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🚩 Gal on the Prowl - the one with the red flags
Hi FURRocious Felines,
You know what’s funny about red flags?
They’re usually not subtle.
This month’s conversation with entrepreneur and business powerhouse Alexia Tuttle got me thinking about the things we know before we’re ready to admit we know them. That little feeling in your stomach. The story that doesn’t quite add up. The behavior you keep explaining away.
The moment your gut whispers, “Girl…” and your brain immediately responds with a 47-slide PowerPoint presentation explaining why everything is probably fine.
Whether it’s business, friendship, dating, or life in general, I’m learning that intuition deserves a seat at the table.
Alexia also reminded me of something else I love:
Life is supposed to be FUN.
She and her husband have built businesses together, but they also seem completely committed to being delightfully ridiculous together. Wacky adventures. Zany ideas. Doing things simply because they make a good story.
Maybe that’s a green flag we don’t talk about enough.
Find the people who don’t just tolerate your weird.
Find the ones who bring their own weird and ask if yours wants to come out and play.
Rebuilding your life isn’t only about learning which red flags to stop ignoring. It’s also about recognizing the green ones.
Trust your gut. Pay attention to how people make you feel.
And when you find someone who makes life feel safer and a whole lot more fun? Enjoy it and match their weird.
HUGE shout-out to my Alpha Cat Sponsor, Kava Culture Lewisville! Kava Culture Lewisville isn’t just a place to grab a drink. It’s a place to gather, unwind, and experience an alcohol-free environment rooted in tradition and intention.
Head to Lewisville, stop in, and mention Gal on the Prowl for a FREE Bula on your first visit.
Deep Pondering of the Month:
Alexia shared a perspective trick during our conversation.
Whatever stressful situation you're dealing with right now, imagine adding a screaming baby to it.
Running late? Add a baby.
Trying to get out the door? Add a baby.
Your computer crashes five minutes before a deadline? Add a baby.
Now, take the baby away.
Better, right?
Nothing about the original situation changed.
But suddenly?
Perspective.
So this month, ask yourself:
What am I making heavier than it actually needs to be?
If I changed the way I'm looking at it, instead of immediately trying to change the situation, would it suddenly feel a little more manageable?
Sometimes you don't need to fix your whole life.
Sometimes you just need to remove the imaginary screaming baby.
❤️🩹 September carries reminders that are especially important to me. ❤️🩹
It's Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, National Recovery Month, and Self-Care Awareness Month: three very different observances with one pretty powerful thread running through them:
Keep going. Life can change.
People can recover. Hearts can heal. Rock bottoms can become foundations. And the chapter you're living right now doesn't get to tell you how the story ends. You do. Keep going!
My story???
I planned my death for July 4th, 2020. It was the COVID era. I lost all my clients. I had moved in with my parents becasue of a stalker, and I was not doing well there. I felt as if I had no purpose at all. In fact, I felt like I was a burden. I refilled all of my meds (Xanax 1 mg, 60 ct; Ambien 10 mg, 30 ct; and something else). My parents were going out of town with the dogs, so I decided that was a tidy time to end my life. I would take all of my medications and wash them down with as much Tequila as I could drink in the backyard (this way cleanup wasn't as difficult; I had been enough of a burden in life). I was set. I was done. I was a burden. I brought no value. I planned my death.
Thankfully, a gal pal invited me to stay with her at Hotel Zaza and drink Champagne in the morning and Tequila in the later part of the day, so I decided...not yet. I'd go, enjoy friendship and revist my death date another time. I did not kill myself. God knew, even though I didn't tell anyone. I didn't ask for help because it felt hopeless; instead I made up my mind. I wasn't serving a purpose.
Today, I'm sober and on a healing journey. Nobody knew what was in my mind or heart. Nobody knew how utterly hopeless everything felt. I didn't let anyone know my plan. But God...
I tell you this to give you hope. It gets better. It does. This is not the end. You are loved, and you are worth it. You are worthy of love and life.
Check on your people. Check on yourself. Ask for help when you need it. Give yourself permission to rest, recover, rebuild — or simply exist for a minute without having everything figured out.
Whatever season you're in right now, please remember:
There is more story to tell. Turn the chapter, don't end the book.
Keep hope.
Next on the Prowl: Artemis Kourosh
On September 18, Gal on the Prowl is back in front of a live audience with attorney Artemis Kourosh, and ohhhh, do I have questions.
Artemis has built a career advocating for people when the stakes are high, and we're going beyond the courtroom to talk about finding your voice, standing up for yourself, navigating the moments when life gets complicated, and knowing when it's time to stop being nice and start asking better questions.
Because sometimes rebuilding means starting over.
Sometimes it means standing your ground.
And sometimes it means realizing that knowing your rights is its own kind of roar.
September 18. Live audience. Artemis Kourosh.
Come join the conversation.
Love & Purrs, Jessica
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