Hey Reader,

A year ago, July 1, actually, I rolled into my new driveway at 9pm. The summer darkness, still warm.

And my parents rolled in with me, taking our tired bodies into an empty apartment, air mattresses in hand and Tillie sniffing the perimeter of every room (my little bodyguard that she is 🐈).

Nashville. My new place.

Alllll the way, 12 hours away, from my sweet Nebraska.

I had moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, *temporarily* in December 2023, two days after Christmas, to “see who I might be without seasonal depression.” And after a few months away from home in a new city, I felt like the Lord was giving me an opportunity for something new, something different — hands outstretched, saying —

“Allea, would this be fun for you?”

And being the overly-responsible middle child and business owner (who loves bookkeeping and order and oh my gosh I’m so fun at parties, I’m sure you can imagine), I was like —

“Wait, that’s an option? To do something for fun?!”

…
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So I did. I returned to Nebraska, packed up ALL of my life’s belongings and moved to Nashville proper.

I did the freaking brave thing.

You should know that I am one of TWO people on my dad’s side of the family (the other being my cousin Ben) who don’t live within 2.5 hours of the Grummert homestead.

And now I’m 12 hours away.

That’s a BIG FREAKING DEAL!

And yeah, I cried.

But —

Here’s what I’ve learned about myself in the last year and a half of being in a new place, away from my comfortable home of Lincoln, Nebraska, and only having phone calls tying me to some of my best friends and my dad.

Maybe you need to hear this too:

You can do brave things

Even if it feels risky, you can always return home. You might sign a one-year lease or try releasing a new product and pitching it to your list — and you might change your mind and go back to where you started.

There’s no shame in that.

There’s only bravery untapped, creativity waiting to be explored, and you’re not a failure for trying and it not going as planned — you’re stretching and learning.

My niece helped me pack up in Nebraska, so while I was unpacking at my new place in Nashville, I saw this sweet note from her. 🥰

You can make connections, new friends, community

I know that I’m wired differently — like, my friends make fun of me alllll the time that I could “make friends with a brick wall.” They’re not wrong. 😂

But if you’ve lived in the same place for 17 years, like I did in my college city, you wonder how much of it (friendships) happened TO you, not because of you.

Now here in a new place, I see that I have actual hard-fought, time-tested skills at making friends. I’m out here planning coffee dates and texting new friends to go for long walks and getting involved with my church.

It wasn’t until I stepped out of my comfort zone that I realized, “Hey, gosh-dangit, I really can make friends anywhere!”

And you know what that does? That shows you that the world is bigger and there’s room for you in a new place; you’re no longer limited to the small circle/city/mindset you’ve had. By leaving something behind — even if you love it — you’ll see just what you’re capable of.

Whatever that is for you, it’s been there all along, it’s just hidden.

Go find it.

You need things that keep you grounded

It’s not a weakness to need support. So with anxiety and my sidekick Lexapro. My church with my sidekick of gals in small group. Or being 12 hours away and getting to Facetime my best friend and her kids.

These things keep me grounded. I can be both brave and need support.

I can both grow my business and do it at a pace that feels good for me.

I can work hard and end my day at 3pm because I need fresh air and sunshine like a sappy little house plant.

​Like I talked about in last week’s email, having a “menu” of ideas for what you need to feel grounded has helped me even when things feel shaky or unknown.

Oh, and Tillie. Tillie, my sweet girl (I’ve had her for 2 years as of this month!), is my most grounding physical presence. And she’s hilarious.​

What things do you have in your life that help you stay grounded? Balanced?

I know we typically keep our convos about email marketing, and I’ll be back to that next week, but this felt like too good an opportunity to reflect on what I’ve learned — and encourage you too.
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What stood out to you about my story? What’s something you relate to?

Reply back and let’s chat!

Allea