Hello Reader,
I often put myself in the shoes of another, seek to understand the why beneath the why, and strive to see the complexity and wholeness of all beings.
It is my midlife’s work to ensure that my boundaries are not so porous that I lose sight of my own edges.
Over the decade plus since I began cultivating somatic movement practices and healing modalities, I am more able to discern what level of boundaries feels right to me in each moment.
Through noticing, naming, and experimenting, I slowly become familiar with the architecture of my body-mind.
In a two-part practice lab on chronic illness and pain in a community of Resilience Toolkit facilitators, we had small-group discussion on “Pain, the Limits of Settling, and Regulation without Erasure.”
I thought of how we often say “You know yourself best,” or “You know your body best.”
But—I know from my own lived experience—sometimes we may have been disembodied for so long or so often, that our bodies may feel like strangers to us.
It can feel as if our body-mind is speaking a language that we cannot comprehend.
We may experience delayed processing, disembodiment as a form of relief, low interoception, alexithymia (difficulty identifying emotions), boundary-less-ness or not knowing our limits.
Perhaps we can see embodiment as a spectrum (I do love a spectrum!) that shifts day to day, rather than a fixed arrival point.
What is possible in this moment, without any pressure of what should be possible based on our past capacity, or compared to other people’s capacity?
With all the time I spend putting my self in other people’s shoes, let me say how rad it is to choose my shoes—a bouncy sole, anti-slip, ankle-support, burnt-mahogany boots.
They’re clunky boots and they’re mine.
Reflection
If you step into your shoes today, what do you find? What can you be curious about? What comfort and flair can you find as you move with awareness?
Resources
My Creative Updates & Offerings
I’m teaching a six-week creative writing residency through Literary Arts Writers in the Schools program.
I'm creating a new performance piece with movement, sound and language for workshop 9, hosted by stephanie lavon trotter at Performance Works NW on August 22. More details to come.
Newsletter admin:
I may shift to a new newsletter email platform soon, as Kit's prices are rising.
I’ve shifted “Happen To Notice” to a slower cadence. Why? I spend three to four of my real human hours on each newsletter. I enjoy writing. I do not use AI. I need more space to write my book, manage a “portfolio career,” and navigate burnout.
p.s. What is a “portfolio career"? It means working to secure multiple income streams rather than rely on one company. Many folks (myself included since a July 2025 day-job lay-off) are pursuing a “portfolio career” out of need, since the traditional job market is, to put it kindly, an oversaturated abyss gate-kept by bots.
Community & Care
The Embodiment Institute shared a bilingual Mini-toolkit for care and connection in crisis response | "Somos Suelo Firme" mini-guía de prácticas para el cuidado y conexión en respuesta ante crisis.
My Resilience Toolkit teacher Nkem Ndefo is doing a gorgeous offering as part of a free virtual series in June through The Outerwork Project.
Registration is opening for Kim Moy of Caregiver Wisdom for a group course offering: "Walking the Ambiguous Loss Path.”
A great documentary on singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett, that touches on songwriting, touring, mental health, and more. Free to watch on Kanopy.
In a monthly meditation offering, Lama Rod shared a beautiful tribute to Emma Dupree, a Black herbalist from North Carolina.
Mental Health America 2026 Mental Health Month Action Guide.
From Neurodivergent Insights, on two forms of self care.
From NPR 7 kinds of rest (other than sleep).
LA Times features Pablo Alvarado on “State violence can dehumanize us all. But you aren’t powerless.”
Soft Pants for Your Mind
A beautiful poem on friendships, community care, performed by Sarah Kay.
Vibrant photography of cosplayers and their families from Niccoló Rastrelli.
Notes & Citations
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/17/ghost-jobs-robot-gatekeepers-ai-interview-job-hunting
https://neurodivergentinsights.com/glossary/delayed-processing/
https://neurodivergentinsights.com/glossary/alexithymia
https://neurodivergentinsights.com/glossary/interoception/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/interoception
See more on "Neurodivergent Insights Glossary Of Terms And Core Concepts." https://neurodivergentinsights.com/neurodivergent-insights-glossary/
Let’s resource! Let’s play! Let’s happen to notice, together.
In peace,
Vanessa Micale
Founder of Poderosa Voz LLC
(she, they, ella)
P.S. You can show your support by sharing this micro-newsletter with a friend, or you can send me a digital tip and treat me to a pastry.
P.P.S. Sharing resources is one of my love languages. Is there a resource related to somatic and creative realms you want to see or you know of? Hit reply and let me know.
