On what it really costs to live this big and why it’s worth it.

I am landing. Softly, gratefully, breathlessly but landing. And before I move into the next chapter, I need to pause and honor what just happened.

This past month has been one of the most abundant, stretching, and sacred seasons of my life and career. I’m calling it my Expansion Era. And I want to be clear from the jump: it was not easy.

It was hard — genuinely, deeply hard.

I cried every week. The healthy kind, the releasing kind, the “I don’t know if I can do this but I’m doing it anyway” kind. And I leaned into Spirit and kept going anyway.

This is that story.

What this month held:

• Produced a 2-day celebratory gala + 5 year anniversary + community revival with 175 total attendees including The Real & Radiant Speaker & Artist Showcase — 4 featured speakers, 4 featured artists for my non-profit, Embrace.
• Completed a 12-week training and got certified as a The Big Talk Academy Speaker
• Got my first talk coached, directed, and filmed at a 3-day speaking intensive in NYC with Tricia Brouk, Founder of The Big Talk Academy
• Delivered my first speech: “I Couldn’t Find Her. So I Became Her.” live on stage!
• Facilitated 3 workshops for Adobe including the Global Workplace Experience Team and the Adobe Wellness Offsite alongside Late Nite Art
• Completed a 10-month Creative Facilitator Training program with Adobe and Adam Rosendahl in partnership with Late Nite Art
• Facilitated a team connection workshop for Patreon Engineering Offsite. Thank you Niki Lustig !
• Hosted 3 screenings for Spirit at Work, a short film I co-produced about spirituality and entrepreneurship sponsored by Fetzer Institute
• Hosted 2 mastermind gatherings for Embrace’s purpose-led entrepreneurs network
• Traveled to Miami for my first sister trip with my Day One, Lauren Wong!
• Held a full branding + styling client load with my team of six at Creative Muse Studios

If you’re tired just reading that, I hear you! It was a massive undertaking AND I’ve learned that when you’re on an Expansion Track and a seat opens up on a rocket ship and it’s time for you to fly, you gotta go!

But what made it possible? Not perfection. Not superhuman capacity. Here’s what actually carried me through.

1. Doing the inner work — without compromise. I never stopped journaling, praying, getting into nature, doing my forgiveness work, kickboxing, taking Epsom salt baths, and resting.These practices are critical to my success. And I knew that without tending to myself, none of this was sustainable. The inner work isn’t separate from a big life. It’s the foundation that creates a big life.

2. Building a community that levels you up. I’ve intentionally invested in deep friendships, community, family, and a support system of high caliber people who also operate at a level of excellence and honesty. These people, along with my spirit team, business teams, and beloved ancestors held me when I couldn’t hold myself and leveled me up when I needed the push. We are not here to do this alone. It takes a village to change the world. My life and my people are living proof of that.

3. Aligning your work with something greater than yourself. In my community we say, “With Divine Vision comes Divine Provision” and Spirit has provided it all. When I didn’t know, when I was overwhelmed or scared, I gave it to Spirit. I asked for help, I trusted, I surrendered and Spirit showed up generously every time.

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Expansion isn’t always an easy process, it’s scary, uncomfortable and will have you at your edge. There’s things you can’t take to the next level: limiting beliefs, self-doubt, fears holding you back. Growth can be painful but it is so worth it.

For those of you leading big life missions and living in your own Expansion Era: I see you.

I see your behind the scenes struggle. I see your early morning hustle.

I see your post-event recovery and the clean up that no one else wants to do.

I see your courage, I see your heart, I know there’s a cost.

And yet, we’re each here on our journeys of becoming. And we owe it to ourselves, our ancestors and our descendants to become the greatest expressions of ourselves we can be. That’s why we’re here!

I stand at the end of this monumental month, Victorious. Looking back, feeling proud and receiving all the beauty and bounty. This is what it means to take it to the next level. This is what it means to FULLY LIVE.

For those of you who on this path…I see you. Let’s go!

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Written by: Lotus Malana Wong, CEO of Creative Muse Studios, helping visionary leaders embody their soul’s expression through brand, style & storytelling.

Explore more at www.creativemusestudios.com  

Connect with me on Instagram: @lotusmalana 

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