Join 700+ other overachieving, people pleasing, eldest daughters/"good girls" to learn from my experience (we're talking some wisdom and some mistakes I want to help you avoid) in confidence, dating, money and career. Whether or not you have a real life big sister, you can get inspiration, advice and some Big Sister Energy from your internet big sis every Thursday.
This journey is coming to an end!
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This email is years in the making, Reader! In fall of 2023, I was coming to a pretty painful realization - I wasn't very happy. I was living in NYC, had great friends, a beautiful apartment, was working for myself and traveling regularly but I was just feeling BLEGH. And that malaise, that funk, was growing every month. I had always known that I didn't want to live in New York forever (I'd just never envisioned myself raising kids in NYC and I really want to be a mom someday) so I'd known that eventually it'd be time to leave the city but I honestly didn't expect it to happen at this time. But with all the personal development work I was doing, the things that made me love New York in my early 20s weren't resonating as much with the vision I had for who I wanted to be in the future. The pace of life, the relationship with work, even the types of men I was dating. The more time passed, the more two things became very clear - I needed to leave New York AND I had no idea where I wanted to live next. So I embarked on a journey I've called by many names - my digital nomad year, the "where does Sam want to live next" adventure, a sabbatical - but it practically looked like putting my stuff in storage in NYC and taking a year to travel and spend time testing out a short list of cities that I thought I might be happy in (I talked a little about how I made that decision in this article but if you're curious for more background, shoot me a reply and I can share a longer explanation). And now that journey has come to an end because... I decided where I want to live! Drumroll please... I moved to Austin! It's crazy thinking back to that girl in late 2023, deciding to leave a city she'd lived in for 9 years and how differently I feel today in 2025, having chosen a new place to call home and with a much clearer vision of what my future looks like. Let's be clear, there's still a lot I don't have figured out in my life. I, by no means, have all the answers. But I know that many of you have been following along on this "where to live next" journey and now, looking back, I can see how that leap of faith was so unbelievably crucial in getting me to today. The middle part wasn't fun - there were MONTHS after I took that leap of faith where I felt lost and unsure and like I had maybe just made everything worse. People don't like to talk about that when they tell these types of stories but the messy middle is very very real. But as I come out the flip side, I have so many reflections on why I think this journey worked for me and the ingredients that led to it being so fruitful. I'm absolutely going to share these either here or on my website in the coming weeks so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, I'm still moving into my new apartment (still waiting on a bunch of furniture and decor in the mail) and starting to peek my head up to explore the city more, focus on making some new friends and getting back into a more consistent routine with work. I'm so grateful for all your support and good wishes throughout this crazy year and excited for what the future has to hold! Until next time, y'all! Samantha |
Big Sister Energy ✨
Join 700+ other overachieving, people pleasing, eldest daughters/"good girls" to learn from my experience (we're talking some wisdom and some mistakes I want to help you avoid) in confidence, dating, money and career. Whether or not you have a real life big sister, you can get inspiration, advice and some Big Sister Energy from your internet big sis every Thursday.
I hate running, Reader. Like really dislike it. For years, I hated exercise in general specifically because I hated the feeling of the tightness in your chest when you're struggling to breathe and it feels like your body is screaming at you to stop. Why would I want to voluntarily subject myself to that feeling? (Other than the obvious long term health benefits of cardiovascular health, I know, I get it...) Well at the (not that) old age of 32, I had hit my breaking point on saying I was...
In my first real job, I seemed to constantly have to have this same conversation. (I say first real job because I had 4 different jobs in my first year out of college which I always like to share for anybody in the early stages of their career and feeling like everybody else has it all figured out. This is your reminder that most people's reality is messier than it looks!) I would talk with my boss about what was next for my growth and we would come to the same point. I was great at pitching...
We're baaaack! I'm coming to you fresh in 2025 from Charleston, my potentially final stop on the "where is Samantha going to live next" (if you missed this story, there's a little more context in this video). I'm also sending love to anybody affected by the LA fires - it's been heartbreaking to watch so I know it's 100x more devastating for those affected). If you're feeling overwhelmed by what's going on, feel free to snooze this email and come back to it later - your mental health matters...