An Update from Asheville, NC

Hi friends,

It's been a while since I've been in touch. I was intentionally taking some time this summer and fall to be quiet, be intentional, to get clear about what's next for me in my work and in the world. My friend Liz told me that this phase of my life with young children is a time to chop wood and carry water, and I took that to heart. I've been diligently tending to my family and myself.

However, I'm here to share that everything changed the last week of September, and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it. You may have heard that Western North Carolina was hit by Hurricane Helene, hundreds of miles from any coast, and the outcomes have been beyond devastating. My family was lucky: our home is intact and we are alive. There are many people who cannot say the same about their families. There have been many casualties, people stuck on mountains with no way to get down, roads have been washed away, and homes were floating down the Swannanoa River at the end of our street that Friday afternoon.

To say the damage to the place we live is catastrophic doesn't even seem to scratch the surface of what our community is experiencing.

My family and I initially evacuated Asheville because our home didn’t have power or running water, like many people in our area. Navigating that set up with two very young children was nearly impossible. The highway to my mom's house no longer exists due to landslides, so we took an 8 hour route instead of the 2.5 it normally takes. Since the power has returned, we are back in Asheville. We still do not have potable, sediment-free water. It’s looking like another month at least before that could return, but there is no real timeline.

I am reaching out to let you know that there are ways to support our community. I am constantly in awe of the good work Beloved Asheville does here, and I am confident that any donations you would like to make to them will be used with care and integrity. They are on the ground daily, working tirelessly to support folks of all walks of life in getting their basic needs met.

I also want to share that I am offering $100 off all of my virtual courses for you (so each course is $49). My business, like many here in WNC, will be hit hard by this experience and I don't know exactly how I'm going to support my family. I am practicing trusting how all of this will unfold, and I am also practicing asking for help and learning to receive. If you would like to support my family, please consider purchasing a course for yourself or someone you love. You have lifetime access and your contribution will mean so much to me. You can use the code COMMUNITY at check out. Please share with folks you know who may be interested, too. If you do not wish to purchase a course but you would like to support me, you can "buy me a coffee" here :)

Thank you for your support over the years. I believe this time is going to be transformative for all of us who have been impacted, and I know we will come out on the other side stronger, wiser, and kinder because of what we've been through. I am feeling, I am grieving, I am trusting.

I appreciate you. Community is everything.

Warmly,
Elizabeth