Hey Reader,

A few days ago I told you I had something exciting in the works, and I here it is!

On Sept. 14th, I'll be hosting my first-ever virtual retreat, together with my friend Cheryl, a board-certified hypnotist.

Why a virtual retreat? Why hypnosis? I'll get to that. But first, lemme share a little ditty about happiness. *takes long drag of cigarette, exhales*

Cracking the happiness code

People always ask me how I'm so happy -- as a friend once put it, "It's like your gears don't grind up. Have you always been this cheerfully resilient?" And I laughed and laughed, because the answer is No, I have not always been like this. Oh, how my gears used to grind up.

For most of my life, I thought happiness meant cracking the code. You know, the How to Be Me without Inconveniencing Anyone Else Ever code.

I would just cut out the annoying bits of my personality and leave the shiny, optimized bits that people liked. Problem was, no one could agree on what they liked. I was too nerdy, too quiet, too wild, too smart, too clueless, too impressive, too ridiculous ... and somehow, at the same time, never enough. I had a Greek chorus of naysayers in my head, narrating my failures one by one.

It was exhausting.

My best trick for dealing with the constant failure was to drink enough alcohol to tranquilize a small rhino, then dance on a bar while blacking out. That sequence did a great job of dialing down the naysaying voices ... in the moment. Granted, it also ramped them right back up the next morning at a higher volume, but hey, it was worth it for the peace it brought in the meantime.

Until it wasn't ... Those scales tipped eventually, as they do, and I had to find another way. And at that point, I had a kid to take care of by myself, so there was no other option. I wasn't going to let my kid get anything less than the best version of me, I vowed.

So I went all in.

Recovery work. Yoga retreats. Therapy. EMDR. Kabbalah study with a rabbi in Israel over Zoom. Buddhist training at the Shambhala Center. Parenting consultation from Jo Frost, former Supernanny. Boundary coaching with a woman who'd trained under the OG life coach, Martha Beck. Wayfinder coach certification of my own. Open mic nights in Irish castles. Story slams in Hollywood dive bars. Finding my voice over and over. Study after relentless study. More learning. Better ideas. More me. Less angst.

Eventually, something clicked.

What actually changed my life and gave me this cheerful resilience, this grindless gear system, if you will, wasn’t finding “the right way to be" or "the right person to learn from."

It was realizing this: the only voice that really matters is my own.

Why your voice matters

It sounds so simple, "my voice is one that matters." Like something that shouldn't take tens of thousands of dollars and almost two decades to learn. But I'm willing to bet you have your own incessant Greek chorus of naysayers, too.

Your ex.
Your frenemy.
The talking heads.
The anonymous feedback.
The dysfunctional relatives.
The clown parade we call “news.”
The vapid droning of social media.
The flaccid, feckless frothing of internet trolls.

It's exhausting, living in this modern world of swirling voices and constant chaos on demand ... Until you realize that the whole shtick is smoke and mirrors, and the voices have no real say. They're just shilling for your attention like two-bit con artists, and you don't have to give it to them.

You don't have to buy the bullshit those voices are selling.

You can listen to your own voice instead.

It's SO much more fun.

These days, I give myself counsel, acceptance, and permission to be however I am. And that is real happiness.

Even on rough days, even when life is messy, and even when parenting is exhausting or life feels chaotic. On those days, happiness is still there: it's the peace of inner stability, the freedom to be on this adventure, and the joy of having my own back through it all.

That’s joy.
​That's success.
​That's happiness.

And that’s what I want to teach you.

Join us on the 14th!

Which brings me back to my news: I'm doing a virtual retreat!! *confetti all around!*

Want to learn how to aikido your way around your Greek chorus of naysayers, find your own inner bullshit-deflecting badass, and listen to her voice instead?

That's what we'll be doing on Sept. 14th -- in a virtual retreat where you'll get the tools, the space, and the magic to find all of that for yourself.

I'll be joined by my friend Cheryl DeDecker, a board-certified hypnotist and founder of the Kindness Collective, and together, we'll help you drop deep into your subconscious, then rewrite the story of your own happiness from the inside out.

It'll be fun.

It'll be transformative.

It'll be an inner-fire-reconnecting, soul-rejuvenating retreat experience, minus the flight logistics and dent to your savings.

And I’d love for you to join us.​

xo,
Kali

PS: The Greek chorus might still have opinions after this, but you'll be free of the idea that they matter -- and that opens up a world of possibility. Grab your ticket here!

Psst: If you're wondering why you're getting this email from me, Kali Jaye, it's probably because you signed up for a workshop with me or found me through my website, kalijaye.com. Opt out, change the frequency, or update your info anytime through the links below.