Last week, I recounted the first year of my social experiment in being human, one born from my own mental health breakdown. If you missed it, you can give it a read (or a listen) below.
A Year Into My Social Experiment in Being Human: Take What You Need
If you told me a year ago that my mental health breakdown would eventually touch tens of thousands of people, I would’ve furrowed my brows, given you the side-eye & said “pshh, there isn’t a chance in hell.”
But there was one piece of that story I left out: I had the wildly ambitious desire to help the world heal.
Believe me, I hear how ridiculous that sounds. You should have seen my mom’s face when I dropped that bomb after leaving the career that provided us with a cushy lifestyle. It was priceless.
I Walked Away From a $500k Career With No Back-Up Plan. So… What Now?
A year ago, I walked away from a cushy, $500k+ influencer career with no back up plan. So… what now?
Now, I’m not so naive as to believe that I, one single ass human, can heal the world. I don’t think any one person can do that. But help? To create moments where people feel seen, understood, and a little less alone?
Rolls up sleeves.
That might be up my alley.
And starting next month, it might just start showing up in your mailbox. But more on that in a bit.
The more people encountered Take What You Need, the more one question kept surfacing: “How can I bring this to my community?”
It’s a question I’ve heard from strangers at markets, conferences, and libraries—and now, seemingly hundreds of times after my latest Instagram post.
But after sitting with it, I realized those questions weren’t really about ownership. They were about access. People weren’t asking to take Take What You Need away from me. They were asking how they could bring it to the people they cared about. And initially, I was like “no, go do your own thing, this is my thing!”
And that’s when it hit me.
I was sitting at my kitchen island. I’d just finished replying to another inquiry when I found myself staring off into space, thinking,
If I genuinely want this work to help as many people as possible, why am I making myself
the bottleneck?
The installation lived where I lived. If I was invited to your conference, school, library, or festival, wonderful. But if not, there wasn’t really a way to experience it. And if my hope is to help people feel seen, understood, and a little less alone, then the work can’t depend on me physically standing beside it.
It has to become accessible.
So for the week, I’ve been filling metaphorical whiteboards, running cost-calculations, sketching ideas, coming up with a lot of bad ones, meeting with 3D printing companies, and circling how do I bring Take What You Need to more people?
I’m excited to finally share three new ways to experience the work.
Whether you’re looking for a monthly moment of reflection, something meaningful for your home, or an installation your entire community can gather around, there’s now a way to bring Take What You Need into your life.
Today’s announcement is primarily centered around TWYN Post.
Beginning next Tuesday—and arriving on the last Tuesday of every month thereafter—paid subscribers will receive an original Take What You Need letter delivered straight to their mailbox. A tangible reminder to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with yourself; something you can hold in your hands, tuck into a journal, or revisit whenever you need it.
Printed on recycled paper, of course.
This month’s letter is titled “To the one who wants to give up.” I wrote it just before all of the recent momentum surrounding Take What You Need. It’s a gentle and v necessary reminder that sometimes the breakthrough you’re hoping for is closer than you think.
In addition to TWYN Post, paid subscribers will continue to receive full access to the growing digital archive of letters, along with first access to future events, products, and experiences.
We’re also putting the finishing touches on something I’m incredibly excited about: TWYN 3D.
By reimagining the original wooden installation as lightweight, plant fiber-based 3D printed models, I’ll be able to offer two new ways to bring the experience home.
The TWYN Wall is a larger, freestanding installation designed for conferences, libraries, workplaces, schools, and community gatherings. Ya know, big tiings. The TWYN Frame, named for its picture frame-inspired form, is a smaller, wall-mounted version designed for homes, offices, classrooms, and other intimate spaces.
Both are designed to preserve the heart of the original experience while making Take What You Need significantly more affordable, easier to ship, and accessible to far more people :)
More details (and actual photos) coming very soon.
Sincerely,
A human reminding other humans they’re human
