April 11th, 2025

Friday Rise

Happy Friday, Reader! 🌞

I stayed out WAY past my bedtimes with my friend Aajay, seeing one of his favorite bands who came to Wilmington last night. To say I'm groggy this morning is an understatement, but well worth it! Live music will always quench my soul.

🧘🏻‍♀️ Can mindfulness help?

Many of you who’ve been with me for a while know that personal growth and leadership have been a focus of my work (hello, master's degree!). One thing that drives me absolutely nuts in this space? How complicated people make it.

For me, spirituality and personal growth live in the same space. They aren’t separate. So when I started digging into what actually helps people feel better and more grounded, one tool kept showing up: mindfulness.

The whole premise is simple — if you learn to notice and shift your thoughts, you’ll start feeling better, which is why I was so excited when this ​study​ came up early in my research.

Even short practices — like a 10-minute body scan or pause for breath — can shift everything. Nothing complicated.

"The participants completed surveys on their mental health before starting the 30 days of mindfulness training and upon completing it. The results were striking. After mindfulness training participants using the mindfulness app reported:

• Reduced Depression by 19.2% more than control group.
• Improved Wellbeing by 6.9% more.
• Decreased Anxiety by 12.6% more.
• Attitudes to Health got more Positive by 7.1% over control group.
• Behavioural Intentions to look after Health increased by 6.5% beyond control."

💫 Astrology That’s Actually About You

Here’s another rabbit hole I’ve fallen into lately: lunar returns. At the same time, collective astrology tells us what’s going on in the sky for everyone (think: full moons, retrogrades, eclipses), your lunar return is just for you.

It happens every month when the moon returns to the exact spot it was in at your birth — and it sets the emotional tone and energetic themes for the month ahead. It’s like a personal moon map.

And honestly? Pretty fascinating when you start thinking about living in cycles. More on that soon.

✨ This week in the stars

• 🌕 April 12 – Full Pink Moon in Libra​
  Balance illuminated. This Full Moon encourages reflection on relationships, urging the release of patterns that disrupt harmony.It's a time to seek equilibrium between personal needs and partnerships.
• 💞 April 12 – Venus Stations Direct in Pisces​
  Love and finances gain clarity. As Venus ends its retrograde, it's an opportune moment to move forward with heartfelt decisions and rekindle connections with renewed understanding. ​
• 🔥 April 18 – Mars Enters Leo​
  Passion ignites. Mars' transition into Leo brings a surge of confidence and creative energy. Embrace this period to pursue goals with enthusiasm and assertiveness.

See you next week!