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The Flow State - Living the Flexibility You Advocate For


Dear Community,


Recently, I had the chance to be a guest on Just Jared, a podcast produced by the college where I work and hosted by our dean, Jared Auclair. The conversation centered on a question I think about a whole lot: how do we build academic careers, pathways, and support systems that actually fit human lives, rather than asking people to shrink themselves to fit rigid institutional structures?


I shared something personal in that conversation. My own life, I said, is a kind of proof of concept. Northeastern's hybrid workplace model gave me the flexibility to be both a caregiver and a full contributor at work. Without that, I wouldn't have taken the job. That flexibility didn't compromise my productivity or creativity—it made them possible.


But here's the thing: I can't just advocate for these kinds of structures from the outside. I have to live them. And living them means asking myself those hard questions I think anyone navigating a non-traditional life has to sit with. What does genuine self-care look like when your life doesn't follow a conventional shape? What boundaries do I need to protect my mental, emotional, physical, and financial health? What are the real costs and challenges that come with this kind of freedom?


Most importantly: what does it actually feel like?


That last question matters more than it might seem. When I know the answers in a deep, embodied way—not just intellectually, but in what I have personally experienced—I'm able to design programs that genuinely help people and their communities. Lived experience isn't just context, opinion, or perspective. It's the heart and soul of nearly everything..


If you could pass on one lesson you've learned about shaping your life on your own terms, what would it be? And how do you think it might help someone else?



New Podcast Episodes


Episode 38. Lara Aknin: Giving Makes Us Happier Than Getting

With me in this episode is Dr. Lara Aknin, who is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University. She is also an editor of the World Happiness Report, a former Fellow with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and recent Chair of The Lancet’s COVID-19 Mental Health Task Force. She talks with me about research that shows giving substantially increases our happiness, and what that could mean for us on a day-to-day basis.




Upcoming Classes


  • Monday, May 11 @6:30pm CDT: Music Monday Warm Yoga: Michael Jackson at Forca (Russellville, AR)

  • Tuesday, May 12 @7:30pm EDT: New Video Release (watch here)

  • Wednesday, May 13 @6:30pm CDT: Fascia Release Yoga at Forca (Russellville, AR)

  • Saturday, May 16 @4:00pm EDT: Florence + The Machine Inside Flow Power Yoga at The Inferno (Fitchburg, MA)

  • Sunday, May 10 @10:30am EDT: Florence + The Machine Inside Flow Power Yoga at Waverley Oaks Athletic Club (Waltham, MA)




With gratitude,





 
 
 

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