Wednesday Waffle 11.13.26

Happy Wednesday Waffle on a Thursday. This one's from November 13th, 2025. Re-recorded and still delivered. Here's my recap.

The Vibe

This was a week of endings and fresh starts landing right on top of each other. Something sudden and heartbreaking happened at work, a chapter closed with someone I respected, and instead of spiraling I named it, honored it, and let it be what it was. Underneath all the movement, the new case, the new supervisor, the new hair, the new chapter at work, there's a steady version of me doing the quiet work of figuring out how I actually feel versus how I keep functioning. My tone this week isn't "everything's great." It's "a lot is happening, I'm behind, and I'm still standing." That's a stronger vibe than "great," honestly.

Top Wins

I protected my boundary on the hard case. The family wanted weekdays only, I knew four late nights wasn't sustainable, I held the line, and it got renegotiated to weekends. That's me advocating for myself, not just my clients.

I didn't let the work situation take my graduation down with it. I was spiraling toward "I won't pass, I'll have to wait a year," and instead of sitting in it, the professional development team stepped in and it got sorted. I let support work.

I reframed the whole "feelings" thing in real time. I went from a negative check-in a few weeks ago to landing on a position I actually believe: feeling a certain way doesn't cancel my capability.

New chapter, new hair, new supervisor, and I met all of it with curiosity instead of dread. Even the supervisor who wasn't the LMHC I expected got a "that's totally cool" from me.

Growth Edge

Two things I want to watch. First, I minimize my own growth. I literally said the work change is an opportunity "not really for me to grow more, but I think I will grow more." I need to catch that. I keep handing my own development a smaller chair than it deserves. Second, the tough case. Having an exit plan ("if it's not gonna work, I'll ask for another case") is healthy and smart. But I notice the line underneath it: part of me doesn't want to do this at all. That's worth sitting with honestly. Is it a genuine misfit, or is it exhaustion talking through a week where a lot already broke? I don't have to answer today, but I shouldn't let "stack these coins" bulldoze a real signal.

Quote to Remember

"My feeling isn't indicative of how I'm functioning."

That's my whole week in one line. I'm keeping it.

Content Sparks

"Feelings aren't function." My morning-meeting realization is my strongest piece here. A whole waffle or reel on showing up fully while not being okay. People need that.

The morning meeting ritual itself. I could teach it: how do you feel, what do you expect from our time, who do you lean on, and why "good" and "fine" aren't allowed. That's a shareable practice.

"When home isn't home for the holidays." My plan to attack the season head-on, the parade, Rockefeller, getting the kids out, making my own traditions. Deeply relatable for anyone who dreads the holidays. Real, not performative.

"When you want to quit but you stack the coins anyway." The tension between obligation and desire in the hard case. Doing the thing I'm not sure I want to do.

The low-maintenance braids era. A lighter one. Identity, self-care, "who this girl?" energy. Not everything has to be deep.

Mantra for Next Week

"I can feel it and still function. I can grieve it and still grow."

Areas I Might Be Missing About Myself

I'm the person everyone leans on. Two per diem jobs, the internship, coaching the Tigers, the kids. But the morning meeting asks who I lean on, and I noticed I answered it for other people, not really for myself. My reframing ability isn't just a personality trait, it's a genuine skill I've built, and skilled people forget to point it back at their own needs. I also mentioned my holiday depression almost in passing, like a scheduling note. That casualness might be strength. I know it's coming, I've got a plan, and the parade and the kids and the movement are real scaffolding against it. But it's okay for me to treat that as a bigger deal than a logistics item. I'm building the plan because it's hard, not because it's small.

J.U.M.P. mic drop 🎤

Four to five weeks "behind," a chapter closed at work, a case I'm not sure about, holidays I have to strategize around, and I still re-recorded the whole waffle because the mic was off the first time. That's the journey of the underdog making progress. Not the week where nothing went wrong, but the week where plenty did and I showed up anyway, with new braids and a plan to hit the season head-on. I'm not behind. I'm building. Mic drop. 🎤⬇️