HOW TO HOLD JOY WITHOUT SHAME

Processing the wildly bifocal nature of this life at the moment and thought you may find value in this note too. 💞

_______________

"You can grieve and giggle on the same day.

You can cry in the morning and host a workshop at night.

That doesn’t mean you’re out of touch.

It means you're in full contact with life.

You don’t dishonor the suffering by dancing.

You dishonor it by forgetting why the dance matters.

So let the birthday party matter.

Let the road trip matter.

Let the homemade peach cobbler matter.

Not as denial—but as devotion to the living."

_______________

If you’re feeling stretched between grief and gratitude, beauty and heartbreak, I see you.

If this speaks to you, and you’ve got a body of work the world may need now more than ever...check out the PS below.

This moment is calling more of us to the mic.

And you don’t have to drop the kids, the grocery bags, or your blood sugar to pick it up.

P.S. In case you missed my last email (subj: an all-hands-on-deck lifetime), these are the kind of subject matter experts I'd love to support through my work -- geeky genius types whose wisdom feels especially needed in this moment.

Pros I'd love to help keep in the game specialize in fields like:

📱 Digital habits for mental health hygiene

🧠 Nervous system tools for real-life regulation

🌱 Somatic practices for grounded decision-making

🖍️ Play-based connection tools for early childhood stress support

🎨 Creative practices for adult resilience and joy

🤍 Caring systems for aging parents and loved ones

💞 Community and resources for caregiver burnout

🩸 Functional nutrition for pre + perimenopausal health

💻 Simple systems for smoother small biz + family life

📜 Estate planning for emotional and logistical relief

🔥 Everyday sensuality for play and pleasure

🔋 Off-the-grid life tips for digital + climate resilience

👗 Style and beauty for expression without decision fatigue

💰 Values-led philanthropy for dignified, sustainable giving

🪐 Astronomy insights for awe-inspired perspective and presence

📝 Community organizing for everyday collaboration (online + off)

🎭 Humor as a tool for healing and truth-telling

🍎 Curriculum design for accessible, usable learning

🧐 Critical thinking tools for curiosity and nuance

🤖 Ethical AI conversations for practical decision-making

If you’re a pro in one of these areas and want support bringing your ideas to life (and the internet) in a way that honors your health, your relationships, your whole-life rhythm... ♻️

Let’s talk.

More people need to know what you know, sooner rather than later.

Hi 👋 I'm Nikki (Elledge Brown).

Writer, podcaster, and creative advisor for brilliant women who love their work, their people, and their alone time.

As a professional overthinker who believes strongly in INTEGRITY > BALANCE, it's my nerdy pleasure to create and share tools, questions, and frameworks that make it easier to feel good about how we’re showing up — on paper and in practice.

Around here, living like a whole human is the way.

That's what we call On Her Terms® living.