A Year of Devotion
A personal journey
Looking back at 2024, I was caught off guard at a moment when I thought I'd be celebrating life. After successfully recovering from breast cancer, I found myself unexpectedly debilitated by pain and depression due to severe estrogen deficiency. The decline was so gradual, I didn't notice until it overwhelmed me. Simple math became challenging after a workday, my energy to step outside vanished, negative thoughts circled endlessly, and even lifting my tea mug became a struggle. While I could function, my usual vibrant energy and joy in life had disappeared.
In my inner journey, one question kept emerging: "What am I devoted to?" The gap between how I was expressing myself and my true Self grew wider each day. The pain led me to seek refuge in work and quick dopamine hits rather than feeling my feelings. Work became my sanctuary – the only place where pain seemed distant. My devotion had shifted too heavily toward work and survival, leaving little room for living fully in my body and being present. Instead of honoring what made me truly alive, I was just getting by.
This year taught me even more than my experience with cancer. I learned that living life fully means feeling truly alive – having the desire and energy to wander in nature, feel the wind through my hair, and hear birds sing. It means breaking free from survival mode to pause, breathe through the pain, and focus on what genuinely matters.
The year of 2025 will be a Year of Devotion.
Year of Devotion is a series of five immersive, two-day experiential retreats in Boulder, Colorado, created in collaboration with Amy Reichlin. Together, we explore one essential question: "What are you devoted to?". This inquiry illuminates the space between our aspirations and actions – both internal and external – revealing where our behaviors may not align with our deepest desires. Our Year of Devotion begins Valentine's weekend, February 14-15, 2025.
Join us: February 14-15 | April 12-13 | June 14-15 | September 6-7 | November 8-9, 2025