Fink ran the journalism department (of which I was a student) at Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. He was also a former Vietnam War correspondent and Vice President at the Associated Press, known as “a no-nonsense professor with formidable bushy eyebrows,” according to Kent Middleton’s UGA Today article honoring Fink’s life.

Needless to say he was a serious, formal, intimidating professor.

I was a magazine journalism major with a summer internship lined up in the press office of the Georgia Secretary of State and I needed his signature before it would count for credit. I thought this was a formality. I thought I would walk in, hand him the paperwork and walk back out.

He did not sign it.

“I will approve this for credit if you will get it to be a paid internship instead of a free internship,” he said. “Go advocate for yourself. Our students have worth. You need to know your value now.”

I do not remember what I said back to him. I remember standing in the hallway outside his office afterward, holding a piece of paper he had not signed, understanding for the first time that I was allowed to ask for more than what was offered.

So I went back to the Secretary of State’s office and I asked (a nervous wreck, I might add). Guess what?

They said yes.

That summer, the summer before my senior year, I worked in the press office for Georgia Secretary of State Lewis Massey. My boss’s boss was the Press Secretary. My direct boss was the Deputy Press Secretary, a Georgia grad a few years ahead of me named Kara Jones.

I was enamored with her.

This was 1997, long before Shonda Rhimes ever put a woman like Kara on television. There was no Olivia Pope yet, no gladiator coat, no Scandal. But if you want the shorthand for what I watched Kara do every day in that office, that is it. She stood between her client, Massey, and the entire Georgia press corps, and she made both sides trust her completely.

I watched her take Massey’s priorities, the things his office actually cared about getting done, and translate them into language a reporter would want to print. I watched her shape talking points before they ever left the building. I watched relationships do the heavy lifting that no press release ever could.

I’ll be candid. I did not know what a publicist was before that summer. I did not know the job existed. What I knew was that I loved to write, I loved to talk and I loved building relationships with people. I did not know there was a career built entirely at the intersection of those three things until I watched Kara live inside it.

I became obsessed.

I decided, sitting in that press office at 21 years old, that I was going to work for a government official and I was going to work my way to Washington.

I did not make it to Washington. I made it to Cobb County, Georgia, my hometown, as a public information officer for the county government straight out of college. Elections, public safety, the water department. All of it landed on my desk.

From there the road went somewhere I never planned for it to go. More than two decades in book publishing. Head of publicity at two big five houses. More than 150 New York Times bestsellers with my name somewhere in the story of how they got there.

None of it was the magazine career I set out to build as a Grady student, and none of it was the government path I planned in that press office either. I am more than delighted with the career I have built. But I never once forgot Kara Jones, or the fact that watching her work rerouted every plan I had.

Years later, Kara and I kept up with each other the way you do, at a distance, through the occasional comment on social media. Then I started Choice. And years later, one of Kara’s daughters, a college student studying PR and communications, needed an internship.

Kara told her about me.

Kara told her about Choice.

That daughter’s name is M.G., and she became one of the most extraordinary interns we have ever had. One semester turned into a full year. This past May she graduated from Georgia College and this summer I hired her full time as an associate publicist at Choice.

Twenty-one-year-old Heather studied Kara Jones from across a press office, trying to figure out what to become.

Fifty-year-old Heather gets to sit across from Kara’s daughter now, pouring into who she is becoming next.

You can see God’s fingerprints on every inch of it, from a professor who would not sign a piece of paper, to a Deputy Press Secretary I studied without knowing I was studying her, to her daughter now building a career on my own team, a screen away from mine.

Here is what nearly thirty years taught me.

• Advocate for your worth before anyone else confirms it.

• Pay attention to the women a few steps ahead of you, because you are learning more from watching them than you realize.

• And when it is your turn to be the one a few steps ahead, pour into the next woman the same way somebody once poured into you.

A woman handing the baton backward is not a small thing. It is how one conversation in a professor’s office turns into a career, and how one career turns into a job for somebody else’s daughter 30 years later.

Sending you big, virtual hugs,

PS: If you are building a team where advocacy and relationship still matter, where the person you hire today might be pouring into somebody else’s daughter thirty years from now, my team and I would love to talk. You can book a Free Brand Strategy Call with us here.

This week looks nothing like that. I’m traveling to both Clemson and Texas A&M to work with our AOII chapters as they prepare for formal recruitment. I land back home tonight, get exactly one day to recover and then Sunday I leave again, this time with our Choice team, headed to Mexico for a celebratory team retreat! I’m actually writing this letter to you right now on my flight from Nashville to Houston.

Road warrior doesn’t begin to cover it.

So in this season of travel and busyness, I wanted to share what I’m actually reaching for right now, across every category.

My Travel Obsessions

1. 70s Flare Jeans, Target

Last weekend when I was home for 48 hours, my AOII’s at MTSU held their Recruitment Retreat. I was hosting a ton of them at my home for a sleepover so I made a Target run and discovered these not-to-be-missed gems! They are $40, high rise and the best dupe for my favorite $250+ brand. I was so excited with my purchase that I ran to put them on for the girls when they got to my house and they were going bananas over them.

If I can get 20-year-old approval, I’m winning.

2. Ride or Die, Amazon Prime

Octavia Spencer. Hannah Waddington.

Need I say more?

This hilarious series dives into the relationship of two best friends and their crazy, fun and wild adventures (and road trip across Europe) when one discovers that her best friend is actually an assassin. Must see TV that you’ll definitely want to binge. 8 episodes.

3. Mad Mabel

It’s been on everyone’s must read list so I decided to listen to the audiobook since I would be driving so much this week in addition to my flights. The Australian accents had me from the word go. I love this description from Audible:

“a twist-filled, darkly funny mystery about the two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladies.”

I’m sucked in and am only on chapter 13.

4. Creatine, Two Ways

• Create Creatine Gummies

• Muscle Feast Creatine Powder, Unflavored

Okay, hear me out, when Thackston Adams comes to you and essentially provides a report on why I should be taking creatine, you sit up and listen. Thackston listened to DOAC’s We Were Wrong About Creatine episode and could rattle off stats from the top creatine researcher Dr. Darren Candow. Combine T’s compelling argument with Matt Adams’s research and I’ve now been on creatine for a few months. I’m seeing all the benefits play out, especially in my muscle health. It’s wild, y’all.

These are two versions I’ve been obsessing over. The powder is what I take daily in my morning smoothie, but with all the travel I wanted to have an easier way to take it without bringing a mysterious white powdery substance in my suitcase. Ha! So, I recently purchased the Create Creatine Gummies while I’m on the road.

5. Refillable Glass Travel Bottles with Pump

Speaking of being on the road, y’all know how crazy I am over my updated skin regime and what benefits I’ve been seeing this year to my face. Well, I couldn’t exactly take all these bottles with me and still have a carryon only. I found these glass (not plastic!) bottles that have a pump, don’t leak and are a TSA-approved size that I can easily decant all my lotions and potions into. Plus, they’re super inexpensive.

I’ve gone from IOP to South Carolina to Texas and am about to head to Mexico and I haven’t had to refill yet.

None of these are life-changing on their own. But add them up, in a season this full, and they’re the small stuff keeping me feeling like myself between flights: cared for, comfortable in my own skin and a little bit entertained along the way.

What are you currently obsessing over? You know I’ve got to hear.

Big hugs, sweet friends,

We have been counting down to this week since school let out in May.

Summer baseball finally wrapped for both boys, I leave for sorority recruitment travel next week, and for one week it’s just the four of us:

Matt,
Dixon,
Thackston,
and me.

My core four, uninterrupted, at the beach.

Last night at dinner, Dixon looked up from his plate and said, “You know, we’ve really mastered the family vacation.”

I asked what he meant. And one by one, everybody at that table started naming the reasons why.

My type A brain, the one that plans everything down to the dinner reservation, could not let that conversation go unrecorded.

We’ve learned to…

1. Manage Expectations on the Front End

Before a single hotel gets booked or a single reservation gets made, the four of us sit down and just talk.

• What do we desperately need this time?

• What are we hoping for?

• What do we want to feel by the time we’re driving home?

• What’s the vibe we’re after?

We each take a turn answering out loud and nobody moves on to logistics until everyone has spoken.

2. Remember Everyone Is on Vacation, Not Just You

This one took me longer to learn than I’d like to admit, mostly because I’m usually the one who plans the trip, which means I have opinions about how it should go.

(I know y’all are shocked!)

The last two days, Dixon has wanted to leave the beach early to shower and relax ahead of dinner. At 4:30 pm, which happens to be mine and Matt’s favorite hour of the beach day. We just let him go. Nobody sulks. Nobody guilts him into staying with us longer. He goes and does his thing and we stay and do ours.

Same with Thackston, who enjoys sitting by himself in a beach chair at times, even when the rest of us are swimming in the ocean. We let him have that too.

3. Allow for Spontaneity

A few summers ago we took our first family trip to Europe. We went to Italy and it remains one of the best vacations of our lives. Epic. The perfect introduction to European travel. We still talk about it constantly. On our last full day, we were staying in Sorrento and I had a whole day planned in Capri: shopping, lunch, a couple of historical sites. I had done my homework.

On the ferry over, the boys turned to me and said, “Hey Mom, what do you think about us scrapping all our plans for the day and just heading to a beach club and chilling?”

I am, by nature, a planner.

Every detail attended to, every hour accounted for.

But we threw the whole itinerary out that morning and found a beach club instead and it turned into the best day.

4. Plan on the Front End for the Return and Re-Entry

My boys will tell you I’m borderline militant about the house before we leave for a trip.

Fridge emptied of anything that will spoil. Fresh sheets on every bed, clean towels in every bathroom. Trash out. Every surface wiped down. It’s a lot of work in the hour before we walk out the door, but when we come home tired and sunburned and the house is clean and smells good and nothing is waiting on us, it makes the return so much easier.

I do the same thing at work. My first day back is never a mad scramble to catch up on email and back-to-back meetings.

5. Say It Out Loud When It’s Working

We are quick to name what’s wrong on a family trip.

The meltdown, the traffic, the restaurant that didn’t live up to the hype.

We are much slower to stop and say the good part out loud.

Dixon did last night, without being asked, without it being a big production. He just said it. And once he said it, we all got to spend the rest of dinner talking about why, which is a much better use of a Tuesday night than any of us expected.

None of this is really about vacation.

It’s about how we treat each other when nobody’s watching the clock.

Dixon is home from college for a hot minute. Thackston hasn’t started his junior year yet. I know full well a week like this with all four of us uninterrupted, will not stay guaranteed forever.

So when my son looked up from his plate last night and said we’d mastered this, I heard something bigger than logistics. I heard my boy telling me he felt loved this week. Free to be exactly who he is this week.

With love,

This is my 15th year preparing for back to school, and it looks a little different this year. Thackston is walking into his junior year of high school. Dixon is headed to a new school for his sophomore year of college. I’m sorry, weren’t they just starting kindergarten?!?!

Two boys. Two very different personalities and preferences.

So as we begrudgingly move from the slower pace of summer into the rhythms and routines of the school year, my favorite fellas put together a master list of all their favorites for the teenage guy in your life. Whether he’s headed back to high school or off to his first (or next) dorm or apartment, we’ve got you covered — everything from pots and pans and dishes for the college kitchen to their must-have khaki pants that are virtually indestructible.

Before you snap that first day of school pic (sniff sniff), take this as your shopping checklist. We all know how hard it is to actually get something out of a teenage boy. I’ve done the work for you.

Big hugs, mama! We’ve got this.

Clothes:

Favorite Khaki Pants - Since Thackston has to wear a uniform, khaki pants are required. We’ve been through 20 different kinds of pants through the years and these are the absolute best. They are virtually indestructible. They last forever. Don’t get holes in the knees. Stains come off so easily. I highly recommend. Dixon still wears them all the time even though he’s no longer in a school uniform every day.

Favorite Socks - I’m just going to say it, my boys are sock snobs. They want their feet to be comfortable all day long. Moving from school to sports, they love how these socks feel. And while I’m a huge fan of no show socks myself, they opt for the crew length. What do I know? I’m a 50-year-old mom. Trust the teen boys’ recommendation. Haha!

Must Have Lightweight Rain Jacket - When you’re running between classes and all of a sudden the bottom drops out of the sky, this rain jacket is a good move. It’s lightweight and easy to keep in their backpack. Plus, if your kids have cold classrooms like mine do, they can pop it on for added warmth when needed.

Hottest Sneakers - White sneakers, always. That’s my boys’ motto. Just ask Matt Adams how much he loves keeping them white. Haha! These are the hottest ones this season. And of course in the all white option. They don’t know any different.

Elevated Workout Shorts - I don’t know about you but when my boys are not in their school clothes, they are wearing some form of athletic wear. These are a more elevated short that can take them from the gym to Bible study to dinner out. And they love this new Isle Blue color.

Athletic Tee - Cotton tees are not a great option when you’re working out a great deal. Both of my boys love these performance tech tees because they feel good on their skin, fall well on their body and also can go from workout to a date (hopefully with a shower somewhere in there).

Leather Loafers - Thackston Adams is OBSESSED with Birkenstocks. And these leather loafers have a more polished look than his summer sandals. They are closed toe and pair well with khaki pants or shorts. He wears them every single day of his life. Seriously.

School Supplies + Accessories:

Dixon’s Backpack - It was high time for a new backpack for Dixon and he opted for this classic North Face that has plenty of room, but also a slick look.

Thackston’s Backpack - Thackston moves from class to workouts to filming games. His backpack has to work a great deal. And he loves the sleek look of this backpack. It’s lasted him two years already and it’s still holding up for year three.

iPad - When you’re on the go, editing film or working remotely, this is a great option. Or if you have kids that aren’t quite ready for a laptop yet. My boys especially love theirs for travel.

Trendiest Water Bottle - It’s so funny to me how water bottles go in and out of style. Right now the trendiest water bottle is this Owala. I’ll admit that I have two myself and totally get the hype. Absolutely no leaks. Easy to clean. Keeps my water cold forever. And tons of chic colors. Naturally my boys love the plain black.

Must Have Notebooks - I don’t care what grade your kids are in, if they are moving from class to class and need a notebook for each subject, these are the ONLY notebooks you should purchase. It’s hysterical to me that everyone still color codes based on the class. English = Red, Math = Blue, Science = Green and so on. Anyone else?

MacBook - My boys do a great deal of work on their laptops, so we were determined that it would not be heavy since they had to carry them around all the time. MacBooks last forever. They are worth the investment and now this Neo style is less expensive than other options, is lightweight and still has plenty of storage for all their needs.

Wired EarPods - We moved away from wireless headphones last year and went back to wired. All four of us use these on repeat.

Smartwatch - If you have boys that care about their workout, their steps, their calendar, their heart rate, their music and more, then this delivers it all.

College Dorm/Apartment:

Reversible Comforter - When we were looking for masculine, more adult-looking bedding for Dixon’s college apartment, we found this great reversible comforter. It’s durable and modern-looking. He’s taking it with him again this year.

Bedding Set - This is the whole set including the shams and sheets.

Plaid Sheet Set - This navy and white plaid sheet set pairs really well with the bedding and has a cool, crisp feel. Dixon has loved them!

Wall Outlet - You need several of these for the dorm or apartment. Between Dixon and all his buddies who gather there for poker night, they’re always needing to charge something.

Smart TV - A TV with everything built in so you don’t need additional devices. This is a good size for the apartment too if you don’t have tons of room, but want a good size TV.

Cookware Set - We are huge fans of stainless cookware in our house. This set holds up to it all with how hard my college guy is. He cooks a great deal and this set had everything he needed.

Dishware Set - I wanted something that would hold up to rough college guys who may or may not clean often or care for the dishes well. This stoneware was up for the task, plus it looks great.

Air Purifier - A non-negotiable for every single apartment or dorm. We have these in every single room of our home as well. You wouldn’t believe the stuff that it cleaned out of the air for Dixon last year. I highly highly recommend it.

One night I was standing on the dock looking out at the sunset, and Kalin took a picture of me from behind without my knowing. I was in my bathing suit. You could see my bottom showing.

Normally I would have been upset. I mean, who really wants a picture of themselves taken from the back? Not me.

Not normally.

After she snapped it, she said, “I want you to see something.” When she showed me the picture, I audibly gasped.

No, seriously.

Gasped.

“Whoa!” I said. “My butt looks great!”

“I know,” she said. “That’s why I took it.”

It wasn’t until that moment that I realized, visually, that all the work I’ve been doing since January 5 on my #1 Life-Giving Essential is actually working.

Then last weekend, a different trip.

A quick getaway with some of my best girlfriends from college to St. Simons. Just a handful of us who could quickly escape our normal routines. We’ve been friends for 32 years, since we were 18 years old. We have seen and lived a lot of life together. Last year and this year, we’ve all been turning 50. A major milestone birthday. Firmly planted in midlife. We laughed and reminisced and relived our glory days from college, and it was fun to notice how much better we’ve gotten with age.

We’ve built really beautiful lives. We’ve weathered a whole lot of hard: divorces, miscarriages, the loss of parents, and more. But we’ve also found incredible partners, raised really good human beings, launched businesses and found meaningful work and are all navigating this season of midlife together. Thank goodness.

It was on that trip that I realized that I just felt really good in my own skin, with cherished friends who know me better than most.

There have definitely been seasons during our 32 years of friendship when I didn’t feel great. I didn’t want to go on the trip because of how I looked, or what I was dealing with in my own life, or how I talked to myself in my head when I was around them. My beloved friends.

Have you ever done that? Not felt great about yourself amidst some of your most favorite people?

This time, I felt at home in my own body.

So when I felt good putting on a bikini this weekend, (I told them, “I’m 50 and I’m in my bikini era!”) I paid attention. I actually noticed and made mental note. I reminded myself of everything it took to get here, including advocating for my own body when even my doctors weren’t initially helping.

My flight home kept getting delayed and delayed again. I didn’t get in the car with Matt until almost midnight. I could have easily canceled my strength training build class the next morning. Instead, I kept my commitment to myself. I know now that those commitments are what led to the progress I’m seeing now and the pride that I’m feeling.

That’s the real update on my #1 Life-Giving Essential this year: to honor and heal my body so I can feel strong, whole, and fully alive.

Yes, I’m on a GLP-1, and I know a lot of you have questions about that journey, so we’ll keep talking about it.

But the medication was never going to be the whole story.

If you are waiting for permission to feel proud of the body you are standing in right now, at whatever age, whatever season, whatever stage of the journey, this is it. You do not have to wait until you look a certain way to claim your own bikini era. You just have to decide that the body carrying you through this one life has earned your protection instead of your criticism.

Sending you big, virtual hugs,

(with the really good butt! 😜)

Explore More From The Red Lip Life:

We were talking about me.

Everything on my to do list was waiting on me to “get to it.” My team kept circling back for decisions only I could make. I had no margin, no white space, no hours where I could put my head down and think. I was in firefighter mode, running toward whatever was burning that day. I was not in architect mode, building anything.

Suzie, our Chief Revenue Officer, said it plainly. I needed dedicated time on my calendar, protected the way we protect anything that matters in this business. Christina, who runs our Programs and Services, agreed. And Christa, my Executive Assistant and Operations Administrator, became the one who made it real.

That conversation is where my CEO Strategy Days were born.

A year in, I built an entire program inside one of those sessions. I will tell you about that later. First, here is how we built the structure itself, because the structure is the actual roadmap.

1. Name What Is Actually Bottlenecking You

We did not start with a calendar hack. We started with the truth, which was that I had become the bottleneck.

Every decision, every approval, every “wait for Heather” moment in my business was routing through a woman with no time to think.

2. Build the Structure Before You Need the Discipline

We landed on once a month, a minimum of four hours. Christa prepares the agenda ahead of each session, built around the top three priorities I have shared with her for that month. The agenda follows a template with three categories. Strategize. Execute. Plan, which includes action items and an after-action review.

When I sit down, I review what Christa has built and decide if anything needs to be reordered or edited.

3. Protect It Like Client Work, Not Personal Time

Christa is the boss of my calendar. Everything runs through her. We have a set day of the month for CEO Strategy Days, and when travel or an event or some unavoidable conflict pushes it, Christa finds the next open window and holds it fiercely.

My team knows in advance when I will be out of pocket. Slack stays closed. Email stays closed. My phone does not come out.

I also do not do this work from home or from my office. I choose a location, when I can, that makes me feel creative and inspired. The room changes what happens in it.

4. Solo Is the Point

I do these sessions completely alone.

No team, no calls, no one waiting on me to weigh in.

In June, I worked seven straight hours in one sitting and knocked out five top priorities, undisturbed the entire time.

5. What Comes Out of the Room

Here is the part I promised you.

I built The Circle, start to finish, inside one CEO Strategy Day. The concept. The structure. The ideal client. The deliverables. All of it came out of a need I had noticed in my own business and a desire I had been carrying that I finally had the time to sit with.

The Circle is now one of the strongest programs we offer, and clients describe it as a transformative experience. It did not come from a brainstorm squeezed between calls. It came from four protected hours, a closed door and a woman who would not let anyone interrupt me.

If you are the bottleneck in your own business, the fix is not a better to-do list. It is a locked door, a fierce gatekeeper and a room that belongs to your best thinking instead of everyone else’s next ask.

Stop firefighting long enough to build something. You might build the very thing that changes everything.

Cheering You On,

PS: If you are ready to build the kind of business that runs on architecture instead of adrenaline, my team and I would love to help. You can book a Free Brand Strategy Call with us here.

Explore More From The Red Lip Life:

I read them twice.

I want to celebrate that. I will, with our team, of course. But sitting with the numbers for a few days, I realized what I actually want to give you is not a celebration post. It is the roadmap. Because this story does not start in June. It starts with $50,000 I lit on fire last year.

I wrote about that mistake here: How I Blew $50,000 in My Business. If you have not read it, the short version is this. I made a thoughtful, well reasoned investment in a marketing tactic that was not true to Choice. It looked smart on paper. It was not who we are. And the lesson Lindsey handed me in the middle of that mess was the one that has quietly run underneath everything since.

That single sentence is the thread. Everything below is what it looks like when you actually build a business around it instead of just believing it. Twelve months ago I blew $50,000. This June we had the biggest month of our company’s life.

That is not a coincidence and it is not luck.

It is a roadmap. Here it is. Make it your own.

Read more

Makeup chairs. Bad coffee in a paper cup, going cold. Snapping a quick photo or grabbing video behind the scenes to post later. A producer running through the questions one more time. I’ll smooth a jacket or a piece of hair, check a mic pack, run through the talking points and then step back into the wings and watch someone else walk into the light. Nearly three decades of this. I have built the strategy, written the pitch, made the calls nobody sees and let the client walk onto the stage.

That is the job. I am good at it. And I love it.

I’ll keep doing that work for my clients. I love the wings, and I’m not leaving them.

That’s what I’m doing with The Red Lip Life.

Every week, I’ve shown up in your inbox with a real piece of my actual life, from the CEO’s desk of what’s actually going on in my business, to the Red Lip Edit of my current obsessions and favorite things, to your trusted girlfriend linking arms with you through marriage and body and parenthood and everything in between.

And every week, you’ve written back. DMs, texts, kind encouragement at every step. I have felt every one of those messages, and I don’t take a single one of them for granted.

You’ve asked me for the skincare that’s actually giving me dewy, glowing skin at 50. You’ve asked me how I’ve built a company nearing eight figures without losing the parts of myself that matter most. You’ve asked me what I packed for Greece, what I tell Thackston and Dixon when they come off the baseball field, what supplements I’m taking, what I’m buying at HomeGoods, how Matt and I have such a strong, genuinely good marriage. You’ve asked me for my playbook.

For years, I’ve answered you a little at a time. A paragraph here. A story there. A picture or a video or a post whenever it came to me, or whenever you asked. You keep asking. I keep wanting to give you more.

Starting this Sunday on RLL, I’m launching Sunday’s Best.

A second letter, paid-only, landing in your inbox every Sunday. It’s not a repackaged version of what’s already free. It’s the same real-time strategy, the same parenting instincts I’m still figuring out as I go, the same midlife resources actually holding me together at 50, unfiltered and finally handed to you directly instead of trickled out a paragraph at a time. And it’s all in one place.

Upgrade to Paid & Join Sunday's Best

Here’s what’s actually behind the curtain:

Sunday’s Best Membership

• $8/month or $80/year (two months free), gets you everything you already get for free, plus my Sunday’s Best letter.

• Every Sunday you’ll receive an anchor story pulled straight from behind the curtain of my actual week, my cart picks, the discount codes I don’t hand out anywhere else and one question I want to sit with in community, not just publish into the void.

• You’ll also get the full paywalled archive alongside my personal travel guides and the real CEO strategy work, so you’re never guessing what’s actually working for me.

• Plus I’ll include a new Essentials Drop every month (masterclasses, templates, modules, webinars, city and travel guides, hauls and more) and first access to anything Choice releases.

• Sign up annually, and my Content Playbook, a $200 value, is yours the day you join.

Upgrade to Paid & Join Sunday's Best

Founding Member

• $150/year (limited spots), is for the woman who’s ready to go all the way in beside me.

• Everything above, including the Content Playbook the moment you sign up plus full access to Book(ed) by Choice, my $997 book publicity course built from more than two decades as a book publicity veteran.

Become a Founding Member

We built this the way we’ve built every launch we’ve ever run for someone else, with real thought, not a paywall slapped over what already existed. Our team spent weeks deciding, deliberating and every time we got stuck, we went back to what you keep asking me for.

This isn’t new content. It’s the exact things you’ve told me you want more of, finally landing in one place, every single week.

Before I say anything else, thank you.

For every message, every DM, every “me too,” every time you shared one of my RLL letters when it found you at exactly the right moment. You have shown up for me every single week and I don’t know how to fully say what that has meant except this:

Here’s my hope. Not that Sunday’s Best becomes one more subscription you forget to open. My hope is that it becomes the room you actually want to walk into every week, the way the best rooms have always worked for me: warm, a little exclusive, worth dressing up for.

This isn’t me stepping into the spotlight. It’s me pulling back the curtain so you can stand where I’ve been standing all along. Consider this your permission to want more than the free seat.

If you’re reading this as a free subscriber, thank you. That’s not changing. Your Wednesday letter isn’t going anywhere. But if you’ve ever wanted the green room, the full access pass, the parts of my life and the things actually working for me that I’ve never fully let you see, the curtain is open now.

Big hugs,
Heather

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I remember it like it was yesterday.

Dixon was on this coveted travel baseball team. “Elite” players. Coaches people wanted to play for. My chest puffed up a little bit more because he had made the team.

Then I watched it all play itself out.

The head coach didn’t believe in him. Gave him minimal opportunity. Threw him at first base begrudgingly because he was the tallest kid with the longest legs and could stretch and scoop up a ball. Never really put him in to pitch, though Dixon loved it.

One meeting after a tournament game (gosh I can still see it now in my head, the park we were at, where we were parked, even what I was wearing), the coach was laying into the boys. Hateful. Critical. Downright mean. Now, let me share that the boys were roughly 8 or 9 because this was 9U baseball. After more than 30 minutes of this, I was done. I was ready for us to go and get in the car and end the abuse. I, along with a few other hot, exhausted and exasperated parents, were obvious it was time for this meeting to be over. The coach looked me direct in the eye and made a super snarky, intended comment about how if we didn’t want our kid to be on the team any longer and we were ready to leave, we were free to go.

Asshole. That’s the word.

But here’s what happened.

That team fell apart.

The coach thought his son was too good to be playing with the other boys on the team. He wanted to take his talents elsewhere. Sound familiar? We found ourselves scrambling last-minute, trying to figure out where Dixon could land. So many teams were already determined. It would just be leftover options at this point.

I wish I could say this was uncommon.

Matt quickly found a few team options that were still trying out players. He carted Dixon around to several teams and Dixon ended up making a few. But this one local team that was a newer organization with a young coach was the one Dixon chose.

Did you catch that? Dixon chose.

The Wildcards, coached by Grant Frazier and Joey Hanson. They were two young, single guys who had grown up playing baseball together. They were fun and loved the boys and were excited to pour into them. I think Dixon noticed that. He wanted to keep the fun in a sport he loved so much. He didn’t want it to turn to dread.

Dixon went on to play with them for 3 years.

Grant is who taught Dixon to throw a curveball, arguably his best, most notable pitch. It’s dirty, as they say. The Wildcards went on to win the 11U World Series in St. Louis. Dixon was named the MVP. It’s where he hit his very first home run. It’s also where, not having pitched all season, he was called in, bases loaded, no outs, in the championship game, to help out a teammate who was struggling on the mound. Dixon went on to strike out the next 3 batters and his pitching life as we knew it changed forever.

The families on that team are still some of our most favorite people. We have a group text that’s still active. I think playing Catch Phrase in the hotel parking lot and dancing in the rain with the speaker blaring during a game delay cemented us for life.

That was 11U.

Dixon is a grown man now, playing college baseball, sitting inside the transfer portal as I write this letter, asking a grown-up version of the exact same question that asshole of a coach forced on us in a parking lot when he was eight.

Where do I belong? Who actually wants me here? Am I more than a number on a roster?

And once again, it will be Dixon who answers it.

Not me.

Not Matt.

Him.

Thackston is walking his own leg of this same road right now, in high school and travel ball, chasing the chance to play at the next level, carrying the same love for this game his big brother carried at eight years old on a first base bag he never asked to play.

Both of my boys have played multiple sports for most of their childhoods. Neither one of them has lost his love for baseball. Not once, in fifteen years, has either of them wanted to quit. I do not say that to brag. I say it because I know how rare it actually is.

I have stood on enough sidelines and sat in enough dugout parking lots to watch this exact story fail to end well for so many other families.

I have watched marriages strain and fracture over lineup decisions and playing time and who was supposed to be the “baseball parent.” I have watched families who used to be close stop speaking to each other over a travel schedule.

So if you are a mama just now stepping into this world, here is what I would want you to know…

Coaches Are a Season. You Are Not.

Some coach, somewhere, is not going to see what you see in your son. He will misjudge him. Undervalue him. Throw him at a position because of his height instead of his gift and never once notice the kid at first base was dying to be handed the ball.

You do not get to control that man.

You do control whether your son’s love for this game survives him.

That coach in the parking lot did not get the last word. He does not even get a footnote, except this one, right here, where I finally get to call him what he was. The team he built fell apart. Dixon is still playing. Grant Frazier’s curveball is still Dixon’s best pitch that he’s made his own. That is how this actually goes, more often than you would think, if you can hold on through the season that feels unbearable.

Let Them Choose

The biggest turns in both of my sons’ careers happened in the moments Matt and I backed away and let them choose. Dixon chose the Wildcards over teams with bigger names. He is choosing his next chapter in the transfer portal right now. Thackston chooses his own effort, his own extra reps, his own version of what this sport means to him, every single day, without us standing over him demanding it.

Our job was never to manage the outcome from the sideline. Our job was to open the doors and then get out of the way.

Five Words for the Car Ride Home

Here is the one thing I would want a mama coming behind me to hear more than anything else.

The most important thing you can say to your child after a game is not about the swing, the error, the missed sign, or the coach who should have played him more.

Period.

Full stop.

Nothing tacked onto the end of it. Not “I love watching you play, but…” Not “I love watching you play and next time…”

Just the sentence, said plainly, said often, said even after the games where nothing went right.

That sentence is what makes you a safe place for your child to land. A trusted guide instead of one more voice grading his performance. That is our actual role in all of this. Not coach. Not critic. Not the person replaying his at bats on the way home. The safe place. The one who loves watching him play regardless of what the scoreboard says.

I think about that parking lot a lot these days. The park, the spot where we were parked, what I was wearing, the exact look on that coach’s face when he told us we were free to leave.

I am so glad we did.

Because leaving that team is what put Dixon in front of Grant and Joey and a group of families we still text today. It is what taught him a curveball. It is what gave him a World Series and an MVP and a moment on the mound, bases loaded, no outs, that changed the direction of his baseball life.

None of that happens without the parking lot. And none of what happens next for Dixon or Thackston will look anything like what I’d script for them either, if I am honest.

That is the part I have finally made peace with after fifteen years.

Always your fan,
Heather

Not the frantic kind. Not the one where you are squeezing every last drop out of the calendar before Labor Day announces it is over. I mean the one that feels like Ina Garten has you over for rosé on the porch. The one with linen and farmer’s markets and all your favorite people gathered around an outdoor table and finding your feet in the sand and big, juicy tomato sandwiches on toasted sourdough with a heaping of mayonnaise and the good flaky salt.

You know what I’m talking about.

That is the summer I am living right now.

This season is full in all the best ways.

Dixon and Thackston’s summer baseball has us on the road, a family vacation is on the books (Isle of Palms we’re ready for you), a college girls’ trip is already in the group chat and I have carved out a little intentional work travel that honestly feels more like play. In between, I am showing up for my Saturday farmer’s market runs, Garage Barre + Bike and Summer Friday afternoons that I am actually protecting.

It’s my Americana summer.

Think Nantucket meets Ralph Lauren meets a very slow Tuesday afternoon. That is the energy. And I have the favorites list to prove it. A good summer favorites list is really just a love letter to a season you are choosing to show up for.

Some are old faithfuls. A few are brand new and have already become non-negotiables (Have I mentioned the YSE Xtreme Glow enough yet?).

Take what fits your summer. Leave the rest.

But above all, sweet friends, make it yours.

XOXO,
Heather

P.S. Before you dive in, a little transparency: the links in this list are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if something makes it into your cart. I would never put something in front of you that I don’t personally reach for and own myself. Your trust means everything and I don’t take it lightly.

Clothes

Tops

Yes, I realize I have tons of Oxfords included on this list. I’m obsessed with them this summer. They are the perfect cover up, shirt to pair with linen shorts or cutoffs or even left untucked over a maxi skirt. You literally cannot go wrong with them. These are some of my most favorite ones that I’m wearing on repeat this summer.

• Blue & White Oxford: I have the Ab Blue White Striped & Navy Blue White Striped

• Navy Oxford

• Red & White Stripe Oxford: I have red & blue stripe and the solid Chakra red

• Lobster Chunky Sweater: The lobster is begging for a trip to the East Coast!

Bottoms

• Track Pants: I have both red and green because when I wore the red ones the other day, Thackston Adams went crazy over them and told me my fit was fire and he wanted me to have a pair in his team colors to wear this summer to games. When your 17-year-old gives you a compliment, you pay attention.

• Linen Shorts (white): These are the best, most casual and comfy shorts that you can just pull on for whatever, but they feel elevated and easy at the same time.

• Stripe Linen Shorts (blue stripe)

• Fringe Skirt (yellow): This is my fun, party skirt for the summer. The pop of bright yellow just makes me happy.

• Red & White Maxi Skirt

• Navy & White Linen Paper Bag Shorts

Dresses/Sets

• Red Linen Maxi Dress: I’m planning to wear this 4th of July weekend with my navy American flag sweater draped over my shoulders. It’s a really beautiful, high-quality linen dress.

• Knit Tank - matching set (cream)

• Knit Maxi Skirt - matching set (cream): I ordered this matching knit set for easy, summer travel or just to throw on when I want to feel put together but not fussy this summer.

• Navy, Red & White Floral Maxi Sundress

• Navy & White Striped Lounge Shorts Set

• Knit Tennis Jacket - matching set (rich pine)

• Knit Tennis Skirt - matching set (rich pine) I just bought this matching set to wear to Thackston’s baseball games this summer (one of his team colors is this bright green) so it’s going in my suitcase this weekend. I’ll take some pics in it. It’s darling!

• Lightweight Windbreaker (white)

• Wide Brim Straw Hat: Covering my face all summer to keep it protected and cool.

Beauty

• Kopari Golden Sunglaze Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen SPF 50: I discovered this body mist sunscreen last year when we went to the Dominican for Spring Break. Every mom stole it from me because it smells divine and also made my body look insane with the dewy glowy sheen. Super easy to apply as well. A must for your beach bag this summer!

• L’Oreal Lumi Glass Highlighter Stick

• Exfoliating Shower Gloves

• Sugar Body Scrub

• Naturium Body Serum: Okay, I have a weekly ritual this summer that includes these 3 products (shower gloves, body scrub and body serum). I’m getting a spray tan every single week. I don’t care what you think. I feel better about life in general when I’m tan. And every single week I take an everything shower and use the body scrub and shower gloves to exfoliate ahead of my spray tan. The day after my spray tan, I begin the body serum and use it every single day in between tans. It’s the most luxurious, clean lotion. It’s not sticky or thick. It’s the perfect consistency for summer and just absolutely melts into my skin. Plus, by keeping my skin super hydrated, my tan lasts much longer.

• Yse Xtreme Glow Dewy Peptide Plumping Serum: IF YOU ONLY BUY ONE THING FROM THIS LIST OF MY SUMMER FAVES, THIS IS THE ITEM TO BUY. I’m telling you, this one product has quite literally changed my skin overnight. If you look at my skin before and after starting this serum, you can instantly tell the difference. It is worth the hype and the price tag. I will not go without it. Period.

• L’Oreal Blurring Lip Contour

• Maybelline Super Stay Ink Crayon Lipstick - Own Your Empire: I just shared this red lip tutorial on my Instagram where I shared these two products and how for those of us over 40 gals, it’s a great way for us to have the red lip that I love so much without it being so severe and making us look older. Also, I’m grabbing this crayon over and over again this summer because it’s so easy to apply and not quite as intense as I want in the fall and winter. Lighter, so to speak.

Accessories

• Sunglasses - Oversized Aviators: Aviators are the universally flattering sunglass shape and these oversized ones are on trend for the summer. Plus this pair won’t break the bank and you won’t be devastated if you happen to lose them in the ocean. Ha!

• Straw Seagrass Tote

• American Flag Lifeguard Hat: We gave Matt this lifeguard hat for Father’s Day and I’ve already stolen it several times. It’s perfect and not just for 4th of July weekend.

Swim/Active/Outdoor/Baseball

• Spanx Square Neck Workout Tank (spanx red)

• Spanx Full Length Booty Boost Leggings (spanx red): I posted myself in this set the other day and y’all went nuts. “You look snatched!” was my favorite DM. I’ll take it at 50. I’m here to tell you that I have never felt so good in workout clothes in my entire life. It changed my whole mood going to the gym and so I’ve already placed another order for a different Spanx set.

• Quince Italian High-Rise Bikini Bottom (black)

• Quince Italian V-Neck Bikini Top (black): I’m doing the damn thing and wearing a bikini this year. I wore one on spring break and have slowly been adding a few more to my swimwear. I love Quince and this classic black with a high-waist feels age appropriate and chic.

• Blue & Green Striped Tote: Returning to the baseball theme, I got this tote for all of Thackston’s tournaments. It’s in his team colors and holds everything I need without being one of those obnoxious Bogg bags. I just can’t do those, y’all.

• Collapsible Cooler

• Cupshe Tie Dye Textured High Waist Bikini

• NugSax Reusable Ice Cubes: Another Father’s Day gift for Matt, these you can use over and over for your cooler instead of constantly having to run grab a bag of ice.

• Stainless Steel Water Bottles: When Matt had his emergency open heart surgery three years ago, we completely overhauled our pantry and fridge and that includes plastic water bottles. We don’t buy them at all anymore. Instead we refill these stainless bottles and throw them in our cooler and keep them in our garage fridge. Not only does the water taste so much better, but we can rest assured we’re not consuming as many microplastics.

• XXL Tailgating Chair

• Ninja Foodi Blender: I use this every single day to make my morning smoothie. It’s a glass pitcher instead of plastic, which was hugely important to us.

Books I’m Reading (and loving!)

• The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett: I’m reading this right now and almost half way through it. If you love Southern fiction, this is the book for you. I’m invested in the characters so deeply and have found myself sneaking in times to read it because I just want more of the story. Stockett’s Southern dialogue is brilliant (and accurate!)

• Beach Read by Emily Henry: The most perfect beach read, hence the title. And, you’ll want to read it before the movie releases.

• The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram

Shows I’m Watching

• Voicemails for Isabelle (Netflix): Okay, I watched this last week on the day it released. I texted Lindsey from our team 10 minutes in and told her I was already sobbing. We can thank Zoey Deutch for bringing back a good old-fashioned rom com. Also, the official playlist is PHENOMENAL! An immediate download.

• Dutton Ranch (Paramount)

• Off Campus (Prime)

• Harlan’s Coban’s I Will Find You (Netflix)

It’s not out yet, but I am counting the days til The Five-Star Weekend premieres on Peacock on July 9.

That question sat with me one summer afternoon while my team was savoring exactly what we had all been chasing after a breakneck season. Summer Fridays. A lighter load. The kind of quiet that feels earned.

That was years ago. And it is a season I have spent a great deal of sweat equity making sure I never revisit.

If you run a service-based business, you already know what I mean.

Summer is not the enemy. But it can feel like one when the pace slows, the decision-makers go on vacation, the kids come home from school and the revenue that was moving steadily starts to move a little less. For many of the brands and businesses we serve at Choice, summer is not peak season. For us either. And I have had to learn, the hard way, how to build for it.

Here is what we do now. Every year. And it works.

1. Use the summer for connection instead of conversion.

This is the season to build relational equity.

Not to push. Not to pitch.

To genuinely ask what is next for the people in your world. The clients who say yes in October are the ones you stayed close to in July. Not with a proposal. With a real conversation. What are they preparing for? What do they need? Where are they headed?

2. Protect your revenue by pre-selling what is coming.

Fill August, September, and October now. Not in August. Not at the end of summer when you are already behind. Now.

At Choice, we use private invitations, behind-the-scenes offers and waitlist nurturing for what is coming to make sure our fall is already working before summer ends. The Circle is one of the ways we do this. It is not something we broadcast publicly. That is the point.

3. Give your clients a soft yes.

This one changed everything for us.

A soft yes is an offer that feels light and easy and close. It does not demand a lot of bandwidth. It is not a heavy ask. But it keeps your client connected to you when their calendar and their mind are somewhere else entirely.

An example of a soft yes we do at Choice is my CEO Content Sessions. Usually clients can only work directly with me in our full day Collaborative experience. However, in the Summer only, I offer these shorter, content focused sessions. Our clients leave this time with me with a repeatable content model they can use to batch content for years to come. The time is still highly valuable, strategic, and practical while also being a lower investment (both in time and money). That’s intentional. It makes the perfect soft yes for our clients in the Summer months.

BONUS: Let Your Brand Feel Like Summer.

Katie, who runs my social, will be thrilled I said this publicly.

Slower mornings. Travel. Real life. When your brand shows up where your audience is actually living, it stays warm. It stays human. And staying human is how you stay relevant.

My content intentionally highlights what I’m loving this Summer. From Baseball mom recs and Summer-focused Red Lip Edits here on Substack (both coming your way soon!) to my weekly Saturday morning Farmer’s Market routine on Instagram, I’m showing up as my full self year round, including Summer.

None of this is complicated. All of it requires intention. And intention is the one thing no one can give you but you.

Always your fan,
Heather

P.S. Are you a busy CEO who is feeling some burn out around content creation? If so, I’d love to help and I want to share something I don’t offer publicly with you.

This Summer, I am opening five spots for a personal executive coaching session with me. Ninety minutes. One on one. And the focus is entirely on your content strategy.

Here is what I hear from nearly every potential client we speak with: they are overwhelmed. They know they need content. They do not have a system. They do not have a plan. And without a plan, content feels like noise instead of momentum. They are absolutely overwhelmed with what to do where and how often and ALL THE THINGS.

I have built a content playbook that works. A batch creation process that saves me tons of time and allows me to show up with ease, consistency, and joy! It is the exact process and tools we use at Choice to create all of my content across platforms. In our ninety minutes together, I will walk you through it completely.

You'll leave the session with a repeatable content model you can use to batch your content for years to come, including a strategy roadmap and my personal content playbook in hand. This framework will allow you to invest only 2 hours a month and it will give you a full 30 days of content.

Repeatable. Sustainable. Joyful.

I usually do not open these spots publicly. They’re only open in the Summer and there are only five of them.

If you are ready to stop being overwhelmed by content and start operating from a real plan, this is the perfect “soft yes” you can gift to yourself this Summer.

Click the button below to book your session with me:

Book Your Session

My nervous system recently just won’t settle. I was sharing this yesterday with our Circle members and everyone related. One of the women said,

“It’s like you have so many tabs open that you can’t close.”

I had a visceral reaction to that statement. It was like she knew exactly what I was managing and thinking and dealing with. I felt so seen. And the other women on the call felt seen when I transparently shared how I was feeling.

Isn’t that what we’re all needing right now? To feel seen and connected.

What I know to be true is that when I’m in this kind of a season and my nervous system can’t calm and all the tabs are open, I have agency to intervene. So I return to what I know works for me. And as a woman firmly planted in midlife (I turned 50 in February), I’ve found an arsenal of resources that have proven to be beneficial to me personally.

And as your trusted girlfriend, I feel like when I learn that something works for me, I want to share so that it can help you too.

I’m breaking it all down by category…

HORMONES + GLP-1 + SUPPLEMENTS

Let me start here, because I think this is the category women in midlife are most likely to quietly struggle through without telling anyone.

For years, I white-knuckled symptoms I didn’t fully understand and attributed my shifting body to stress, seasons, life. What I didn’t know was that there was targeted support available and that I was allowed to pursue it. I work with Joi + Blokes for hormone support and GLP-1, and I genuinely wish I had found them sooner. If your body feels unfamiliar to you right now, this is the first resource I’d put in your hands.

The other thing I won’t go a day without is AG1. One packet every single morning. It is the most complete, no-excuses supplement routine I’ve found, and I notice the days I skip it. Click here if you want to try AG1. (NOTE: If you use my link, you’ll receive a free bottle of Vitamin D3+K2, six free AG1 Travel Packs, and $15 off your first subscription order.)

And then there is the smoothie. Y’all. Every. Single. Morning. This is my nutritional foundation, my daily ritual, and my favorite way to load up on protein and nutrients before the day gets away from me. Here is exactly what is in it:

• 1 cup Organic Plain Greek Yogurt

• 1 cup water

• 1 scoop FlavCity Protein Powder (vanilla)

• 1/2 cup fruit (strawberries or blueberries)

• 1 banana

• 1 tablespoon chia seed

• 1 tablespoon flax seed

• 1 scoop creatine

• 1 scoop collagen

• 2 scoops Organic PB Fit powder

I also follow Kelly LeVeque’s approach to nutrition and love the Be Well by Kelly Daily Smoothie as a companion framework to what I’ve built for myself.

MENTAL HEALTH + SPIRITUAL MENTORING

I have been working with Jeanne as a spiritual mentor since September 2021. In just a few months, we will have been working together for five years. That blows my mind.

I am not being hyperbolic when I say this work has transformed my life.

We meet twice a month. It began because I was face planted and desperate to change my relationship with Jesus. What I didn’t anticipate was how far that thread would pull. We have walked through every aspect of my life together: my marriage and my parenting, caring for my aging parents, my business, and life’s disruptions like Matt having emergency open heart surgery and Dixon deciding to enter the transfer portal. There is no part of who I am that this work has not touched.

If you do not have a spiritual mentor, a therapist, or someone who holds sacred space for you to be fully known, I want to gently challenge you to find one.

EXERCISE

I move my body three to four times a week. This is a non-negotiable, which I’ll say more about in a moment.

My anchor is Garage Barre + Bike. I do barre, bike, pilates and build (strength training), and I do all of these with intention and with accountability from Christa (my assistant), who holds me to the calendar commitments I make. She makes sure I get the classes scheduled and on the calendar. The combination of strength work and cardio has done more for how I feel in my body in this season than almost anything else. But I want to be honest: showing up consistently required me to treat movement as a scheduled appointment rather than a mood-dependent decision.

That is the reality for me in this season. And I’ve stopped apologizing for needing that structure. I remember a time when I didn’t think I could fit one class into my schedule. Now I can’t go without them.

NUTRITION

This category overlaps with supplements because the smoothie really is my foundation. But the broader principle I’ve built my nutrition around is this:

My morning starts with hydration and devotion before anything else. The smoothie follows. From there, I try to eat in a way that supports my hormones, stabilizes my energy, and doesn’t ask me to be perfect. I have worked hard to release the all-or-nothing mentality around food that served no one well.

The resources doing the most work for me in this space: Be Well by Kelly for the philosophy and the framework, FlavCity Protein Powder for the cleanest protein I’ve found that actually tastes good, and the smoothie recipe above that I genuinely look forward to every morning.

SKINCARE

That is not a sentence I expected to write. I found YSE Beauty, a line created by Molly Sims, specifically formulated for women over 40, and what it has done for my glow, my dewiness, my overall radiance has been remarkable. I’m not kidding. I’ve never been told “you’re glowing” more in my entire life.

These are the products I use consistently:

• Your Favorite Ex — exfoliating pads

• Morning Cocktail — Vitamin C serum

• Xtreme Glow — glow serum

• The Overachiever — brightening eye masks

• Skin Glow — SPF 30 primer

• The Problem Solver — brightening treatment

• Last Call — retinol serum

• Like a Gloss — lip tint

Use this link for 15% off your order.

NAMING AND FIERCELY PROTECTING MY NON-NEGOTIABLES

This one might be the most important category on this entire list.

I have learned the hard way that without named and protected non-negotiables, the urgent will always swallow the essential. So in this season, I’ve identified the practices that are foundational to my wellbeing and I hold them with both hands.

My non-negotiables right now: weekly date nights with Matt. Drinking half my body weight in ounces of water every single day. Moving my body three to four times a week. And regularly invested, present time with my core four, which is Matt, Dixon, Thackston, and me.

They are not revolutionary. They are not complicated.

But they require protection.

THE LIFE-GIVING ESSENTIALS

Three years ago, I started a practice in partnership with Jeanne at the beginning of every year that has quietly become one of the most transformative things I do.

She calls it my Life-Giving Essentials: a small set of named priorities for the year ahead and the specific practices that support each one.

The difference matters. Goals are performance-oriented. Essentials are identity-oriented. They describe how I want to live and who I want to be as the year unfolds. Each one is paired with concrete practices so it doesn’t float in abstraction.

My 2026 essentials are:

Essential #1: Honor and heal my body so I can feel strong, whole, and fully alive.

The practices beneath this one are exactly what this letter is about: moving my body, building a nourishing morning routine, keeping one health focus per quarter and paying attention to my self-talk as information rather than verdict.

Essential #2: Create dedicated, meaningful, and undistracted time with my Core Four.

This one requires calendar intentionality: protecting date nights with Matt, building our travel and baseball schedules early, planning at least one family vacation and guarding our family’s finances.

Essential #3: Make space for creativity, beauty, and simple pleasures as a regular rhythm, not a reward.

Monthly CEO strategy sessions I block and protect for my most important creative work. Curating beauty in our home. A pleasure list. Two books a month. (Paris is happening this year. I’m leaving it on the list.)

Essential #4: Cultivate everyday hospitality: gathering, serving, and loving people well in both the planned moments and the ordinary ones.

Keeping a hospitality basket stocked. A monthly rhythm of simple gathering. Paying attention to who God brings to mind and how our home feels to the people who walk through the door.

Essential #5: Step fully and unapologetically into this new season of leadership, vision, and business with confidence and joy.

Dedicated quarterly Leadership Team and CEO days for clarity and planning. Name what I no longer apologize for. Track the momentum monthly.

If this resonates, I want to encourage you to build your own. It doesn’t have to be five. It doesn’t have to look like mine. But naming what is essential and then building your life around it, rather than trying to fit it in around the margins, that is where the shift happens.

There is something about turning 50 that gave me permission I had been waiting to grant myself for years.Permission to name what I need. To protect it without explanation. To stop outsourcing my own wellness to someday and start treating it as today’s most important appointment.

My nervous system may not always be calm.

The tabs may not always close.

But I know what to return to now.

And I hope some of this gives you the same.

With love,
Heather

P.S. A few of the links in this letter are affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you purchase through them. I only ever share what I actually use and love. That will never change.

I had been his mother and a working mom for every single day of his five years on this earth. And I felt the weight of what was coming. Not in a dramatic way.

For the next thirteen to seventeen-plus years, he (and then Thackston after him) would be a student. Summers would never be quite the same. So I decided this one was going to matter.

We built a summer bucket list for the ages. Not a quick phone note. A real one, drawn by hand, decorated with markers and all the artistic talent a mama and a five-year-old could muster. Aquarium. Water Park. Camping. A Braves game. Drive-In Movie. Homemade Ice Cream. Storytime at the Library.

And written right on it, the only rule that counted: Have Fun.

We worked through that list all summer long, item by item. And then the week before school started, I was feeling all the feelings. So I decided we need to go out with a bang. I created one last camp for the summer. I called it Mommy Camp. Dixon went on that week to name it Dudes and Doll Camp and it became its own legend in our family. I took an entire week off work and we piled everything left to feel into seven days. We chased waterfalls. We ate sno-cones. I soaked up every last minute with my two small boys and held it like I was trying to memorize it. And somewhere in that week, sitting in the sun with sticky hands and tired feet, I learned something I have carried into every summer since.

I didn’t want to wait until the last week to feel this way.

I wanted that same freedom, that same lightness, that same intention woven through the whole summer. Not just saved for the finale. So from that point forward, I changed my approach.

I began the summer with the end in mind.

What did we want to feel when school started back?

What did we want to have experienced?

Who did we want to spend time with?

How could we live with intention and joy and adventure all woven into our days?

Y’all… I have been a working mom for twenty years. I am a CEO. I do not stop working in the summer. But I also do not give summer away. I love the slower pace of it. I love the travel. I love the boys being out of school and the simpleness that comes with it. This summer, I am claiming what I am calling my Americana summer. The kind that feels unhurried and classic and full of the right things. I even built a mood board for it. And I want that for you, too.

So here are my three ways to be genuinely present in the summer months without checking out of your work or your calling.

1. Begin with the end in mind.

Before summer fully arrives, get quiet and ask yourself one honest question: when back-to-school season comes, what do I want to have felt?

Not accomplished. Felt.

What do you want the summer to have looked like? Who do you want to have shown up for? What experiences do you want to say you didn’t miss? When you know the answer, you can plan toward it. You can make decisions that protect it. And you can show up for the whole summer instead of scrambling to catch it in the final week. This is how I have started every summer for nearly two decades. The bucket list. The intention. The vision for what the season is supposed to hold. It changes everything about how you move through the months.

2. Name your non-negotiables and fiercely protect them.

Every season has its own set of priorities, and summer is no exception. What are yours?

For me, this looks like identifying what is non-negotiable for this particular season before it begins. The trips we are committing to. The slow mornings I am protecting. The time with Matt and the boys I am treating as sacred. And then I ask: how do these align with my life-giving essentials?

Summer is not a break from that framework. It is a chance to live it at a different pace. To see which essentials need more room this season and plan accordingly. Your non-negotiables are only as strong as your willingness to protect them. Name them before the summer runs away from you, write them down and hold the line.

3. Give into the pace.

This is the one working moms resist the most.

Quit maxing out your calendar. Intentionally inject margin into your days. Let there be blank space on a Tuesday. Let dinner happen slowly. Let the afternoon be genuinely unscheduled. Fun is not a nice-to-have in the summer months. It is a have-to-have.

And what it costs is the overcrowded calendar, the always-on schedule, the inability to be fully where you actually are. Be where you are. Slow down not because you have nothing to do, but because the people you love most deserve the version of you who actually showed up.

The summer before Dixon started Kindergarten, I chased waterfalls with my boys and ate sno-cones and held the last days like I was trying to memorize them. I still am. The boys are older now. The bucket list has changed and isn’t written out on our kitchen window anymore. But the intention hasn’t.

This summer, stop waiting until the last week to feel it. Begin with the end in mind. Protect what matters. And give yourself fully to the pace of the season you are in.

That is the Red Lip Life in the summertime.

With love,
Heather

PS - Want a fun trip down memory lane in the Adams household? Hop over to Instagram and search #DudesAndDoll. You’ll see a very big life well-lived with my boys from that one summer on.

I was twenty-something and newly married, lying next to my brand new husband, looking at the brand new diamond band on my left hand.

I had been told, in a hundred different ways and by a hundred different voices, that this was the moment. The wedding made it okay. The ring made it permissible. The ceremony was supposed to flip a switch I had spent my entire life keeping firmly in the off position.

The switch did not flip.

It was something good girls did not think about, did not talk about and certainly did not want. We were taught to lock it down, lock it away and wait.

In my eighth-grade year, we had an entire Sunday School series on marriage that included me writing down all the characteristics I was looking for in a husband. (True story: I would go on to give Matt that list of characteristics framed at our rehearsal dinner.) The only mention of sex during this marriage series? To avoid it and tamp down those burning feelings because it was not to be thought about, discussed and certainly not engaged in.

Then one Saturday afternoon you put on a white dress and walk down an aisle, and the same body that had been told no for twenty-seven years is now supposed to suddenly understand yes.

That is not how a body works.

That is not how a mind works, either.

What I needed in those early years of marriage was not a switch.

I needed an undoing.

The shame I had inherited.

The fear I had absorbed.

The quiet, lingering sense that wanting anything in this department made me less of a good woman, less of a good Christian, less of a good wife.

It was a complete 180.

And it was slow.

Slower than I would have liked. Slower than anyone tells you it might be when they hand you a Bible verse and a piece of premarital advice and send you out the door. Matt was patient. I was patient with myself. We did the work, together, and we kept doing it.

I am fifty years old. And I want to tell you something I never expected to be telling anyone, much less in writing, much less on a Friday morning over coffee.

I am having the best sex of my life.

The best.

And it has very little to do with my body and almost everything to do with the woman I have become inside of her.

I ask for what I want now.

Out loud.

In actual words.

To my husband, who, bless him, is not a mind reader and was never meant to be.

I tell him what feels good and what does not, what I want more of and what I would like to skip, what I am in the mood for and what is just not landing tonight. I do not leave him to guess. I seek pleasure without apologizing for it. I am not negotiating with a shame voice in the back of my head every single time. I am not performing. I am not white-knuckling my way through something I am supposed to want.

And we are talking about it. (Here’s the magic, y’all.)

Sometimes that looks like Matt and me with our jet lag and our suitcases half unpacked, finding ourselves alone in a plunge pool in Santorini and not overthinking a single second of it. Spontaneous, unhurried, entirely ours.

Sometimes it looks like the much less cinematic version. The one where life is loud and busy, schedules are tight and we actually plan it. We say it out loud to each other. We put it on the calendar in our heads, in our texts, in our private little code. And we look forward to it the way you look forward to a good dinner you have been planning all week.

Both of those versions are us. Both of them are good.

For most of our marriage, neither one of those existed. We hoped we were on the same page. We prayed we were on the same page. When we were not, frustration filled the room and we did not say a word about it. We just let it sit there, like a piece of furniture, we kept walking around.

We do not walk around it anymore.

Here is what I have noticed, sweet friends, and it is the reason I am writing this letter at all.

We have gotten very good in midlife at talking about our bodies in public. About perimenopause. About hormones. About the fog and the sleep and the joint pain and the symptoms we used to swallow privately and now name openly. We are advocating, beautifully, for ourselves.

And then we get to this one corner of our lives, and the volume drops to a whisper.

We talk about intimacy in closed rooms. Across kitchen islands, late at night, with one trusted girlfriend and a glass (or two or three) of wine when we feel a little more emboldened. We do not bring it into the open. We do not write about it. We do not say to the woman one chair over at the dinner table, can I tell you what changed for me at fifty? We are still afraid of being judged. Or being too much. Or being the woman who said the thing out loud that the other women only think.

I’m done with that. So think what you will.

Because if there is a forty-something or fifty-something or sixty-something woman reading this who is quietly carrying the same script I was carrying at twenty-seven, I want her to know that the script is not the truth.

Married, single, dating again, partnered, somewhere in between. It does not matter. The conversation about reclaiming pleasure, voice, and full ownership of your own body in this season belongs to all of us.

You are allowed to want what you want.

You are allowed to ask for it.

You are allowed to enjoy it without apologizing for it.

You are allowed to talk about it, in detail, in advance, in the moment and afterward.

That is not unladylike. That is not too much. That is not a betrayal of how you were raised or what you were taught.

She was doing her best. I am doing mine. And mine is so much better than I knew it could be.

Big, big hugs,
Heather

PS: Here on The Red Lip Life, I write about building an eight-figure business with an all-female team. And I don’t just share the highs. I also share the hard stuff (like that time I lit $50K on fire). I share insights from what I’ve learned from 20+ years in publicity and what I’m seeing in the media landscape after working on 150+ New York Times bestsellers. I talk about the 9 decisions that helped my Substack launch at #12 in Business its first week. But I don’t only talk about business. I also write about my passion for mentoring college women, about life-giving hospitality, about the ways I’m honoring my midlife body, and about fashion finds that make me feel like myself. And yes—today we talked about sex. Why?

Because I am not a niche.

I am not one thing.

I refuse to pretend otherwise, and I don’t think you should either.

We have spent too long telling women to pick a lane online. Stay in your corner. Be consistent. Be predictable. Be small enough to be categorized.

No, thank you.

If you want to build a platform where you can show up as your full, multi-passionate self (helping people while you do it), I would love to support you.

I’m hosting a live, virtual workshop this Wednesday and seats are limited. We’ll spend the day together working on your Substack presence and we’ll start by getting clear on all the ways you can show up as your full self in this space. A recording will be available, but honestly? I’d recommend clearing your calendar and joining us live. This is your last chance to join, so if you’re interested → Reserve your seat here.

For me.

We called it the HA Brand Strategy Session. And if you know anything about how Choice operates, you know that every single meeting we conduct begins with an intention. A clear, stated purpose for why we are in the room and what we are building together.

This was ours:

I want you to notice something in that sentence. The word “fun” is in there on purpose. Because I have watched too many women build platforms that look impressive and feel like a second job. That was not what I was after.

We essentially ran a mini Choice Collaborative.

The same strategic process we use with our clients. Except I was the actual client. Our team sat across from me and asked the hard questions. We set shared goals. We identified what success actually looked and felt like to me, not what the industry said it should look like.

And then we went to work.

Some of what we were building toward: Drive revenue for Choice. Create a new revenue stream of my own. Grow my influence as a thought leader. Attract aligned clients. And above all else, make sure the work would remain joyful, authentic and sustainable in this season of my life.

We also asked bigger questions. What does Heather actually want to be known for? What does her platform enable for other women and for the business she has spent two decades building? What do we want the audience to say about her?

Those are not small questions. They took real time. And they were worth every minute. What came out of that room was a full roadmap for The Red Lip Life. And on my 50th birthday, that Substack launched at #12 in Business.

Not because of luck.

Not because I had a massive following waiting.

Because of a strategy we built in a room before anyone could see it.

Today I want to pull back the curtain on that strategy.

Not all of it. I am saving the full how-to for our upcoming workshop, because I want you to have the experience of building your own in community, not just reading mine. But I want to give you enough to understand something important.

This is not a mystery.

It is a process.

And it is one you can follow.

Here is the framework we built. And what I would encourage you to build too.

Start with your content pillars.

Before I named the Substack. Before I chose an aesthetic. Before I wrote a single word. We identified the three categories of content I would return to again and again. Content pillars are not topics. They are the territory your voice owns. For me, they became the three sections you see inside The Red Lip Life today. Every letter I write lives inside one of them.

Determine who you are writing for.

Not who you hope will find you someday. Who specifically are you writing to, right now, with the platform and the credibility and the relationships you already have. This question has a real answer. The work is in getting honest enough to name it.

Come up with your name and your value proposition.

The name matters more than most people think. Not because it needs to be clever. Because it needs to be true. And the value proposition is the sentence that tells your reader exactly why they need to be on your list. If you cannot say it clearly, they cannot feel it clearly.

Work through your mood board and aesthetic.

This is not a vanity step. Visual identity shapes how readers experience your writing before they have read a single word. Your aesthetic tells people who you are and whether they belong in the room with you. We spent real time here.

Build a sustainable writing system and cadence.

This is where most Substacks quietly stall. Writers launch with real enthusiasm and burn out by month three because they never designed a system they could actually sustain. Your cadence should fit your life and your season, not someone else’s publishing schedule.

Decide: free or paid or both and when.

There is no wrong answer. There is only the right answer for where you are right now, what you are building toward and how you want to serve your readers at this particular moment. This decision deserves more than a guess.

Map how to bring over your existing audience.

If you already have an email list or a following somewhere, you are not starting over on Substack. You migrate strategically and you care for those readers well from the very first day. We built SOPs around this because the relationship is the whole point.

Launch with a full content bank and a marketing strategy.

I did not publish my first letter and then figure out what came next. I launched with a content bank already built, a marketing plan in place and a clear strategy for driving traffic from every channel I owned. The #12 ranking was the result of preparation, not chance.

Build your Substack site like it is a home, not a placeholder.

Your About page is a first impression and a sales page and a love letter to your reader, all at once. The ways your audience can shop with you, work with you, and go deeper with you should be clear from the moment they arrive. Your site should be working for you even when you are not writing.

That is the framework. You can absolutely take it and run. Steal it. Build it. Make it entirely yours. That is why I am sharing it.

But here is what I want to say to you honestly, as someone who has spent more than two decades helping other people build their brands:

Strategy is clearer when someone else is in the room asking you the questions.

I know this because my own team had to sit across from me and surface things I had been too close to see on my own. That was the gift of the HA Brand Strategy Session. And it is the gift we want to give you.

Which is exactly why we built the workshop.

The Substack Strategy Workshop is a full-day virtual experience on Wednesday, June 3, from 9am to 5pm CT with me and the Choice team. It is designed to do for you, in one day and in community, what took our team weeks of scattered meetings to build for me.

You will leave with your brand messaging, your content pillars, your monetization decision and a complete launch roadmap. Not homework. Not a list of things to figure out later. Work that is done.

There are two paths:

Workshop Only: $1,500

The full strategy day with me and the Choice team. You bring your expertise. We bring the strategy, the structure and a room full of women building alongside you. You walk away with everything you need to launch.

Workshop + Build Bundle: $3,000

The strategy day plus a done-for-you Substack site built by the Choice team after the workshop. You focus on the writing. We handle the build. You show up knowing the Choice team has the rest.

Recordings are provided if you cannot attend live. But I would love to have you there with us in real time.

I need you to hear me on this next part: only 10 seats remain.

This is not a countdown timer on a website. This is me, telling you directly, that the room is nearly full and once it is, it is. We kept this workshop small on purpose. Intimate and hands-on is the whole point.

If you have been sitting on this, today is the day to decide.

Reserve My Spot

If you have questions before you register, reach out to our team at hello@choicemediacommunications.com. Someone will get back to you personally. That is a promise we keep.

Y’all, your platform is waiting. The strategy is not as far away as it feels right now.

Let us help you find it.

Always your fan,
Heather

PS: If you have a Substack already but wish you had launched with a more intentional strategy, I want you to know it’s not too late! Truly. We can help you do this foundational work, reimagine your presence here, and create a plan to grow. Joining us for the workshop is the perfect next step for you. Our team will review your existing Substack, so we’re familiar with it before our time together. You can reserve your seat with us by clicking here. If you have any questions about this, just email us at hello@choicemediacommunications.com.

There is a particular kind of feeling that arrives in May. I know, I know. It’s madness if you have school-aged children, but it’s also when the light slips through the kitchen window earlier than it did a month ago. It reminds me that spring has fully settled in. The days are getting longer. Summer is just days away, and with it, a slower pace. Um, yes, please. And with spring, there’s a fresh round of things I cannot stop reaching for.

I have spent the last several weeks actually living with each of the pieces below. The beauty product that has transformed my skin. The piece in my closet I have already worn more times than I can count. The cleaner that makes the kitchen smell like the version of home I want people to walk into. Nothing on this list is theoretical. Every single item is something I have purchased, used, and genuinely love.

Consider this the Spring 2026 edition of my current obsessions, organized the way I actually live: Beauty, Fashion, Accessories, and Home. A few are quiet upgrades to pieces I already owned. Several are small indulgences I keep coming back to. All of them have earned their place.

One housekeeping note before we go in. Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you decide to bring something home for yourself. I only ever share what I genuinely love and actually use. Your trust is worth more to me than any of it.

Now, let’s get into the edit.

XOXO,
Heather

BEAUTY

Y’all know, since I am firmly planted in midlife, my skincare and beauty regimen is at the top of my self-care routine. Recently, I changed out several products and am absolutely loving the results. In fact, I’ve never been told “you’re glowing!” more in my entire life. One of my best friends texted me last week and said, “You look 30. What are you doing?” I’m here to tell you these new YSE products I have incorporated are a game-changer. Seriously. A recent trip to Southall Farm & Inn’s spa introduced me to this phenomenal rose quartz eye mask that I’m absolutely loving and had to get for myself (from Amazon, no less). You may have seen my IG stories where I shared about the mascara I started using after seeing it on a young woman at a local coffee shop and going crazy over how long her eyelashes looked. She said it was the mascara, so I had to try it for myself. She told the truth! And, it’s less than $10.I’ve included a few must-haves I picked up at the Sephora sale, including a new LYS contour stick and Make by Mario’s bestselling Ethereal Eye Palette that he FINALLY brought back. It’s a personal fave! And, I’m trying out this new blurring lip contour by L’Oréal because a beauty influencer I pay attention to shared how it softens the edges of our lips instead of them being so severe when we line them (which tends to make us look older). I was sold!

• Rose Quartz Eye Mask

• YSE Beauty Xtreme Glow Dewy Peptide Plumping Serum

• YSE Beauty Skin Glow SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Primer with Niacinamide

• YSE Beauty Morning Cocktail Vitamin C Serum with Niacinamide + Azelaic Acid

• YSE Beauty Your Favorite Ex™ Refillable Exfoliating Pads with Glycolic Acid & Ectoin

• MAKEUP BY MARIO Ethereal Eyes™ Eyeshadow Palette: The Original

• LYS Beauty No Limits Cream Bronzer and Contour Stick (Harmony)

• L’Oréal Blurfiller Blurring Lip Contour (Brown Caramel)

• Maybelline Colossal Bubble Mascara

• Prequel Half & Half Peptides + Ceramides Fluid Moisturizer

FASHION

I have several fun trips coming up this summer and fall, and I’ve already been shopping and planning for them. I am not a fan of waiting til the last minute. All the browns and creams are pieces I’ve put together for my trip to Portugal. They feel elevated, but are super comfortable and still so chic. You’ll see a few more casual items I’m loving for the baseball games. I have a new fave pair of pjs that look and feel so much more expensive than they are. You may have seen the light blue shirtdress I wore Easter Sunday. I’ve bought it in a few more colors because it is just the most perfect, easy-to-throw-on-for-anything dress. A spring and summer closet staple! This precious lace cover-up is a must for any beach getaway. And, the little cream floral set, I can’t even tell you how many compliments I’ve received when I’ve worn it. Amazon, y’all! My client gasped when I told her that the other day. She couldn’t believe it. And with Memorial Day coming up, I had to add this classic All-American flag sweater in navy. I can wait to throw it over my shoulders or sling it on with a pair of cutoffs in July, too!

• Women’s Casual Shirt Dress Collar V Neck Button Down (Light Blue)

• Womens 2 Piece Outfit Hawaiian Long Sleeve Button Down Shirt Shorts Tracksuit Lounge Set Shorts Set (Beige)

• Women’s Crewneck Americana Flag Pullover Sweater - Wild Fable™ (Navy Blue Flag)

• Women’s Airy Sleek Pique 1/2 Zip Bubble Hem Collared Pullover Sweatshirt - All In Motion™ (Navy Blue)

• Women’s Airy Sleek Pique Shorts - All In Motion™ (Navy Blue)

• Women’s Luxury Collection Lace Trim Satin Cami - Auden™ (Dark Blue)

• Women’s Luxury Collection Satin Pajama Pants - Auden™ (Dark Blue)

• Women’s Eyelet Swim Cover Up Shirt - Shade & Shore™ (Cream)

• Women’s Eyelet Swim Cover Up Short - Shade & Shore™ (Cream)

• Women’s Sleeveless Knit Pleated Romper - All In Motion™ (Navy Blue)

• Striped Organza Cami Maxi Dress

• Metal Button Tweed Vest & Shorts Set

• Cotton Pleated Maxi Skirt (White)

• Cotton Blends Crop Tank Top (Dark Brown)

• Knit Hollow Solid Tank Top (Apricot)

• Halter Neck Top & Wide Leg Pants Set (Light Brown)

ACCESSORIES

This category is a little bit of a hodgepodge of items because I had to tell you about the new Cherry Spindrift (so yummy for summer - hello healthy cherry limeade)! And, I’ve actually discovered a clean protein shake that Thackston Adams will drink (obsessively, I might add). I’ve included some of my newest faves like a summer tote, the cutest striped clutch, my latest sunnies, and the most adorable jelly bag. If you’re like me and constantly need to clean your wedding ring, this easy, on-the-go pen makes it sparkle just like it came back from the jeweler. Plus, I found the perfect little lobe lifters to help my earrings not fall on the side where I have a stretched ear piercing. They’re also perfect for heavy earrings that you don’t want to stretch your ear out, and naturally, I included the most adorable beach hat and sandals I’ll be wearing all season.

• PAVOI 14K Yellow Gold Plated Lobe Lifters for Heavy Earrings

• Diamond Dazzle Stik - Portable Diamond Cleaner for Rings and Other Jewelry

• Aviator Sunglasses for Women (Tortoise/Gradient Blue)

• Jelly Mini Cage Tote Crossbody Bag - A New Day™ (Brown)

• Women’s Effie Slide Sandals - Universal Thread™ (Light Taupe)

• Women’s Shiny Plastic Shield Sunglasses - Universal Thread™ (Black)

• Gocvo Straw Beach Bag for Women Summer Woven Beach Tote Bag Shoulder Handbags Boho Bag

• Free Assembly Women’s Knit Clutch Handbag (Navy/Blue)

• Time and Tru Women’s Straw Boater Hat

• Time and Tru Women’s Stripe Scarf for Adults with Bold Collage Pattern (Dark Navy)

• Pioneer Pastures High Protein Nutritional Milkshake Vanilla Non-Caffeinated

• Spindrift Cherry Sparkling Water

HOME

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time working on refreshing my home. I love to gather people around my kitchen island, welcome them to crisp sheets on the guest bed, and generally serve as the gracious southern hostess my mother taught me to be. Since I hosted a portion of The Circle retreat in my home, it was a nice excuse to do a few little upgrades that make all the difference. This may seem crazy, but I just replaced every single vent cover with new, decorative antique brass ones, and to say it makes a huge difference is a gross understatement. I’m serious, y’all. I also replaced all our white blinds downstairs with these easy-to-install bamboo roman shades. Transformed the rooms. I updated my outdoor rug to this navy checkered one and also added this burled wood buffet to Matt’s office. Everyone wants it for their home. But the real showstopper in this whole list is Preston Lane’s luxury kitchen set of hand wash, dish soap, and all-purpose cleaner in the high-rise scent. My house has never smelled so good. Plus, it’s all clean products. A total win!

• Decorative Floor Vent Covers, Charlotte Design (Antique Brass)

• Checkered Easy Jute 3x5 Machine Washable Outdoor Patio Rug (Navy Blue)

• No Tools No Drill Cordless Bamboo Roman Shades (Squirrel)

• Preston Lane Luxury Kitchen Set – Hand Wash, Dish Soap & All-Purpose Cleaner (Highrise Scent)

• K 60’‘ High Gloss Burl Wood Buffet Sideboard, Storage Cabinet with 3 Drawers & 2 Closed Cabinets, Modern Buffet (Dark Brown)

I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Red Lip Edit! Tell me in the comments what you’ve been loving this Spring.

❤️ QUICK REMINDER ❤️

PS: Don’t forget that you can now work with me and our team at Choice to launch your Substack (or re-launch it with a growth strategy if you already have one). Our clients are regularly ranking in their respective categories, monetizing, and finding joy in content creation again. We’d love to help you get similar results! If you’re curious, you can click here to learn more now. Please note we’re keeping this intentionally small (only 20 seats), so if you’re interested, be sure to take a look today. I hope to see you there!

On Wednesday night, I hosted a Choice Table gathering from my home office.

It was a Zoom call. Technically. But Zoom is what we used, not what we built. We sent the cocktail recipes, the mocktails, the snacks and the apps ahead, so by the time we logged on, the women in attendance had already decided what they were drinking and what was on the cutting board. We opened with breakout rooms, small ones, because that is what you would do at a real dinner when you first arrive. You get to know each other. We had giveaways. We had a real Substack creator answering questions in real time, transparent about what has worked and what has cost her sleep. The whole Choice Chicas team was there. Our virtual Table was not a webinar and it was never going to be. It is one of the things I am proudest of in this season of building.

And then the questions started coming.

Should I name my Substack the same thing as my book title?

Should I have a personal Substack and a business Substack?

Should I launch for free? When should I turn on paid?

How do I decide what to give away and what to put behind a paywall?

How much time does this actually take?

What are authors doing to promote their books on Substack right now?

I’m so burned out on creating content. Is this just one more place I have to add to my list?

Same room. Same hour. A different woman every time. The questions kept coming.

Here is what I want to tell you. Every one of those questions is the same question wearing a different outfit. It is not really about the name, or the paywall, or the schedule, or the launch. It is one question, asked seven different ways, by women who already know they are sitting on something valuable and are tired of giving it away to a feed that disappears to the majority of their audience. The question, when you listen for it, is this:

One of the most quietly stunning moments of the night came when our client who is already on Substack shared very plainly that she has made more money in a single Substack post than she has across eleven years and more than 65,000 pieces of content on Instagram. Sit with that for a second. Eleven years. 65,000 pieces. One post on a platform she actually owns.

That is not a fluke. That is not a viral moment. That is a structural truth about what happens when an expert woman stops renting her audience.

This season, the women in my world are realizing they have been giving away expert content for free, on platforms designed to keep them performing forever, and they have been doing it on land they do not own. Substack is not just one more place to create content. It is the platform where the rules of value finally start working in their favor. Subscribers belong to her. Archive belongs to her. Monetization is built in from day one, free, paid or both. There is no algorithm sitting between her and the woman who said yes to her voice. She writes. Her reader reads.

That is what I heard underneath every question last night. And it is exactly what The Substack Strategy Workshop is designed to answer.

On Wednesday, June 3, from 9am to 5pm Central, our Choice team and I are hosting one full day, virtual (with recordings if you cannot attend live). We are walking you through the exact strategy I used to launch The Red Lip Life into the #12 spot in Business on all of Substack in its very first week and the strategy we use behind the scenes with our Choice clients. Step by step. Not theory. Real, finished work in your hands by the end of the day. Your messaging. Your content pillars. Your monetization decision. Your launch roadmap.

There are two paths.

The Workshop Only is for the woman who wants the strategy day and is ready to build the site herself.

The Workshop + Build Bundle is the most chosen path. You get the strategy day, and then our Choice team builds your Substack site for you after. Custom banner, bio, about section, welcome email, one round of edits, on a 30 to 90 day build timeline.

We are intentionally only selling 20 seats.

Last night proved to me again that you can build a virtual room that feels like a real one, but only if you keep the room small enough to actually see each woman in it. The Workshop is going to feel that way too. By design.

Sweet friends, so many of you keep hearing you should be on Substack and are not sure how to do it right for yourself. That is the honest sentence sitting underneath every question I got last night. If that is the sentence you have been carrying too, June 3 is the day we hand you the answer.

You were made to create. Not to perform.

Reserve your seat for The Substack Strategy Workshop here.

I will see you Wednesday, June 3!

Always your fan,
Heather

PS: If you have questions about Substack or our workshop, I’m happy to help. You can drop them in the comments or reach out to us at hello@choicemediacommunications.com

When Matt and I got engaged, I braced myself for the fight.

Not a real fight. Nothing that would crack anything open. Just the low hum of tension I assumed two strong personalities were destined to navigate when one of them was the bride and the other was her mama.

I was sure of it.

I was wrong.

What unfolded over those months of planning was the closest my sweet mama and I have ever been. Every phone call about timing. Every discussion about florals. Every fitting, every venue walkthrough, every spreadsheet. She made all of it about me. Fully, completely, and with a softness I will never forget.

We went to at least a dozen bridal salons. A dozen. I was determined to find the dress, and Virginia (my mother, also lovingly called The Flooze by my girlfriends) was determined to be there for every yes and every no. The dress finally found me at the last shop we tried. The one farthest from home. The one I almost talked us out of going to.

I will never forget her face when I walked out of that dressing room. She lit up. Not the polite light a mother gives her daughter to be encouraging. The real one. The one that beams from a place inside her you cannot manufacture. I felt beautiful. And I felt loved. Both at once, from the same look on her face.

When it came down to the details, an important element for me was to thread my own parents through the day in quiet, deliberate ways. Matt and I toasted from my parents’ silver wine goblets. I tucked the very same penny into my shoe that mama had tucked into hers the day she married my daddy. And she hand wrote every single place card for the reception. “Don’t you want to have these professionally calligraphed?” she asked. I told her absolutely not. Her handwriting is beautiful, elegant and distinctive and I was determined to have it on the table.

I have never told her how much that season meant to me. How tenderly I hold those months when I look back. How they sit, quietly, as one of the highlights of our entire relationship.

I am telling her now.

Steel Magnolia

My mother was born in 1940.

If you do the math, she has lived through more than most of us can imagine, and she has done it with the kind of grace women like her carry. Steel and softness in the same hands.

She has survived so much hard. And she has built so much beautiful.

She grew up in poverty. Real poverty. The kind where a child knows what it feels like to be hungry. She did not have new shoes on the first day of school. She did not have the latest of anything. Her own mother raised her largely alone, and the absence of a steady, present father shaped what she would later refuse to repeat.

So when she became a mama herself, she made decisions. Her children would not go hungry. Not on her watch. Her children would have new shoes, and the trends, and the styles they wanted, because she remembered what it felt like to want and not have. Her children would grow up watching a stable, loving marriage between two people who chose each other every day. She and my daddy will celebrate fifty four years this June. They would be present and invested in every activity. From dance recitals to school musicals, from karate tournaments and volleyball games to awards night. They wouldn’t miss a single one.

She was breaking generational cycles long before any of us had language for it.

She took the best of what she came from and carried it forward. She cleared away what did not belong, gently and firmly, and refused to bring it through her front door. She drew lines between what was hers to inherit and what stopped with her. That is the work I am doing now in my own home. And until I sat down to pen this letter, I honestly hadn’t thought of it this way.

What I Carry Because of Her

I am a gracious, Southern hostess because of mama. The way I set a table. The way I greet a guest. The way I want everyone in my home to feel cared for and seen. That is hers.

I am a fierce female leader because of mama. She showed me what it looks like to be a woman with a backbone and a soft heart at the same time. I run Choice the way I do because I watched her run her life that way first. I have a love of language because of mama. Strong English. A reverence for words. The instinct to write them down. A gifted writer became a gifted writer because someone first taught her that words mattered and celebrated that talent. I am a careful keeper of our home because of mama. The rhythms, the small rituals, the way a house can feel like a soft place to land. That is hers, too.

And the most important one. The one I do not say lightly. I am a really good mom to Dixon and Thackston because mama has been a really good mother to me.

Are either of us perfect? Not even close. Are there places where both of us could grow? One hundred percent.

There are pieces of how I was raised that I am holding gently and choosing to leave on the shelf and I trust she did the same with her own mother before me. That is how this works. That is how it has always worked. We take the best of the best. We clear away what we do not want to carry. We hand our daughters and our sons a slightly more beautiful version of the story than the one we were given.

Honor Her This Sunday

Mother’s Day is Sunday, sweet friends.

Wherever you are with your own mother. Whether she is across the table, across the country, across a complicated history or already on the other side of this life. Whatever the relationship has been, or is right now, find one thing you can name out loud.

One thing she gave you that you are carrying forward. One specific gift. One quiet inheritance. One piece of who you are today that is hers. And then tell her. Or tell your children. Or tell yourself. Some of us were given a great deal. Some of us were given less than we deserved and have done the brave, sacred work of building anyway. Both of those women are honored on Sunday. Both of those women are doing the work.

She has never heard me say it the way I am about to say it. Of course I’ve thanked her, but I guarantee you she has no idea that those memories are among my greatest treasures with her.

With so much love,
Heather

P.S. The boys call her Gigi. Watching her with Dixon and Thackston is one of the great joys of my life. She is doing it all over again. The same lit up face. The same generous heart. Three generations in one room and the story keeps turning toward the light.

I have walked onto the Emory University campus with President Jimmy Carter to promote his book Through the Year with Jimmy Carter: 366 Daily Meditations from the 39th President. I have flown back and forth across the country, orchestrating every detail of Robin McGraw’s two-book tours for Inside My Heart and What’s Age Got to Do with It?: Living Your Healthiest and Happiest Life. (Both times I was pregnant with my two boys!) I have toured Marcus Buckingham through the top MBA programs in the country for The Truth About You: Your Secret to Success. I have stood in the back of a chapel at West Point watching Max Lucado address the cadets. I have taken Ernie Johnson through the coveted “car wash” on the ESPN campus in Bristol, Connecticut. And for the last twelve years, I have traveled with Jen Hatmaker on every single book she has launched in that timeframe.

23 years. More airports than I can count. Hundreds of green rooms. 150+ New York Times bestsellers in our company portfolio.

I know what it takes to launch a book.

So when I tell you that the most beautifully executed book tour I have watched in recent memory happened almost entirely from a bed, I want you to lean in.

Going Where It Is Warm

A few weeks ago, Lena Dunham released her new memoir, Famesick. And instead of chasing the traditional press circuit (the morning shows, the magazine covers, the late-night couches that used to define a launch like this), Lena and her social strategist, Dolly Meckler, did something far more interesting.

They built a Substack book tour.

Lena was everywhere on the platform in the days leading up to her pub date. A ‘90s fashion nostalgia trip for Emilia Petrarca. A Q&A on body image and rehab for Health Gossip. A meditation on moviegoing for 11 am Saturday. Live AMA chats. Column takeovers. Notes posts that drove follower spikes she could text her strategist about in real time.

When the writer Casey Lewis at After School watched it unfold, she said:

“I can’t recall a single book launch that has utilized the Substack platform so handily.”

Lena’s own description of the strategy?

“Going where it’s warm.”

That is the line that has been ringing in my ears all week.

Because that, sweet friends, is exactly what we have been quietly doing at Choice on behalf of our clients for the better part of the last year.

How We Have Been Doing This At Choice (Quietly, On Purpose)

For months now, well before Lena’s launch put a spotlight on this strategy, we have been weaving Substack into our clients’ book launches as a deliberate, holistic part of the rollout. Not as the splashy headline. As the steady, quiet engine.

Here is exactly how we approach it.

For every client, we begin by researching the top-performing Substacks in their niche. And not just by subscriber count. We are looking at engagement, the real signal: how many likes, how many comments, how active is the conversation in the threads. A 50,000-subscriber newsletter with a dozen likes per post is not nearly as valuable as a 10,000-subscriber newsletter with hundreds of replies and a robust comment section.

Then we study how those publications actually create. Do they host a podcast through Substack? Do they go live with Substack Live conversations? Are they open to a written Q&A, or would a co-authored piece be the right fit? Every newsletter has its own personality, its own rhythm, its own way of inviting collaboration. So we shape the pitch around what they actually publish, not around what we wish they would.

And then we pitch. Email. DM. Personal note. Just as we would pitch “Today” or People or The New York Times. Same craft. Same care. Same strategic intentionality. Different gatekeeper.

A few examples of where we have placed our authors on Substack to bolster their book launches recently:

• Jen Hatmaker on Gretchen Rubin’s Secrets of Adulthood

• Michelle “Mace” Curran “What Being a Fighter Pilot Taught Me” on The Female Lead

• Jenn Donahue “The Enemy in the War Zone Was Nothing” on Kathy Wu Brady’s newsletter

This is not theory. This is the playbook. And it has been quietly doing some of the most effective work we do for our authors, long before the rest of the industry started paying attention.

Substack Is the New Podcast

In February, I wrote to you about how the media landscape is not what it was. How outrage is outperforming optimism. How the gatekeepers have changed. How smart PR today is no longer about chasing headlines, it is about understanding where attention is going and meeting it there with intention. This is what I meant.

Substack is the new podcast.

By that I mean Substack is the new platform every serious founder, author, and thought leader needs to be paying attention to right now. The way podcasting was the answer five years ago, when we collectively realized people wanted long-form, intimate, in-their-ears storytelling instead of cable news soundbites, Substack is that answer for this season.

Only this time, the medium is the written word. The pace is slower. The relationship is deeper. And the audience is loyal in a way I have not seen on any other platform in more than twenty years of doing this work.

The Math Nobody Is Talking About Loudly Enough

Here is what Lena and Dolly understood, and what I want you to understand too. If you want to build a brand on deep, meaningful, long-form content, Substack is your home. If you are more relationally driven than transactional, Substack is your home. If you want to engage with a smart, well-read, loyal audience that is exhausted by the performative nature of social media (the kind where a fraction of your followers ever actually sees what you poured hours into creating), Substack is your home.

Because here is the math:

100% of your Substack subscribers receive 100% of the content you publish.

Read that again.

No algorithm. No shadow ban. No “the platform decided you do not get to be seen this week.” Every single person who has raised their hand and said yes, I want to hear from you actually hears from you. In their inbox. Where they read with their morning coffee.

Compare that to what is happening on Instagram, where you are lucky if 5% of your followers ever see a given post. Compare that to the chaos and noise of X. Compare that to the diminishing returns of pitching the same shrinking pool of producers and editors at media outlets that are quietly laying off staff every single month.

Then look at what Dolly told Substack directly about the data: “every single Substack follower is the equivalent of many more Instagram or X followers because Substackers are way more likely to follow through and buy a book.”

That is not a fun anecdote. That is a strategy.

Lena herself put it beautifully: “There’s an appreciation of the written word that suffuses this whole place. Most of your readers are also going to be writers themselves, who know just what writing a book takes.”

This is a community of readers. Buyers. Sharers. People who finish the article. People who hit reply. People who pre-order.

Why I Am Not Theorizing About This

I am not pointing you toward something I am observing from the outside.

Not in my niche. Not in my corner of the internet. The Business category. Period.

I am telling you that not to brag, but because I want you to know that as a CEO, brand strategist, and communications professional with nearly thirty years in this work, I am pointing you toward something I am building in real time, alongside the women I serve. I am living the data I am writing about.

I have spent 23 years figuring out how to launch authors and ideas into the world. I have sat in boardrooms with publishers, in green rooms with morning show producers, in airports with very famous people clutching very fresh galleys.

And I am telling you, with every ounce of strategic clarity I have, that this platform is the most exciting development I have seen in long-form publishing and brand building since podcasting found its footing.

If you are an author with a book on the horizon, you need a Substack strategy. If you are a founder building a brand around your name, voice, and point of view, you need a Substack strategy. If you are a thought leader who has been pouring your best thinking into Instagram captions and watching it disappear into a void, you really, truly need a Substack strategy.

What This Season Is Asking of Us

Lena said her father always told her,

“Go where it’s warm.”

In a media landscape that has grown louder, colder, and more transactional by the day, that is the most strategic piece of advice I have heard all year. Substack is warm.

Your readers are there. The writers you admire are there. The conversations that actually change minds, sell books, and build durable brands are quietly happening there, one letter at a time, while everyone else is shouting on platforms that do not even deliver their work to the people who asked for it.

We are not chasing headlines. We are building legacy. And legacy, sweet friends, is built one trusted letter at a time.

Always your fan,
Heather

P.S. Your Personal Invite to Join Me Next Week

The Table by Choice has always been an intimate, invite-only gathering in Nashville. A room full of high-capacity women having the honest conversations that do not happen anywhere else.

For the first time, we are going virtual.

The Table: Substack 101

📆 Wednesday, May 6, 2026 | 6 to 8pm CT
💻 Virtual, join from wherever you are
🎟️ $49 per seat

We will cover what Substack actually is, how it is different from every other platform you have tried, whether it makes sense for your business right now, and what a realistic launch path looks like. No jargon. No overwhelm. Just an honest conversation with women who have done this and can show you exactly what is possible.

Come live, and you will get networking time with other business owners, plus all your Substack questions answered in real time. Cannot make it live? You will receive the recording.

Space is limited. Reserve your seat here.

Have a book coming out later this year or next year?
We’d love to talk about how we can support you with a Substack strategy. You can book a complimentary strategy call with our team here.

I had just slipped into bed. I had flown home from Austin on a late flight, still in that tired-beyond-tired fog that only 48 hours of back to back conference sessions can create. I had kissed Matt. I had pulled the covers up.

And then my phone went off. It was a text from my mama asking if I was still up. She needed to talk, she said. So I picked up my phone and called her. She had an update from my daddy’s doctor appointment that day.

That sentence is when I knew.

The cancer is back.

Thirteen years after they took his prostate out and told him that chapter was closed, it’s back. And could I please come with them to the follow up on Monday. I would know what to ask. I would remember things better than they could.

I sat in the dark for a long time after we hung up.

Here is the thing about being 50 years old with two teenage sons and two parents in their mid-eighties living five minutes up the road. You do not get the luxury of falling apart the way you might have at 15 or 22 or even 30. Dixon had a week of classes and a road trip for their next away game series. Thackston had school, baseball games, fun Saturday night plans. My daddy needed us to stay steady. And my mama, God love her, needed me to let her be the strong one, because that is how she has survived every hard thing life has ever handed her, and I was not about to take that from her now. So I did the only thing that made sense at midnight on a Friday. I prayed. I closed my eyes. I slept the sleep of a daughter who already knew what Monday would look like.

And on Monday, I showed up at the doctor’s office with a notebook, a list of questions, and the steadiest face I could summon. It was time for me to do what I do best. A treatment plan was built and explained around a combination of medications, designed to give daddy a strong quality of life and bring the cancer cells down to almost undetectable (ideally). Checkups every few months to see how it’s working. A quieter fight than the first one, but a fight all the same.

The sandwich generation.

That is what the magazines call this season of life. Sandwich. Like we are a filling between two slices of bread. Like we are something you assemble on the way to somewhere else. I have been sitting with it, and I think I have decided I don’t want a different name for it. I want a different frame. I am not a sandwich. I am a daughter. And I am a mama. I am both at the exact same time, and that is not a problem to solve. It is a privilege to steward.

My daddy’s name is Neal Dixon. If you have ever met him, you already know what I am about to say. He is steady. He is kind. He is the man who taught me that you show up for your people even when it is inconvenient, even when it is hard, even when nobody is watching. He is the first man I ever loved. And when it came time to name my oldest son, there was no question. My Dixon carries his grandfather’s name, his grandfather’s steadiness, and, I pray every day of my life, his grandfather’s integrity.

My mama, his beloved wife of 54 years this year, is a steel magnolia in the truest sense of the phrase. She grew up with a single mama. She went hungry as a child. She has outlived cancer and a brain tumor and lived 30 years longer than her own mother. In 2019, she and my daddy barely escaped a house fire that burned down the home they had lived in for 43 years, the home I grew up in, in Marietta, Georgia. She left the only town she had ever known and moved to Tennessee to be five minutes from us, because that is what love does when the ground gives way.

She is a caregiver and a servant. She does not know any other way. She has been doing it her whole life. And her name is woven into my family, too. My youngest son, Thackston, carries her family name. And fits the bill to a T. Every time I say his name out loud, I say hers. That was intentional.

Now it is my turn. Some of it. Not all of it. But some of it.

And I am learning, slowly, that it is an honor I did not know I was walking toward.

What I’m Learning in This Season

Caring for the people who cared for you your entire life is one of the strangest disorientations I have ever moved through. When did this happen? I keep wanting to ask someone. When did I become the one writing things down at the doctor’s office? When did my daddy become the one glancing at me across the table like maybe I might have the answer? I don’t have the answer. Half the time I don’t even have the vocabulary.

But I have them. And that is the gift.

Here is what I am learning, mostly in real time, mostly in the car, mostly standing at the kitchen counter at 10 p.m.

It is a privilege to care for your parents. Not easy. Privilege. Those words are not opposites, and this season is teaching me to hold them both. My mama and daddy just helped me celebrate my 50th birthday. They were right there. At the table. In the photos. In my life. I will never take that for granted. I am beyond grateful to have them close to me and to my family in this season.

Legacy stopped being an abstract word the night my mama called. It used to be something I talked about in offsites and strategy sessions. It is not that anymore. It is the way my daddy’s name lives on in my oldest son. It is the way my mama’s family name lives on in my youngest. It is all of the ways our people keep living in us long after the rest of the world forgets their stories. Legacy is not a talk. It is a Tuesday. And I’m thinking about my own now more than ever.

Thackston is a Pop whisperer, and they absolutely play favorites. I am just telling you the truth. That boy can get his Pop to do anything. And Pop plays favorites right back. They have their own jokes, their own phone calls no one is privy to, their own look across the table, their own quiet language that the rest of us are not invited into. I used to think I should try to even it out. I do not anymore. Some of the most beautiful things in life are not distributed evenly and this relationship is one of them. I am going to let it be what it is.

When Dixon calls Gigi from college, her whole face changes. She does not need long conversations. She needs to hear his voice. She needs proof that he remembers her, that he is thinking of her, that he is still her boy even from seven hours away. Five minutes on a random Tuesday. That is all it takes.

The magic is not in the elaborate celebration. It is in the Sunday night dinner that we just threw together. The baseball game you drove an hour and a half to get to so you could watch your grandson pitch. The phone call that was just a phone call until it turned out to be the highlight of your day. Presence is the whole assignment. We keep thinking we have to plan the big thing. We don’t. We have to show up to the small one.

My mama and daddy are living their lives for the first time, too. Just like I am. There are generational patterns I am working hard to break inside my own home. And there are beautiful, enduring things I learned from them that I carry with me like a folded letter in my coat pocket. Both are true at once. I am not required to pick between them. That has been one of the quieter gifts of midlife: the freedom to honor what shaped me while also writing what comes next.

A Quiet Ask

Sweet friends, I am not writing this one to tie it up in a bow. I don’t have a bow. My daddy is sick. The care team is kind and competent, the treatment plan is reasonable. What I am asking for is prayer.

For my daddy. For his body to respond to the treatment. For the scans to come back quieter and quieter. For peace to cover him in the waiting.

For my mama. For her to let someone carry her, too.

For Dixon and Thackston. That they keep being the gift they already are to their Pop and Gigi. That they remember this season someday, when they need to remember that their people showed up.

For Matt and me. To stay steady in a year we did not know we were walking into.

“Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

I am casting it. Over and over. Some days I am casting it hourly.

The Middle Seat Is a Front Row Seat

Here is where I have landed, for today. For this week. I reserve the right to feel differently next week.

The season that humbles you is often the same season that hands you its greatest gifts, if you are paying attention. I learned this with Matt’s emergency heart surgery three years ago. I am paying attention now. I am taking notes. I am, somehow, more grateful for my people.

The middle seat is not a consolation seat. It is a front row seat.

I did not know that last Friday. I am learning it now. I suspect I will be learning it for a long, long time.

With love,

Heather

P.S. If you feel moved to drop my daddy, Neal Dixon, a prayer, a verse, or an encouraging word in the comments, I will share every single one of them to him. That is the kind of community I’m honored to be a part of and I do not take it for granted. Not for one second. Thank you for being here. Thank you for holding us. You are sitting in the passenger seat with me, and I feel your love and care already.