How far do we have to go to truly get out of our box?
Last week, a close friend reached out to a few of our girlfriends and me, asking us to send love to her 14-year-old daughter.
She has hit a wall many of us know too well, the moment when you realize your body does not fit into the narrow cultural norms of what we are told we should look like, especially here in 2026. We responded with love and joy, affirming her individuality and beauty as she moves through the world each day, as not just enough, but more than enough! 💌
The moment, and the quiet pain that comes with thinking that you’re not enough, sits alongside so many other battles right now. From the small, daily negotiations of how to show up authentically, despite constant messages about how we should look and feel, to the much larger fights for basic human rights and safety unfolding in our own backyard.
Right now is heartbreaking, motivating, and exhausting. The dark underbelly that has tried to hide in the shadows is now on full display. And still, we keep showing up. Because living fully as yourself, so you can advocate for others who cannot right now, matters. And it is powerful.
In the midst of everything happening, I’ve been thinking a lot about the retreat I’m running in Italy this April. I won’t pretend it isn’t a luxury — it is. But it’s also something I deeply believe in: a reminder that beauty, connection, and rest are lifelines.
✨Let’s Make Space for Joy Together ✨
I keep coming back to the knowing that showing up authentically and fully often begins with creating space. Space to slow down, listen, and to reconnect with what you know is true. In this case, that means both mentally and geographically.
For those who are able to join, this retreat offers a rare chance to step outside our everyday constraints and routines and experience spaciousness in a new way — through different cultural rhythms, relationships to style, and shared moments of deep care and reflection within community. The idea of gathering to rest, reflect, and engage with beauty feels purposeful.
But the heart of it is straightforward. The practice of showing up to your life with presence and intention is something we can all strive for. Not as an escape. That has never been the goal.
This retreat is about stepping outside your box to gain clarity, nourishment, and perspective, using style as a tool to return home more grounded, more expressive, and more available to yourself and to others.
If you feel a calling to join us, we would be honored to have you in Italy.
Big love,
Marisol