Pues... hola!

Well, isn't this just a delightful new adventure we're embarking on?

For quite some time now, I've been pondering doing a newsletter.

“Would people even want to hear what I have to say?” I asked my now-husband last year. Although I have a few followers on social media, taking it off the popular platforms into something I solely created was daunting. I put it off as I navigated the twists and turns of my personal life and PhD. 2023 was a horrible year - one that made me strong, but tore me down and left me in the lowest of lows at some points. I spent the last few months of 2023 healing, and I swore that 2024 would be the year of being happy.

But I also made a promise to myself when entering 2024: this would be the year I would do shit scared. Do things when they aren’t 100% perfect or planned out. The year I would go the distance on my ‘highest self’ and show up as her. So then came the question of how I would actually do the newsletter. The old-fashioned way, or this new platform? Chances are, I might do both - curate two special spaces that I have almost complete control of. One will probably be primarily tailored for ‘marketing’ in a sense, and product sales (hello books) via email. Important, right? But as I discovered towards the end of last year, deep down, all I truly wanted to do was write and educate people through those writings. (Hence why both will mostly likely happen.) If you knew me in high school, I loved Tumblr. I loved having a blog where I could write out my thoughts and musings and connect with people around the world who felt the same or were open to learning together. I feel like this might be a little like this.

2023 made me take a hard look at myself in the mirror - grief does that - and ask who I saw reflected at me what I genuinely desired. Surprisingly, the answer was crystal clear: I craved simplicity and depth in life and work. I yearned for work that fulfilled me and decisions that prioritized that fulfilment. I wanted a lifestyle that supported this pursuit. Which meant giving a giant farewell to over-strategizing and contrived social media presence! Instead, I'm embracing more of the simple, authentic elements that define me — devoid of the allure of followers, external validation, or money.

Substack wanted me concisely define this newsletter. To outline its contents and purpose in a catchy tagline to draw possible readers in. For years, I've attempted to pigeonhole myself into easily digestible categories, from marine biology to sharks to being a Latina. Sure, I could neatly package this newsletter into a defined box with a catchy title, a fancy image, and an optimized SEO description. Of course, I’ll most likely talk about the environment, diversity, and culture. I’ll even delve into science communication about some big topics (like the blue economy, environmental justice, climate change, biophilia, etc.). But in 2024, I want to transcend such constraints. I’m intrigued by where this little experiment might lead if I don't. What will unfold when I allow it to simply… exist.

So let’s exist together. And as always, thank you for being part of this journey.