Happy 2026. In this video I’m talking to my fellow self-sufficient, hyperindependent, “strong friend” women—the ones who hold it all together and make it look easy. If you’re the kind of person who’s disciplined, routined, and praised for doing everything on your own, I see you… and I’m also calling you out a little. Because the truth is, “self-care” can become just another task, another ego-boosting checkbox, another way to avoid asking for support. I share why it’s not that self-care is useless (I’m a breathwork teacher for a reason—your breath can literally change the direction and pace of your mind). It’s that for people like us, it doesn’t end at baths, journaling, and meditation. A lot of us already know how to self-soothe and survive alone. The real invitation for 2026 is to push softer: to surrender, to let yourself be seen, and to stop performing strength for love or validation. What’s actually changed the game for me is community—spaces where you can show up as you, be witnessed, and remember you can’t heal in isolation. That’s why I host Connected Camping and why I built The Exhale as an online breathwork-based home for go-getters, overthinkers, and overachievers—so you can practice regulation and connection together.