On April 14, 2016, I wrote a post wondering if you could really reinvent yourself. Almost five years later, I’m (finally!) beginning to think you can. A few months ago, I was a guest on Lesley Jane Seymour’s Reinvent Yourself podcast. She titled it, “When not having a plan is the best plan,” which couldn’t be a more accurate summary of the last few years of my life. Listening to my episode was a very emotional experience. We’ve all heard the expression that it’s the journey, not the destination, that matters. I guess it took being an observer of my own life for that mantra to really resonate. So I’ve decided to use it as my inspiration for what’s ahead.

I realized today that I haven’t written a post in almost a year. I’ve been writing other things (all of you air fryer and Instant Pot lovers can find brand my new cookbook, Air Frying with Instant Pot, at Williams Sonoma and Target now), but I haven’t done much for myself. 2020 was a pretty sh*tty year. In addition to all of the hardship, pain, and sadness the world is facing, I lost (another) pregnancy and my husband was diagnosed with cancer. (If you aren’t already, you should absolutely follow his journey at checkyourbutt.com.) Needless to say, we’re ready for some lightness in 2021. Moving to Ohio, right before a global pandemic no less, has been a challenge. I find myself yearning for inspiration, craving good food, and desperately looking for something to get me excited. But the other day I realized I need to stop looking all around me for it. As hippy dippy trippy yogi as it sounds, I need to look inside—and at my own journey—to find it. So, I’m going to do just that. You have my word. When I think about what I really want to do with my life, why I’m doing all of this, it’s to help others build a stronger connection to food. To the food they eat, to the food they cook, to the food they serve others. So to that end, I’m going to focus a lot of 2021 on teaching. (Thank you, Zoom, for making that possible during a pandemic.) Stay tuned for more information about my new, donation-based online cooking classes—in honor of my husband’s courageous journey, half of the proceeds will be donated to colorectal cancer organizations. I hope you’ll join me. It’s gonna be great.

Oh, and for those of you who read my reinvent yourself post back in 2016 about the Williams Sonoma cookbook shelf, I can now proudly say that I did it. I got myself onto that shelf. In spades 🙂

Happy New Year—may this year bring you love, light, and the inspiration you’re craving.