It’s been 3 months since the last sala edition dropped. I’ve been creating, grieving, traveling, meditating. Procrastinating. Resting. Living. On my own time.

I saw a video the other day that shook me a little. It said time is still, and we’re the ones moving through it.
Like, we’re the car, and time is the map. You might be headed to L.A. or New Jersey or wherever and they are different routes, different distances, but either way... you’re still going to get there.

That’s how I’ve been feeling about my life lately. About this work. About the timing of things. I’m not behind. I’m not late. I’m not rushing.
I’m on my timeline. And it feels so good to be here. I’ve felt so much pressure and guilt not releasing editions of my newsletter. Then I realized it’s this self-imposed pressure I’ve placed on myself. Maybe consistency had to look different this season to allow room for what else has been happening in my life.

and with that, I’ve also been thinking a lot about chasing vs. attracting.

I watched an interview recently with Big Sean and Jay Shetty — and something Big Sean talked about was how he no longer chases anything. He focuses on attracting. Because when you move with the energy of chasing, you're already operating from the belief that what you want is running away from you. Out of reach.

Whewwww. That hit.

Because honestly - I've been deeply immersed in what brings me joy, curiosity, creativity... and it’s wild how things have been flowing toward me. Without the force. Without the burnout.

Even with all the chaos around us — the headlines, the heartbreaks, the heaviness — I’m learning there’s still space to fill our own cups.
Still moments where what’s meant for us can come with ease.
Where it’s not about the grind but about the grounding.

In doing so, I’ve been able to go to the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival for free, spend some time with Tabitha Brown, attend Michelle Obama’s live recording of her podcast IMO, see Bad Bunny twice in concert in Puerto Rico...all while planning a big festival. But more on that later.

Summer recap

So this summer, I experienced what felt like two homecomings.

1) Martha’s Vineyard (Noepe) African American Film Festival

I got to experience this year’s MVAFF as both a vendor and a creator. I worked side by side with my cousin at her mobile café, Hasta Luego Friend - pulling espresso shots, pouring coquito lattes, cafecitos, and capturing content for our business. I also partnered with Sourced to create content for a brand partnership while I was there.

This festival was more than an event. It was a vibrational shift. A portal. An ancestral alignment. Gratitude isn’t even the right word. It wasn’t just a feeling, it was a power source. Everyone was present, everyone was thankful, and you could feel it. Every conversation, every smile, every performance carried this sense of family reunion—like our souls were speaking to each other, like our ancestors were beaming right back at us.

Watching Sinners surrounded by everybody Black hit so much harder than the first time I saw it in theaters. Every day brought new connections, and every moment felt like an opportunity to nurture the bonds we were building with the festival team.

On the last day, I had what felt like an out-of-body moment. We began at Inkwell Beach, hundreds of us moving together in the polar bear ancestral tradition—Black elder women leading us through water aerobics, meditation, call and response. At one point, as voices rose and we turned to face the sun, I felt chills take over. They told us to leave our pain, our stress, our grief in the water. That the water could carry what we could no longer hold. In that circle of hundreds, it felt true. It felt healing.

We ended the trip serving drinks from the café to Gayle King, Naturi Naughton and her husband, Tabitha Brown and her family. One of our videos even went viral when we created a special drink in honor of Issa Rae…her team saw it, and now we’re in conversation.

So many blessings poured out of those ten days. Connections made. Opportunities sparked. Relationships rooted. It all felt bigger than us, like our ancestors were moving things in our favor.

2) Bad Bunny’s “No me quiero ir de aqui” residency experience in Puerto Rico

I thought I felt inspired at MVAFF but Puerto Rico amplified that feeling tenfold.

After everything our island has endured - colonization, gentrification, displacement- Bad Bunny created a space that called us home. He gathered people from all over the world, especially Puerto Ricans from the diaspora, and gave us a container to celebrate who we are. For a few hours, 18,000 of us sang and danced together, vibrating at our absolute highest. It felt like a homecoming, like our ancestors were dancing right alongside us.

One moment, in the middle of it all, I closed my eyes to meditate. The crowd disappeared. The music pulsed through me. Everything else felt so small as the noise was drowning out. I thought, I don’t know how, but I’ll be here again tomorrow. And I was— lol I came back alone the next night and, in the magic of synchronicity, still ran into friends.

When he performed Debí Tirar Más Fotos (DTMF), I broke down in the best way. That song isn’t just about pictures “I should have taken more photos” it’s about the longing to hold on a little tighter, hug a little longer, say “I love you” one more time to those that have died in our life. There’s also a double meaning that serves as a love letter to our beautiful island of Puerto Rico. Since losing my aunt in a car accident last October, right after my birthday, I can’t hear that song without thinking of her - and of the 35 other souls I’ve had to say goodbye to.

But I don’t believe death is the end. To me, it feels like an expansion of consciousness, a thinning of the veil where I can still feel my loved ones. Just how I do everyday, but especially at the polar bear plunge at Inkwell Beach, and now..again…singing with strangers that feel like familia. All of this reminded me that joy and grief can coexist and that our energy continues long after we’re gone.

This experience moved me so much that I tattooed the album cover on my arm, complete with the two little white monobloc chairs. If you’re Puerto Rican, you know those chairs are more than plastic - they’re memory/nostalgia, community, a place at the table. For me, one chair is mine, and one is for my aunt. A reminder that she (and all those I’ve lost) are always welcome to sit with me.

Some experiences don’t just inspire you, they rewire you. Puerto Rico did that. Bad Bunny did that. My cousin, my community, our ancestors…they all did that.

It reminded me that I don’t need to chase what’s mine. I can stand right here, grounded in who I am, and let it come. I can create from exactly where I am, with the tools, the creativity, and the love I already carry.

What about you— have you had an experience that shifted your energy and reminded you of your own power?

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As I continue reminding myself of my own power and reflecting on these powerful summer experiences - I’m pouring that creative and ancestral energy into something close to my heart: planning the third annual Día de los Muertos celebration with my friends, all local entrepreneurs here in Hartford, CT. Together, we’re creating something special right where we are, using what we already have, and inviting our community to build it with us. It’s been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.

That’s it for this week.

I’m carrying these moments with me into the next season. Wishing you ease, light, and reminders that you’re right on time. Keep attracting, keep creating, keep honoring your own timeline.

con amor,

mimi 🧡