Finding the I in the Storm: My Year of Storm Chasing

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”― Haruki Murakami

It was happening again. The now all too familiar loss of equilibrium. A disturbance in the force that lifts me from my grounded center like a tornado repossessing a house from its foundations in a dizzying, disorienting spiral.

Intense emotions start to transform my inner landscape, turning a grounded calm into a swirling maelstrom. A cacophony of voices descends out of nowhere, stealing my inner peace. It’s suddenly so loud that I can no longer hear myself.

My stomach drops as I watch my inner knowing whoosh out of sight. My connection to the truth of who I am and what I hold dear growing ever more faint as I am teleported into an alternate reality, watching the known world disappear.

2021: My Year of Storm Chasing

I’m not sure what kind of year you’ve had but for me, 2021 has felt like a class 5 hurricane. A series of them actually. I started the year feeling grounded, peaceful, and strong. I had found my keel and was confidently, joyfully navigating the rough, transformational waters that 2020 brought to our collective ocean. I was connected to my inner wisdom, aligned with my soul’s purpose to bring the gifts of Contagious Vulnerability to the world, and riding a wave of momentum and direction that I’d been preparing for through dedicated, intentional practice.

Then the storms came. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I called them in and embraced them head on. I often describe myself as the calm in the storm, but the truth is that as I reflect on my life’s journey, I’ve always been a storm chaser. My curious seeking and passion for self-discovery predisposing me to meet — even seek out — big energies with fearless, often ungrounded enthusiasm.

The Startup Vortex

The first storm was a professional one. A dear friend offered me a spot on the founding team of a cutting-edge, biotech startup on a bold mission to change the face of medicine by redesigning how we detect and monitor diseases. I got to define the brand voice of this new entity from scratch and bring it to life through copywriting and content creation as their Head of Experience, the resident humanist on a team of brilliant scientists and technologists.