hola Reader!

three years ago today, i boarded a flight from Cartagena to Toronto that i didn’t plan for, nor did i want to be on

it wasn’t for a vacation.
or an adventure.
it was one of those flights you take when life cracks you open and everything feels like too much

i felt scared. overwhelmed. exhausted

crying in the airport
blubbering at the check-in counter
holding my breath through customs and layovers and gate changes

and yet, somehow, i feel like i was carried all the way home

☁️ by strangers who handed me tissues
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☁️ by airport staff who hugged me mid-security line
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☁️ by the woman sitting next to me who simply said nothing and held silent space as i cried into the window

i’ve been traveling the world and living abroad full time since 2018, but that was a journey that changed everything for me

it was a journey that took me home in more ways than one

💔 to the place where i held my mom’s hand as she lay in a coma, and kissed her goodbye before she drifted into her forever sleep
🕊️ to the version of me that understands now how love and loss are forever intertwined
✨ to a deeper knowing that grief and joy are not opposites - they’re companions

that flight reminded me of something i now carry everywhere i go:

we don’t have to hold it all together to be worthy of kindness
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our soft, messy, emotional selves deserve to be seen, too
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we are never too much for the right people
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and sometimes, the journey itself becomes the healing

so if you’re in a season that feels heavy
if your heart is tired or your spirit’s a little bruised
i want to remind you:

you’re not alone
your emotions are not flaws
and you’re allowed to keep showing up, exactly as you are

because being human is brave
and loving yourself through the mess is the real win

so this week, i’m moving a little slower
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i’m holding my heart
i’m remembering and honouring who i am
and i’m celebrating the version of me that keeps going, even when it feels really hard

if you’re feeling any kind of way right now,
consider this your permission slip to pause and love on yourself extra gently

so wherever you are reading this from - whatever you're carrying today - i hope you can take a deep breath and let it be enough

sending you a huge hug through the screen today in case you need it too 💞

ps you don’t have to do it all alone, and you don’t have to wait for things to fall apart to get the support you crave ✨
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with grief, gratitude and so much love,

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​ hola, i'm Kerri Leigh 💕 Self Love & Transformational Travel Coach + Catalyst guiding sensitive souls to follow their happy and live a (guilt free) life on purpose too! ✨ instagram | free goodies | work with me 1:1 ✨ join the Self Love Experiment Membership 💕 for weekly vibe checks & loving reminders to ditch the negative self-talk!

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