Dear Lovely Reader,
Last week, I wrote about returning to wholeness in a fragmented world, about turning down the noise. This week, that reflection has me thinking about the things we’re chasing.
We chase validation.
We chase success.
We chase accolades.
And we like to tell ourselves it’s for higher reasons, to help, to serve, to make a difference. Sometimes that’s true. But if we’re honest, there’s often something deeper at play.
What if, instead of chasing, we aligned?
What if we moved closer to what’s true for us, even when the world tells us to “be yourself” but punishes us when we do?
I recently interviewed Annalie Howling about her book Unapologetic. It made me think about what it would mean to truly show up for nothing other than being ourselves. No proving. No performing. No polishing the edges so others will approve.
It’s not easy. Being ourselves can be polarising. People have opinions. We fear shame, rejection, or misunderstanding. So we live in the contradiction, wanting to be authentic, but holding back parts of ourselves to feel safe.
And yet, the deeper truth is this:
Rather than chasing external success, what if we started walking ourselves home, to our hearts, our bodies, our souls? Out of our heads, away from the endless proving, back into the wholeness we already carry.
This isn’t about abandoning desire. We can still want, aspire, and choose. But it’s about asking: Why am I doing this? Am I chasing something under the guise of “helping” or “doing good,” when really I’m seeking approval, love, or belonging?
Imagine if everyone told the truth about their motivations.
Imagine if the people who seem the most secure admitted they were still seeking validation.
It would be raw. Confronting. Human.
Sometimes, the reason we chase is to avoid the parts of ourselves we don’t want to meet. The shadows. The blind spots. The places that feel too tender. Meeting those parts takes time, patience, and gentleness. It’s not a one-step leap, it’s a slow unravelling.
So I’m inviting you to sit with this:
What are you chasing?
Why are you chasing it?
What would it look like to slow down?
There’s no right or wrong answer. Life keeps shifting. Experiences change us. But each time we ask these questions, we have an opportunity to come back to ourselves, a little more honestly, a little more wholly.
I’m in this process too. I’m meeting my own blind spots and shadows. I’m learning, often imperfectly. And I share this because we’re walking each other home, together.
I’d love to hear your thoughts share with me here or on Instagram @thehannahwallace.
Come and listen to my fellow TEDx speaker Tania Gerard all about “Making marketing accessible”.
This was such an interesting conversation, I hope you enjoy it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!
The latest blog post is up, have you read it yet ?
This weeks card is from Kyle Gray’s “The Divine Masters” oracle deck.
This week’s card, Gaia – Resilient Spirit, feels like exactly what we need after such an intense and unpredictable cosmic period. Recently, things have felt higgledy-piggledy, communication scrambled, energy swirling, and now Gaia is calling us to return to the earth, to trust, and to root ourselves once again.
As we re-emerge, this is a moment to reclaim, reconnect, and gently step back into your own space. Take time to feel into what you want life to look like now. Stay anchored in trust and faith, even if recent challenges have tested both.
When life feels uncertain, it’s easy to lose faith, in ourselves, in others, in the unfolding path. But as we move into Virgo energy next week, the invitation is clear: trust yourself. This grounded energy offers the stability we’ve been missing, and reminds us of our personal resilience.
We’re heading into the final quarter of the year, making this the perfect time to lay strong foundations. Being rooted now means you’ll step into the last months of the year feeling equipped and steady, rather than stuck in your head and disconnected from yourself.
Resilience doesn’t have to mean sacrifice or struggle, it’s about remembering that you can come back to yourself no matter what you’ve been through. Small earth connections, walking outside, feeling your bare feet on the ground, sitting in the sun, even in micro-moments, help restore that connection.
Some weeks, resilience looks like simply taking one step at a time without knowing exactly how it will all unfold. This week, let that be enough. Keep moving forward with trust and faith, even if they feel far away. By the time you arrive where you’re meant to be, you’ll look back and realise you were building strength all along.
Take your time. Stay rooted. Trust yourself.
I hope everyone has a good week ahead, do share this with anyone who may enjoy this, I really appreciate the support.
All my love
Hannah X