Porcini Dreams, Swiss Lakes, and Substack Hunches
Sharing the Elixirs: Dispatches from The Lab. Week 25
This is Spoiler Alerts, your backstage pass to everything unfolding inside The Heroine’s Adventure.
Whether you’re here to chart your own Heroine’s path (and only want the Heroine’s Adventure content), or you're watching how I build this narrative-fueled business from the inside, or both, there’s something in here for you. Think of this as a dispatch from the Lab: part story, part strategy, part behind-the-curtain.
Skim what calls to you. Skip what doesn’t. It’s your adventure.
Hiya Heroines! Due to travel, I’m a little behind on my Elixir Sharing, so there are lots of goodies coming in your immediate future 😊 Today we are reaching all the way back to Week 25!
(BTW - spell check just corrected “Heroines” to “Heros".” Seriously? Is it trying to piss me off?
Field Notes from the Elsewhere
From wherever I was, to wherever you are…
In Switzerland, the sailboats bobbed gently on Lake Lucerne, the sky turning syrupy pink behind them. I watched them from the slim slice of shade on the edge of the passenger boat. My hair whipped across my face, while the villages passed like postcards I half-recognized. My mum was beside me, grinning like a girl on her first adventure. And in that moment, I wasn’t orchestrating a nostalgic pilgrimage. I was just… there. Fully. The water, the sun, the laughter, all of it more real than the version I’d imagined for years. It turns out that presence is the real destination. Just being in the moment.
In a lakefront hotel room on Lake Maggiore, I lay down for a "pisolino" with all the windows open. The sound of water lapping gently against the dock drifted in. I love that sound from our home in The Bahamas. It's steady, familiar, and anchoring. I’m usually five steps ahead (planning, solving, anticipating), but that afternoon? I wasn’t chasing anything. Just being. Water does that to me. Always has.
Earlier in the week at Ristorante Ghiara, we had dinner on the terrace we’ve sat on a dozen times, and I finally got to share the view with my parents. I’ve talked about this spot over the years (With my midlife brain fog, I've probably told them about it a dozen times). Now they were here too, sipping wine with the Apinines in the distance, showing off their green glory, looking so innocent while hiding the secret world of porcini mushrooms and truffles beneath the tree canopy. Roberto told me that every year the Assistenza Publica gets called out to help people lost on those mountains. They wander in with dreams of porcini riches (the knowledge of fertile spots are guarded by families through generations), and some never emerge. You can die out there. And people do.
And then there was my dad (the boss, forever composed, forever dignified), trying to deal with a disposable hairnet so we could tour the "Casafecio" (Parmesan cheese factory). Normally, he’d balk, mutter, refuse. But this time? He twisted it sideways like a jaunty little beret and wore it proudly. I have a photo. I won't share it because he would kill me, but I will always treasure it.
One night, I spoke to a friend after a breakup. Again. This was the second time he decided he "wasn't comfortable with her energy." And what struck me was how often women try to reshape themselves around someone else’s lack. We contort, accommodate, and over-analyze. But this time, she didn’t need fixing. He didn’t rise to the occasion of celebrating the core of who she was. So I listened and reminded her of that. (I reminded myself, too.)
Tools for Your Journey
What I built or released this week to support your path…
🧭 Pocket Quest: The Elixir Method
A 4-day ritual for catching your own transformation in the wild (in the format of this newsletter). Learn to track what actually matters so your life doesn’t just shift, it sticks.
🌀 Narrative Shift Week 25: I’m overwhelmed by change
This one hits deep. A belief reframe for those swimming in too many transitions, and craving one clear plotline. Final draft polished and ready to fly.
Behind the Scenes – In the Workshop
Modeling Momentum: What I’m shaping, testing, or sketching right now…
I had a great call this week with a Substack friend who introduced me to a new app-building platform called Lovable. I know, I know, shiny object alert! But honestly? It’s delicious. The kind of tool that makes me want to whip up magical digital goodies for you all (Elixir Tracker, anyone?). I’m resisting for now. But watch this space.
Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to get more organized behind the scenes so I can release the Adventure Quests at a steadier clip. My daughter (who’s now slaving away as a pastry wizard in Brooklyn) used to help with formatting, but her new schedule is a croissant-stuffed chaos machine (with a 4:30 am start!). We may need to pivot our working rhythm or make even bigger changes. I’m planning a deep dive strategy session soon, and when I do? You’ll get the download. We’re riding this arc together.
You may have noticed fewer Substack Notes from me lately, which is partly because I’ve been on the move, but partly because… engagement didn’t really dip, which is wild. Substack seems to be shifting toward rewarding conversation more than clicks (Note comments, post opens, post comments, cross-posts). I have no proof yet; this is just a hunch. But if it's true, it means community matters more than ever.