Hey Subscriber Full Name,

Spring has this exciting energy to it. The world starts moving faster — everyone pivoting, planning, posting their Q1 wins.

And if you've spent any part of Q1 quietly building, healing, or simply slower than usual, it's easy to wonder if you've fallen behind.

I had surgery at the end of March. My first one ever — a laparoscopy to remove a septum in my uterus, endometriosis and a cyst from my ovaries.

Post surgery, I spent five days of Netflix and absolutely no working. My mind, of course, had other plans. It kept running through my to-do list, my emails, the ideas I hadn't written down yet.

But my body was very clear about what it needed. And I listened.

Honouring your body isn't a productivity strategy. It's a practice — one most of us have never been taught.

This issue is an invitation to recalibrate with me. To welcome the spring renewed energy while also continuing to support balance in our lives and well being.

ONE THING I’M UNLEARNING:

YOU HAVE TO GRIND ALL THE TIME TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

Going into my surgery, I was worried that my recovery would affect sales for Inner Code.

I had some marketing content and email campaigns planned, but I had so much anxiety from thinking that taking too much time off the business would mean things would crumble.

Boy, was I ever wrong. I had amazing sales in March, and even hit a record daily sales number.

This was the proof and validation I needed: working all the time doesn’t mean a more successful business.

Sometimes, you just need to trust that you’ve done good enough, and to let go of control. Let things pan out on it’s own.

Rest time is necessary, and it helps you come back to your work even more refreshed, more creative, and stronger.

And especially as women, I think it’s more important than ever to take care our physical and mental.

Our bodies don’t run on 24 hour clocks like men. We have hormones that fluctuate, that ebb and flow, that impact our energy levels on a week to week.

And sometimes, we just have to honour the lows, and take advantage of the highs.

A HEALING PROTOCOL:

BEDTIME AFFIRMATIONS.

I used to cringe at affirmations. They felt like a self-help cliché. But there are nights when the monkey brain just will not quit.

No amount of magnesium, ashwagandha, journalling could shut my brain off. So I've started reaching for something I didn't expect to actually work: listening to positive affirmations before I fall asleep.

My favourite ones are from Lavendaire on Spotify — they're soft, slow, and don't feel performative. I put them on low, close my eyes, and within minutes something in my nervous system starts to settle.

Here's why it works:

In the 20 minutes before sleep, your brain naturally shifts into what's called a theta wave state — the same low-frequency brainwave associated with deep relaxation, meditation, and hypnosis.

In this state, your analytical, "gatekeeping" conscious mind quiets down. Your subconscious becomes far more receptive to new input.

Research published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience found that affirmations activate the ventromedial prefrontal cortex — the region linked to reward and self-valuation — which helps the brain start treating those affirming messages as emotionally true.

Over time, through neuroplasticity, those new patterns can actually replace older, more critical thought loops.

Morning works for the same reason — your brain is transitioning back from sleep, still in that soft, receptive state before the day's noise takes over.

A RECIPE I’VE BEEN LOVING:

HORMONE SUPPORTIVE LUNCH

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Sweet potato

• Can of sardines

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Organic spinach

• Roasted sesame seeds

• Pumpkin seeds

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Sautee spinach in olive oil with salt and top with sesame seeds.

2. Steam sweet potato until soft and garnish with pumpkin seeds.

3. Crack open a can of sardines.

During my luteal phase, I drink my Inner Code tea which has ingredients to support digestion, estrogen clearing before your period, and support your mood! Use this link for 10% off cycle syncing teas!

A TOOL WORTH YOUR ENERGY:

BRICK — HOW I FINALLY STOPPED DOOMSCROLLING

One thing I’m super ashamed about is my screen time. It got to a point where I was on Instagram for 2-3 hours a day… and sure part of it is “work” because I have to post for my personal brand and for Inner Code, but I found myself mindlessly scrolling way too often.

I would catch myself grabbing my phone and opening up social media for no reason at all. It became second nature.

I tried to using the “Downtime” feature on the iPhone, but it didn’t work. I kept ignoring the screen time usage and allowing myself to scroll.

Thank you for reading this issue of The Art of Unlearning. Have a topic you want me to cover next month? Drop me a note hello@artofanna.com — I respond to every email!