Awakening. Growth. Becoming.
A journey of growth, discipline, and becoming HER…one step at a time.
123, 567...
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123, 567... 〰️
123, 567.
123, 567.
I say the numbers repeatedly through each step.
Counting as the music plays.
Counting while the instructor guides.
Counting. Counting. Counting.
Dance, in my opinion, is a combination of freedom and structure.
Freedom to move your body to the delicious rhythm and melody. Letting go and allowing the music to guide you. Being fully present in the moment.
And structure, because at least for me, there are steps to take and routines to learn. A guide on how my body should move, or at least which direction to take.
At first, the structure is loud.
You think about every step.
Every turn.
Every count.
123, 567.
123, 567.
Somewhere between the numbers and the rhythm, as I continued with my lessons, I started noticing something.
Something begins to shift.
Eventually, the structure quiets.
It’s still there, but not on the surface anymore.
Freedom becomes the guide.
First, you learn the steps.
Then… you feel the steps.
The steps become less robotic, less stiff, and you begin to feel lighter, at least internally anyway. You escape into the melody, and the outside noise fades into silence. Thoughts pause, and in that moment, it’s just you and the rhythm within you, enjoying life for the beauty it can be.
Dance is also about connection.
It’s fun to connect with others and recognize that, even if just for a moment, we share something in common, the enjoyment of music and movement.
We move.
We sway.
We step on each other.
We lose count.
We laugh.
And we keep dancing.
We come from different backgrounds. We carry different stories. Yet one melody connects us, at least for a moment.
And honestly, when I mess up, because I do as a beginner, I truly laugh at my mistakes.
I smile at my dance partner, and they smile back, continuing to lead me. Reminding me not to stop. Reminding me that it’s not a big deal.
I am reminded, let the music move you.
Dance has been a great mood booster for me. There’s research that shows how beneficial dance can be for mental and emotional health, but honestly, I don’t need data to tell me that.
I feel it.
I enjoy the feeling of letting go.
Feeling soft.
Feeling whimsical.
Feeling joy through each step.
So, I take that as a lesson in life.
123, 567.
123, 567.
Don’t stop.
Feel the rhythm.
Keep moving to the music.
Even when you miss a step.
Even when you lose count.
Even when you feel unsure.
Keep moving.
Because eventually…
the rhythm finds you.
And when it does,
you don’t just dance.
You live… for HER.
A New Beginning… Again
Ten years ago, I created a blog on WordPress, and my very first post was titled A New Beginning. I was stepping into a new chapter of my life, moving to Colombia, eager to discover who I might become in a completely unfamiliar place. At the time, I didn’t fully understand the depth of that decision, but I knew something inside me was ready to grow.
That blog no longer exists. The words I once wrote there are gone, except for a single snapshot that reminds me it once lived. But even though the blog faded, the journey it represented never truly disappeared.
Then life happened. I moved back to the states.
Responsibilities grew. Demands increased. I poured into everyone else’s cup and slowly stopped pouring into my own. Without fully realizing it, I paused myself. I paused my dreams. I paused the parts of me that once felt alive with possibility.
I choose to say paused, not lost.
Lost feels permanent, like something gone forever. But that was never the case. Deep in my heart and mind, the dreams I once carried never truly disappeared. The life I always desired lingered within me.
There were whispers of HER… Quiet reminders drifting in and out, nudging me to remember who I was and who I could still become.
The whispers of HER grew louder when the fear of silence became suffocating.
Silence no longer felt peaceful, it felt heavy. It felt like I was standing still while life kept moving around me. And somewhere deep inside, I knew I didn’t want to stay paused any longer.
I didn’t want to keep shrinking.
I didn’t want to keep waiting.
I didn’t want to keep living quietly inside my own dreams.
I wanted to live. Fully. Boldly. Authentically.
And so, here I am… starting again.
Not because I feel completely ready. Not because I have everything figured out. But because I’m tired of waiting for the perfect moment that may never come.
Starting this blog feels vulnerable. It feels uncertain. But it also feels necessary.
Because this time, I am choosing myself.
This time, I am betting on myself.
After feeling that relief, I realized something deeply important, HER deserved so much more from me.
For too long, I poured into everyone else while slowly neglecting myself. But not anymore.
I promise to never abandon HER again.
She deserves my attention.
She deserves my energy.
She deserves my care.
She deserves my LOVE.
She deserves me to finally pour into HER.
All Bets on Me
In the summer of 2025, two events occurred in my life.
The first was a heartbreak I didn’t see coming… again the rug was pulled from under me. I thought to myself, I have been here before, why does this happen to me? What am I doing wrong?
The second was a chance I took to progress in my life.
The heartbreak became another lesson learned but at the time, it was painful. I felt embarrassed. It hurt in ways I wasn’t expecting. This time, the pain was toward myself. It was me finally taking a good look at myself and asking…what are you doing? What happened to HER? Too many years have passed, and once again you are putting HER to the side- for what? For whom?
So, a shift began to unfold. The resilience that was molded within me took over.
I was molded to move forward, no matter what.
And so, I did.
I chose to go back to school and pursue a second master’s degree. Yes, a second masters. Why? Well, I remember telling myself, enough is enough. Take a chance. Learn something that can take your life where you want it to go.
During that time and into the fall of 2025, I also began focusing more on my health- mentally, emotionally, and physically. I wanted to feel strong again. I wanted my body to remind me that strength still lived within me.
In December of 2025, I finally finished something I had started years ago, a memoir that began during my college years. Completing that memoir allowed me to release and let go of events from my past that had been holding me back.
Writing those words was freeing.
Writing those experiences down… and letting them go… felt like opening a door I had kept closed for too long.
I wrote down the fears. I wrote down the pain.
And in doing so, I began to let them go.
So, when New Year’s Eve arrived, I knew exactly what I needed to do.
That night, I sat down alone. I turned on my camera.
I needed to hear my own voice say it out loud. I wanted to document this moment because it was a moment of promise, a moment of courage, a moment that signified a step into betting on HER.
So, I told myself, now that you have let go…
it’s time to bet on yourself.
I told myself that 2026 would be the year that I bet on me.
That I would become stronger.
Healthier.
Braver.
This would be the year where I take chances.
Where I put myself out there.
Where I begin the process of building the life meant for HER.
And that night, I promised that I would pour into HER.
Her dreams.
Her strength.
Her determination.
Her smile.
Her laughter.
Her love.
Her adventures.
Her opportunities.
Her desire to live the most amazing life…
and create the life she has always wanted.
2026 is for HER.
And this time…
ALL BETS ARE ON ME.
Locked In: The First Months of Betting on Myself
When I made my promise on New Year’s Eve that 2026 would be the year I bet on myself, I knew that words alone wouldn’t be enough.
I needed action.
I needed consistency.
I needed discipline.
And so, the first two months of 2026, I locked in.
Every Monday through Friday in January and February, my alarm rang at 4:30 in the morning.
It wasn’t glamorous.
It wasn’t exciting.
Most mornings, it felt repetitive.
But I got up anyway.
Some mornings were quiet. Some mornings were hard. But every time I rose before the sun, I reminded myself why I started.
Every early rise was pushing me closer to my dream life.
Not instantly. Not magically. But steadily… day by day.
I worked out. I pushed my body. I got in my zone.
After my workouts, I went to work. And when I came home, I shifted my focus to my master’s courses.
Then the next day…
I did it again.
And again.
And again.
Because the truth about growth and discipline is that it often looks boring.
It’s repetitive.
It’s structured.
It’s showing up even when no one is watching.
But what looks boring on the outside is often building something powerful on the inside.
Every Sunday, I prepped my meals for the week. I reviewed my schedule. I made sure I was staying on track.
That was discipline.
That was commitment.
That was me honoring the promise I made to myself.
During this time, I also made another bold decision, I signed up for a Spartan race.
I had always wanted to push my body in a way that reminded me what this five-foot-one frame is capable of. Signing up for that race gave me another reason to stay consistent. It became fuel for my workouts. It became proof that I was serious about becoming stronger.
Then March arrived.
By that point, I was already working on my health, my fitness, and my education, but I realized something else was missing.
I needed to come out of my shell.
I needed to feel soft.
Fun.
Free.
And I knew exactly how I wanted to do that, through movement.
So, I returned to something that once brought me joy… salsa.
Years ago, I had taken salsa lessons for a few months. Back then, I was searching for the same feeling I am searching for now, the feeling of freedom, laughter, and expression.
So, I signed up for salsa lessons again.
And here I am, years later, doing something that feels familiar, but also completely new.
Now, I am not anywhere near a great dancer. I fumble. A lot. I have what feels like two left feet most days. But the feeling of stepping outside my comfort zone, letting go, and allowing rhythm to move my body is freeing in ways I didn’t expect.
I laugh.
I meet new people.
I enjoy the process.
And that’s the beauty of it.
Growth isn’t always loud.
Sometimes it looks like early mornings.
Meal prepping on Sundays.
Studying after long days.
Signing up for things that scare you.
Showing up… even when it feels repetitive.
The first months of 2026 weren’t flashy.
They were disciplined.
They were repetitive.
They were intentional.
But most importantly… they were proof.
Proof that I could do it.
Proof that I could stay consistent.
Proof that I could show up for myself, even when it was hard.
And somewhere in those quiet early mornings, between the repetition and the discipline, I began to trust myself again.
Not because everything became easy…
but because I kept showing up anyway.
Every early rise was pushing me closer to my dream life.
And with every day that passed, I wasn’t just building strength-
I was proving to myself that all bets on me was the right decision.
Her In Progress: The Meaning Behind the Name
Somewhere along this journey, I realized that I wasn’t just rebuilding my life-I am becoming the woman I always dreamed of.
That’s where the name Her In Progress came from.
To me, Her In Progress is the process of becoming the woman I have always seen in my mind, even during the times when I doubted myself.
I see her.
I see her confidence.
Her boldness.
Her strength.
Her laughter.
Her beauty.
Her adventures.
Her excitement.
Her tears.
Her joy.
Her love.
Her life.
Her VALUE.
She moves with purpose.
She sees her dreams with intensity.
She is fearless.
She loves immensely.
She lives fully.
But HER isn’t created overnight.
HER is created and molded through the progression of growth.
The progression of experience.
And the progression of cultivation within herself.
That’s why the words In Progress matter so much to me.
Because progress means allowing myself to grow without rushing the process. It means understanding that strength isn’t built in a single moment- it’s built through daily effort, repeated choices, and lived experiences.
Progress means learning.
Progress means failing.
Progress means rising again.
Progress means becoming.
There was a time in my life when I believed that I had to feel confident before I could act. That I had to feel ready before I could begin.
But life taught me something different.
You don’t become HER all at once.
You become HER through the moments that challenge you.
Through the experiences that shape you.
Through the courage to keep growing, even when it feels uncomfortable. Because it will feel uncomfortable.
Her In Progress is not about perfection.
It’s about cultivation.
It’s about nurturing the woman within me. The one who dreams boldly, moves with purpose, and refuses to give up on the life she knows she deserves.
Every experience shapes her.
Every lesson strengthens her.
Every step forward builds her.
And every day that I show up, try again, and keep moving forward…
I am becoming HER.
Not perfect.
Not finished.
But growing.
Learning.
Living.
Becoming.
And when I look at HER-the woman I am becoming…
I feel admiration.
Admiration for finally choosing herself.
Admiration for doing the hard work.
Admiration for refusing to give up on the life she once only dreamed about and now is working hard to create it for HERSELF.
HER isn’t about luck.
It’s about courage.
It’s about discipline.
It’s about showing up.
Showing up again and again, until the life you dreamed about starts becoming the life you live.
HER… is in progress.