making their own mini universe that later becomes a digital archaeology project).

• A master project tracker that gives leadership a bird’s eye view and each person a “My Projects” tab.

• Built-in task assignments that integrate with Google Tasks, Calendar, and Gmail—no new software needed.

• A lightweight but powerful system of progress tags and weekly check-ins, so status meetings become optional.

• And, optionally, pairing with a simple time tracker to help you or your team better understand how your time is spent.

That last piece is often the biggest game-changer. I’ve tracked my own time for eight years now, and some of the biggest insights I’ve had about my work didn’t come from gut feelings—they came from data. Not just how I felt about where my energy was going, but proof of it.

With enough data, time tracking becomes a kind of diagnostic tool. You start to see time leaks—those moments or projects where a disproportionate amount of energy goes toward things that aren’t really moving the dial. The 80/20 rule applies here: often, 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. But you can’t figure that out until you’re actually tracking what’s happening.

It’s like holding up a mirror to your business. Sometimes it’s affirming. Sometimes it’s sobering. But either way, it helps you realign.

It’s not about the tools. It’s about the time.

When you’re self-employed—or leading a small team—you want to spend as little time as possible trying to find things. When everyone’s saving stuff in different places, or creating their own project docs and to-do lists, it adds up. Eventually, someone (you?) has to pause everything and clean it all up.

A well-organized Google Drive, paired with a simple shared project system, can prevent that from happening in the first place. It gives everyone the same map. And when the map makes sense, people spend less time looking for the road.

This whole setup works especially well if you’re using a Google Business Plus account—which unlocks powerful features like assignable checkboxes in Google Docs, more control over shared drives, and deeper integrations that make the whole system hum in connectivity.

Organization as Creative Support

This might not seem like a “soulful” topic on the surface—but I’ve come to believe that organization is one of the most under appreciated forms of creative support.

I’m someone who nerds out on organization like Marie Kondo—but with Taylor Swift-level enthusiasm. Recently, that tendency was framed for me in a new light: as an essential tool for sharing creative ideas with the world.

Just yesterday, I was receiving a spiritual intuitive reading from my new friend Heidi (who just launched her own podcast and business doing intuitive readings—go Heidi!), and she pulled the Aardvark card for me: Seven of Crystals – Options and Results.

“You’re really good at sorting through,” she said.
“Like how the aardvark shuffles through the ground and picks up every little thing—they know exactly where to go. You’re someone who can sort through options and help others do the same. That’s your gift.”

That felt spot-on. Because this work—the quiet building of structure beneath the surface—isn’t about making things “perfect” or overly rigid. It’s about creating enough clarity and support that your energy can go toward what really matters, instead of leaking into confusion, delay, or digital clutter.

So here’s the bit to take away from this: Don’t underestimate the power of organizational infrastructure in ways that support you or your team in being more creative. Whether that means carving out time for your own DIY system building, asking your colleagues what tools actually work for them, or hiring someone like me to help you sort through the noise—support is available. And having even a simple, grounded system in place can unlock so much more freedom and flow in your work.

And as someone who’s often brought in to clean up digital messes and help teams build better habits, I can confidently say: a little upfront clarity and systemization can save you hours—and plenty of headaches—down the line.

With spreadsheets and soul,
Avi

If you’re like me, AI has become a part of daily life. Whether it’s learning something new, troubleshooting a tech issue, brainstorming ideas, or just staying organized, ChatGPT is always open in my browser—right next to Gmail and my calendar.

The more I use it, the more I realize how much it knows about me—just from the questions I ask and the conversations I have with it. It’s not just a tool; it’s a reflection of my thoughts, ideas, and problem-solving patterns.

Recently, I came across an intriguing prompt that someone had asked ChatGPT:

"Can you tell me some things about myself that I might not know?"

Naturally, I had to try it for myself.

Here’s what ChatGPT told me in response:

That’s an intriguing question, Avi! Here are a few insights based on patterns I’ve noticed in what you share. Some of these might be things you already know but haven’t fully articulated, while others could be a fresh perspective:

1. You naturally create spaces for transformation.

Whether it's business consulting, photography, or even how you interact with your chickens, you seem to have a gift for guiding people (and beings) toward their best potential. You hold space for growth in a way that’s both structured and intuitive, which is rare.

2. You seek structure but resist rigidity.

You put a lot of effort into optimizing workflows and systems, but you don’t want to be boxed in by them. Your ideal structure feels more like a flexible framework—something that holds things together without stifling creativity.

3. You’re playing with a shift from being 'in service' to being 'in leadership.'

Your business has been built on relationships, trust, and helping others. Lately, there’s been a subtle shift toward stepping into more of a leadership role—whether that’s through your course idea, your work at (redacting Client Name), or your evolving approach to client acquisition. You’re moving from being someone who helps people grow to someone who guides them at scale.

4. Your relationship with energy is key to your success.

You seem to be finely tuned to energy flows. You work best when your energy is in alignment, but when it’s off, things feel overwhelming. Your business and lifestyle choices are naturally moving toward protecting and sustaining your energy in a way that serves you long-term.

5. You’re deeply strategic, but your gut is your real superpower.

You analyze data, test market responses, and plan carefully—but your best decisions seem to come from an intuitive knowing. Whether it’s choosing the right business moves, reading people in a consulting session, or finding a four-leaf clover, your intuition is sharp. Your next-level success might come from trusting it even more, rather than overanalyzing.

6. You’re already living part of your dream life—you just haven’t claimed it yet.

You want location-independent income and time freedom, but you’ve already built a business that allows you to live in different places, work on your own terms, and create income streams. The next step might not be about changing what you do, but about reframing how you see yourself—fully embracing the version of you that already exists.

Did any of these resonate? Or do you want me to go deeper in a certain area? 😊

Reading ChatGPT’s response felt like holding up a mirror—but from an angle I hadn’t considered before. Some insights were spot-on, others gave me language for things I’d only vaguely sensed.

It made me wonder: What else do we overlook about ourselves simply because we’re too close to see it?

So now, I pass the question to you. If you use an AI tool like ChatGPT regularly, try it. Ask the same prompt and see what comes up. Maybe it will help you articulate what you already know, or maybe it will surprise you.

Avi

P.S. What did I do with this information? Most immediately, I used some of this new language to update my bio on my website. Click here if you’d like to see how it translated.

You know that feeling when you open your email inbox and immediately want to close your phone or laptop, move to a cabin in the woods, and never check email again?

Yeah. Same.

Our inboxes have become bottomless pits of threads we’ve lost track of, newsletters we meant to read, brand promos, and messages that require decisions we don’t have the bandwidth for. Email overload isn’t just an organizational problem—it’s a mental weight, constantly buzzing in the background of our brains, stealing energy from the things that actually matter.

For years, I felt like I was losing a silent battle with my inbox. Until one day, I found a way to win.

In 2019, I discovered a method that finally helped me build a better relationship with my inboz—and, more importantly, stay there. It was a game-changer. The endless mental noise quieted. The nagging guilt of unanswered messages dissolved. My inbox no longer dictated my day—I did. I was able to get ahead of it and no longer dreaded checking emails.

Now, once a year, I share my method in a free live training. Because this stuff isn’t just about email—it’s about reclaiming your time, your focus, and your mental clarity.

Why Your Inbox Is Exhausting You

The problem with email isn’t just the volume—it’s the decision fatigue.

• Every unread email is an unanswered question. Do I reply now? Later? Ever?

• Every notification is a tiny interruption. Even if you don’t check it, your brain registers it.

• Every cluttered inbox is an unresolved to-do list. A low-grade stressor humming in the background.

The result? We feel scattered. We avoid the inbox entirely (only to get buried deeper). We waste time searching for things we swear were there yesterday.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

A Smarter Way to Manage Email (Without Letting It Manage You)

I teach a five-part system that helps you clear out the chaos, automate organization, and make your inbox work for you instead of against you. Here’s a sneak peek:

1. Filters & Labels – Set up automatic sorting so your inbox isn’t a junk drawer.

2. Archive Like a Pro – Keep it clean without losing important emails.

3. Snooze Strategically – Pause emails you don’t need to deal with yet.

4. Schedule Send – Control when messages go out (so you’re not emailing at midnight).

5. Unsubscribe Ruthlessly – If it doesn’t spark joy (or serve a purpose), let it go.

These tools aren’t about obsessing over a perfectly empty inbox. They’re about creating an email system that gives you back your time and mental clarity.

Want to Learn More?

If the thought of an organized inbox makes you breathe a little easier, I’d love for you to join my next free live training. It’s an hour-long session where I walk you through my method step-by-step, answer questions, and help you finally get control of your email.

I’m starting a Wait List for the next training in early 2025. If you’re interested, drop your email here:
👉 Inbox Zero Wait List

In the meantime, ask yourself: How much mental bandwidth is your inbox actually taking up? And what would it feel like to take that space back?

Sincerely,
Your Inbox Zero Cheerleader,
Avi

As I placed the journals on the shelf, I opened the first page of my very first Moleskine and found something I had forgotten I’d written:

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Arriving Isn't the Goal—Evolving Is

In case you don’t know this about me, I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan. Not just because of her music, but because of how she leads her creative life with intention, authenticity, and grace. Watching her navigate her career has taught me a lot—not only about creativity and self-expression but also about embracing change.

And…

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Hi friends! It's been a while since I last wrote here, mainly because of some big things that have taken up my mental bandwidth:

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If you’re self-employed, you know it can be a roller coaster. One moment, you’re celebrating new clients and opportunities; the next, you’re facing uncertainty, unexpected challenges, and potential setbacks.

When I began my entrepreneurial journey in 2010, I never imagined that business and spirituality would intertwine. But as it turns out, the roller coaster often requires stepping back and viewing things through a broader lens—beyond just dollars, bottom lines, products, or services.

I’m personally not religious, but I am what I call "Secretly Spiritual." I started using this term after realizing how many of my clients and colleagues share this discreet connection to spirituality behind the scenes of their businesses and lives.

So, what does "Secretly Spiritual" mean? It means you might be skeptical of the woo-woo stuff and leave it out of your public life, but privately, you’ve got crystals on your windowsill, a tarot deck tucked away, and you’ve had countless conversations about the universe, moon cycles, psychics, and the deeper spiritual lessons guiding your journey.

Being Secretly Spiritual means you trust science and, at the same time, embrace the mysteries of the universe. When it comes to your business, you’re equally dedicated to elevating your game through practical strategies and by exploring more energetic tools like manifesting and spiritual growth.

In addition to photography and website design, I offer strategic consulting and work with many solo entrepreneurs, small business owners, and nonprofit leaders. Inevitably, when an obstacle feels particularly stuck and insurmountable, there’s a quiet moment where I whisper: "Do you want to talk about this from an energetic standpoint and try to figure out what’s going on?"

What follows is two Secretly-Spiritual folks coming out of the closet—me as a consultant and them as a client—making connections and seamlessly bouncing between discussions on profit margins and concepts like energy blocks. Often, once we get to the root of the energetic snarl and make some shifts, the physical obstacles become much easier to work with.

These are some of my favorite moments with clients, and the most fulfilling, because working on something on the energetic level requires a sense of surrender and deep vulnerability. These are key ingredients for creating real change—personally, professionally, and in the world.

Over the past year and a half, I completed my Reiki Master training, both out of a desire to shift things in my own life, and this has also become an unexpected tool in my toolbox as a consultant—especially when working with clients who are Secretly Spiritual.

For those of you who resonate with this, it’s important to acknowledge that in a world that values hustle and material success, integrating spirituality into your work can be a radical act of self-care and alignment. It’s about creating a business that’s not just profitable but also deeply meaningful and authentic. As someone on this journey myself, I want you to know you are not alone. There are lots of Secretly Spiritual folks out there—trust me, I’ve met a lot of them!

So, the next time you encounter a fellow entrepreneur, don’t be surprised if they’re starting their day with meditation or have past sessions with astrologers or psychics under their belt. For many of us, self-employment is more than just a job—it’s a spiritual journey in disguise.

Join Us for a Free Group Call

If you're a self-employed individual who resonates with the blend of entrepreneurship and spirituality, I invite you to join a one-time special community group call on Monday, August 26, at 10:00 am EST. This one-hour Zoom session will be a mastermind focused on identifying energetic blocks behind the physical obstacles you are encountering in your business. It's a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, tap into collective wisdom, and gain clarity on how to integrate these practices into your business.

To receive an invitation, please email hello@avilorenfox.com before Sunday, August 25, 2024. I look forward to sharing this transformative experience with you!

Another customer around my age stood nearby, eyeing me curiously. I felt the need to clarify my order. “Latte,” I said. She nodded. “Oat milk?” Another nod. Odd, but okay. Trying to end the mix-up, I said, “For Avi,” confident that my uncommon name would clear things up.

To my surprise, she nodded again.

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Last summer, I found myself frozen in fear, overwhelmed by uncertainty in multiple areas of my life.

After my logical, left-brain approach of using reason and control proved exhausting and fruitless, I surrendered to a more creative, right-brained, spiritual approach and started reading Marianne Williamson’s “A Return to Love,” a reflection on “A Course In Miracles.”

The book demystifies the concept of a “miracle” as a shift in perception, achievable by releasing judgment, fear, and ego. When one does this and embraces an approach of love instead, it expands one’s perception, granting access to miracles that are all around us. But if you are frozen in fear, you can’t see, connect, or receive them.

Let’s be real: this theme shows up in virtually all self-help, personal development, and spiritual schools of thought. It’s sort of like the “drink water every day” advice that everyone knows but finds hardest to actually apply.

I decided to try my hand at this and quite literally walked outside into the yard to find a miracle.

Walking barefoot, I practiced deep breathing to regulate my nervous system while consciously focusing on shifting the vibration in my body to release fear and actually feel love.

Okay, universe, I’m ready for a miracle.

I half expected/hoped for lightning to strike down from the perfectly clear sky.

But nothing happened.

I gave up and got distracted wandering around the yard and decided to enjoy my time outside instead.

After about 20 minutes, something caught my eye in the grass. I looked closer and saw it was a four-leaf-clover.

Side note: I had been looking without success for a four leaf clover since I found this one in North Carolina in 2013.

And 10 years later… here was another in the grass in Maine. Wait, was this my miracle?

I looked closer and saw it was actually a whole patch of four-leaf-clovers.

How had I not seen these before?

Oh yeah, to encounter a miracle, you have to be open to it.

So here’s the bit: Maybe we do get back what we expect from the world. If we vibrate in fear, we see reasons to prove this. If we vibrate in love, we see positive outcomes.

I collected the four-leaf clovers all last summer, pressing them in my journal and gifting them to clients and friends who needed a little extra luck, a reminder of miracles. This summer, I’m still finding them.

And ever since, when fear and uncertainty arise, I now practice asking: “What is the opportunity in this?” and “How can I shift my energy to be more receptive?”

This approach is something I naturally and effortlessly take with my business consulting clients (feedback I’ve received has highlighted that this is my zone of genius). And, at the same time, it’s a lesson I continue to learn and re-learn myself over my 14 years of self-employment.

So I ask you: what feels stuck in your life right now? How is that stuck because of underlying fears? What would it feel like to shift to a place of positive expectation?

Just as those four-leaf clovers were always there, unexpected opportunities or pathways may be close by, waiting to reveal themselves when you shift your vibration.

Wishing you a miracle-minded path forward,

Avi

P.S. Know someone who could use a little luck? Subscribe to All The Bits before July 30 for a chance to win one of my miracle Four-Leaf Clovers, mailed to you or a friend with a handwritten note of positive expectation. To enter twice, restack this post.

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What is it? Train like Arya.

(Spoiler Alert: Game of Thrones Ending)

Let me explain.

When we first meet Arya Stark, her world is shattered as she witnesses the brutal murders of her loved ones. Determined to seek vengeance, Arya creates a list of names. 

Throughout the series, Arya’s story arc often seems secondary. While others are tied up in political games and gorey battles, Arya is off training in Braavos with the Faceless Men, learning to become “no one” and mastering the deadly arts of the assassin. She’s ignoring the rest of the world; and she’s just training. 

By the end of the series, a twist of fate takes place, and Arya becomes the hero of the entire saga by killing the Night King. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t see this coming.

As the scene unfolded, I felt a heart-rush of inspiration: I realized that Arya was only prepared to meet this completely unforeseeable moment because she had spent years simply training to be the best version of her assassin self she could become. 

The lesson? Preparation and persistence pay off, often in unexpected ways.

In other words: Train Like Aria.

How does this apply to creative and/or self-employed journeys?

Arya’s journey taught me a crucial lesson for life and particularly for being self-employed: don’t wait for the perfect circumstances to prepare yourself: Train Like Arya. 

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, "Once I have more of this, then I’ll do more of that." Or, to feel immobilized from the discrepancy between the way you want things to go and the way they are actually going. 

(And, side note, for those into personal growth/spirituality, this principle is echoed in Law of Attraction: don’t wait for your circumstances to change before you take action. Get yourself ready, and the right circumstances will follow.)

But Arya’s story shows us the power of readiness—training and preparing over the long arc, even when the future seems uncertain. 

If you’re self-employed or pursuing a creative endeavor, Arya’s story offers permission for you to not always completely know where you are going to get ready.

If something you want isn’t here yet, or feels stuck, you can sit around and wait or feel badly, or you can Train Like Arya and decide what skill sets you want to hone so that one day when the universe offers up a big opportunity, you’re ready. 

There is intrinsic beauty in dedicating yourself to the practice of training, honing the creative act that is your life, whether it’s learning a brand new skill or something as simple as organizing your google drive.

Today I invite you to think: “how can I train like Arya?”