Why it didn't change everything.
And why that turned out to be the point.
A year ago, I was gearing up to publish my first book.
And I thought it would change everything.
I thought it would open doors.
I thought it would create opportunities.
I thought it would finally quiet the voice that said I needed to prove myself.
And in some ways, it did.
But not in the ways I expected.
My biggest lessons came after things got quiet.
After the excitement.
After the congratulations.
After everyone moved on.
After the thing I thought would change everything... didn’t.
And it forced me to face all the stories I’ve been told—and have told myself—about my power.
My worthiness.
My value.
Myself.
Every one of us has a version of this story.
The promotion.
The relationship.
The marriage.
The divorce.
The baby.
The degree.
The business.
The move.
The vacation.
The weight loss.
The thing we convinced ourselves would finally make us feel different.
Finally make us feel better.
Finally make us feel seen.
Finally make us feel enough.
And then it arrives—and we’re still us.
The most important transformations are rarely the ones that happen in public.
They’re the quiet ones.
The ones that happen after the cameras leave.
The ones that happen after the achievement is announced.
The ones that happen when we’re finally left alone, without attention.
Because what if the thing you thought would change everything didn’t out there—because the real work was building beneath surface—in here?
I haven’t been named a New York Times bestseller.
I wasn’t asked to be on Oprah’s Book Club list.
I didn’t book The Today Show.
And I thought that meant I failed—and that I should let my book die.
But I shouldn’t.
I can’t.
I won’t.
She is more alive than ever.
Which is why I’m launching the Hype Women Book Salon Series.
On July 29, I’ll be gathering with a small group of women in Chicagoland for an evening of conversation, reflection, a live reading, audience Q&A, a book signing, nourishing food and celebratory beverages.
For our inaugural salon, I’ll be reading from one of my favorite chapters in HYPE WOMEN: Serve Yourself First.
The chapter tells the story of a Mother’s Day that changed my life.
The conversation that follows will explore everything that happened after.
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what comes next—after the thing you thought would change everything doesn’t—I’d love to have you in the room.
xoxo,
Erin
'And then it arrives — and we're still us.' That line did something to me. The quiet after the achievement is something nobody prepares you for. Thank you for writing this so honestly.