In 2022, I hit a wall.

Not a quiet, subtle wall—a full-speed, headfirst kind of crash. I was burned out, depleted, and drowning in hustle culture disguised as ambition. My business was running me, not the other way around. I was constantly working, chasing the next dollar, answering inquiry emails in between contractions while in labor with my second baby.

Yes. That truly happened.

I thought I was just being driven, just doing “great work.” And in some ways, I was. But I was also constantly booking the wrong clients, and it slowly chipped away at my confidence. Comparison started creeping in. I was continually asking, “Am I even good enough?”

So, I did what most overwhelmed entrepreneurs do: a band-aid fix. I let go of a few misaligned clients and made some backend changes. But here’s the hard truth: the problem wasn’t just the clients or the workflow.

It was me. I was still magnifying the wrong things.

I was magnifying:

• Busyness over boundaries
  
• Hustle over health
  
• Clients over calling
  
• Approval over peace
  
• Profit over presence
  

And while I began booking clients I truly loved (and still do!), I was still carrying too much. Saying yes to everyone and everything. And old habits? They die hard—especially for a stubborn heart like mine.

In 2023, the cracks split wide open. I found myself crying—like ugly crying—in the middle of a coffee shop during my weekly Bible study group. I love those women so much, by the way. That moment was humbling and embarrassing, but it was the breaking I needed. A holy breakdown that led to a heart-level realization:

I didn’t need another temporary fix. I needed a soul-deep reset.

And still, old habits die hard.

I did well for a month or so, then the season got busy again. I slipped right back into my late nights and long to-do lists.

2024 became a blur. But a better blur. I finally started letting go. I spent sweet days on the lake with my family. I even took time off from mid-November through January. I decided I wouldn’t book weddings during that time to spend the holidays with my family. And friend, it was so good.

And now here I am, July of 2025.

Craving more of that slow and steady kind of life. Longing for presence over pressure. Believing that success doesn’t have to look like constant motion.

Because when we magnify the wrong things, our hearts get misaligned.

But when we slow down long enough to let God reset our rhythms, something beautiful happens. We begin to magnify Him again. He takes His rightful place at the center of our lives, where He was always meant to be.

And that’s the life I long to live—one marked by unhurried moments, where God comes first and time with my family is my greatest joy.

With love and grace,

Kaitie