Weekly-ish stories for people seeking depth and meaning.

I'm Janelle Hardy and at some point you signed up for this newsletter on memoir-writing, somatic (body) healing and stories. If you'd like to leave, just click the unsubscribe link at the bottom.

"disappointed in you..." on eating humble pie

That feeling of 'oohhhh nooooo!' combined with a tightening clench in my stomach.

It happened twice last weekend.

First, I messed up on a call with two colleagues.

As if that wasn't enough, not much later, I had my biggest professional screw-up to date.

On Saturday, after an unexpected and very welcome room change to a much quieter room at the coliving space I'm in for four months, while attending a beautiful baby shower, designed in multiple stages which started late then extended over many hours, with different themes and a late dinner, I lost track of my calendar, the day, the time, and my obligations.

On the one hand, I was in the beautiful flow of life, living what was unfolding in front of me.

On the other hand...

I accidentally no-showed as a live presenter at the beautifully curated and free Write Your Own Way Summit, scheduled for 8pm France time.

Some of you may have been one of the more than 200 people who set aside time to learn from me, left waiting and wondering.

Not only did I make the summit host's lives more difficult, but I inconvenienced everyone who planned to attend (or watch the recording later).

For that, I'm very sorry.

I've spent my life working hard to avoid disappointing others, and also feeling like it's never possible. I've felt a painfully constant burden of responsibility, starting as the eldest of 4, then spending my 20s, 30s and now 40s as a solo parent.

A friend who was at the baby shower told me the next day, "oh, it was so nice to see you so relaxed!" and then I shared how I messed up.

Relaxing can feel like catastrophe, because things start to get dropped, things that have required a hypervigilant state to juggle (side note - this is a classic nervous system overcoupling, and even thought it can feel like it, it's not true that relaxing results in catastrophe!)

I've been reflecting on mistakes, responsibilities, grace and disappointment.

Despite 8 years of working hard to not drop the ball on professional commitments and obligations, it was my turn to be the one who messed up.

It's painful to disappoint people. I'm a responsible person who takes my commitments seriously.

It's also true that mistakes happen.

And as much as I am eating humble pie right now, I appreciate the reminder that I am human enough to make many mistakes, and that screwing up is an opportunity to practice repair as well as a reminder to extend grace to myself and to others.

Sometimes these things just happen, despite multiple email reminders, calendar alerts and every other effort to keep myself on track.

The great news is, the summit hosts and I found a solution!

I'm teaching my Shifting Resistance and Writer's Block Workshop (I think it's called Overcoming Blocks Using Somatic Practices in the summit) today. In about 5 hours. Still free. A replay will be provided.

Sign up for my free workshop and the Write Your Own Way Summit here.​

And you better believe I've got a note on my hand that says 'summit' and timers set every half hour starting 3 hours before my presentation so that I don't mess up a second time (CAN YOU IMAGINE?!?!?!)

xoxo,

Janelle

PS - I am a VERY big fan of the Social Venture Institute's (SVI) Virtual Conference.

• February 6-7 + workshops over the following week
• 👉 Learn more and sign up here 👈
• If you believe business can and should drive social and economic transformation, you belong at Social Venture Institute.
• With somatic and arts-based facilitation, SVI taps into intuition, emotional intelligence, and creativity—qualities often overlooked but essential for transformative leadership.
• It's facilitated by the best team I've been around, curated like a dream, and offers opportunities to connect, learn and share your knowledge.
• Highly highly recommend if you're an entrepreneur, business owner or non-profit, plus it's priced in CAD at an amazing rate.

PPS - my friend Damarise's 10-day Sensing Bodies Retreat in Brazil is extraordinary!

• March 11-20
• 👉 Learn more and sign up here 👈
• This is round two. I attended the first iteration in 2023. If you love dancing, culture, music, and are seeking kindred spirits, sunshine and the beach, THIS IS FOR YOU. You won't regret going.
• Also, the pricing is ridiculously low, and in CAD. Lodging options are cute and also affordable. I'd be going again if I weren't otherwise occupied living in a castle in France.

PPPS - Take 2! Come to my live and free Shifting Resistance and Writer's Block Using Your Body Workshop

• Tuesday February 4th, 1pm Pacific Time | 4pm Eastern Time | 9pm CET
• 👉 Sign up for free here 👈
• This Summit is designed to help you find your unique approach to writing–so you can gain new tools for your toolbelt and finally finish your book, with 35+ amazing presenters.
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