What the Journey Has Taught Me

August 15, 2026

Another trip around the sun has occurred, and I have grown deeper into the multidimensional, empowered woman I was meant to become.

Yesterday—the day before my birthday—I had the honor of traveling to a gem show in Massachusetts with Darya and our mentee, Reanna. There and back is twelve hours of driving, and we never even turn the radio on.

We’ve done this trip dozens of times with other dear friends, and one of my favorite parts has always been the deep conversations along the way. We have brainstormed some of our best ideas with trusted friends during those hours, and I’ve had many revelations on those drives.

Yesterday was no different.

We were catching Reanna up on some of the current events at Dragonfly, including my almost sharing my space adventure. That led us into conversations about the history of the people who have come along on our Dragonfly journey—some who are still with us, and many who ultimately were not aligned with our values.

Ten years ago, I was a very different woman.

I was beaten down and struggling to break free from a toxic, abusive relationship.

I was trusting.

I was fascinated with all things spiritual.

I was naive.

I invited people into Dragonfly who I truly believed held the same values, beliefs, and frequency that I did. And when they started, everyone else believed that too.

But as they established themselves, there were signs.

Warnings.

Moments of uneasiness.

Things that didn’t quite feel right.

And I told myself it couldn’t possibly be true.

How could someone working in the spiritual field not be on the same page?

Sadly, I learned that being spiritual does not automatically make someone ethical, kind, trustworthy, or aligned.

I have had some incredible teachers, mentors, and relationships that have brought me to where I am today. They have shown me parts of myself that I needed to strengthen.

I had to learn to set boundaries.

I had to learn to say no.

I had to learn to trust what I felt.

And I had to learn to release.

Every one of those people I welcomed with open arms and an open heart into my space—my sanctuary.

And I loved every one of them.

I will always honor the good I saw in each of those people and also the good times we had before they showed me who they were.

There were things that happened that I never could have imagined, especially from people I had loved and trusted so deeply. The hurt ran deeper than I ever expected.

But I do not hold any ill will toward any of them.

I will not speak badly about any of them. (Though if you ask me point-blank what happened, I will always give you an honest answer).

There is a difference between speaking badly about someone and speaking truthfully about your own experience.

Today, I keep my circle small.

I have a beautiful group of souls surrounding me who I know hold the same frequency, values, and alignment that I do.

I have one mentor left whom I value tremendously for his honesty and integrity.

And I am incredibly blessed that I have survived every one of those lessons and emerged a better version of myself than I was before.

I am not bitter.

I still love people.

I still believe in people.

I still welcome people in.

But I welcome them differently now.

With an open heart and discernment.

With love and boundaries.

With compassion and self-respect.

I no longer believe that protecting myself makes me unkind.

And I will never again allow myself to be manipulated, coerced, or put myself in a liable circumstance for anyone.

Ever again.

Maybe that is one of the greatest gifts these trips around the sun give us.

We don’t have to become hardened by what has happened to us.

We can become wiser.

We can continue loving deeply without abandoning ourselves.

We can recognize the lessons, honor the teachers—even the painful ones—and choose differently when the lesson comes around again.

Another year older.

Another layer deeper.

Another version of myself released.

And another step closer to the fully empowered, multidimensional woman I was always meant to become.

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