Somewhere between Seattle and Seoul — Seat 44J, a complimentary upgrade from a kind gate agent — I felt something shift.

Maybe it was the hum of the airplane.
Maybe it was the feeling of leaving my “old” life behind and flying toward a new one?
Or maybe it was the word Seoul itself — a city I wasn’t even stopping in, yet the name alone felt like a message.
Soul.
A connection to another world. A reminder to connect with my own.

I had 12 hours in the air and nothing to distract me except my own thoughts, a window seat, and a 2009 movie I somehow never watched until now: Julie & Julia.

As I watched Julie & Julia, I felt this ache in my chest — not a sad ache, but the kind that forms when you recognize yourself in someone else’s journey.

Julie gave herself 365 days to finish something.
Something she started… and actually completed.

And I realized:
I have started almost every dream that ever crossed my mind… but I’ve rarely stayed with it long enough to see it bloom.

New collections I’ve designed but never released.
Blogs.
Travel series.
YouTube channels.
Business ideas.

I’ve always had the vision — but not the consistency.

I convinced myself that writing “wasn’t my strong suit,”
that content creation was an up hill battle with the current algorithm.
that my dreams needed more money,
that I needed to be more “qualified.”

But at 36,000 feet, I had a moment of uncomfortable clarity:

Who said any of that was true?

We really do invent these limiting beliefs that keep us small —
beliefs that convince us we’re unprepared, unqualified, or not “that type of woman.”

But always ask myself:

“Why not you?”

Halfway across the world, I asked myself again:

Why not me?
Why not now?
Why not start…and finish something?

This post marks the start of something bigger than a trip to Bali. (I just landed more on that soon.)
It’s the beginning of a 15-month journey I’m calling A Year & A Dream —
my commitment to reinventing my life with discipline, faith, creativity, travel, and courage.

Over the next 15 months I will:

Not for perfection.
Not for applause.
Because i said so and now I have a deadline meet.

See you next Sunday?

Some people wait for the perfect moment.
Mine came in the form of a long-haul flight, a window seat, two movies, and a reminder that transformation often starts quietly.

If you’re reading this, welcome to Chapter 1.
A Year & A Dream begins now —
and I’m finally giving myself permission to become her.

Why not me?
Why not now?

— Womanaire Next Door