The evidence of who you’re becoming

Hey friends,

We were recently reflecting on how making this podcast has become an unexpected force function for us to acknowledge and honor our own growth. Editing episodes and pulling clips for social has required us to revisit earlier versions of ourselves and notice the gap between then and now. Despite what our brains would have us believe, we have moved forward. All those small, seemingly insignificant reps have been adding up in the background.

As we head into the most reflective season of the year, it’s easy to look back at the big, audacious goals you set in January and deem the year a flop. Our challenge to you is this: instead of searching for completion, look for the progress. And not just the progress you created on your own, but the progress you made while navigating the systems, environments, and pressures that shaped this year.

Open your notes app, your journals, your text threads with friends. Check your Apple Watch or Oura Ring. Revisit anything that lets you do a then versus now. From mindset shifts to increased sleep hours to a difficult conversation with a friend, the evidence of who you are becoming is usually hiding in plain sight. You grew inside a world that is often working against slowness, spaciousness, and presence. That matters too.

Which brings us to our latest episode.

In this week’s Double Tap episode, Olivia leads an interview with Van Newman, a writer, designer, and cultural strategist whose work centers honesty, identity, and the choices we make to protect our sense of self.

This conversation dives into what it means to honor who you are in a world that is constantly pulling at your attention. Van talks about the moments when they feel most like themselves, how distraction shapes identity, and why choosing safety is sometimes the most self-honoring decision you can make.

Together, we explore:
💭 how constant input blurs our ability to hear our own thoughts
🪞 what it looks like to let your identity evolve without apology
🌱 choosing environments and relationships that support your capacity
🌐 rebuilding community in ways that feel aligned and sustainable

It is a grounding, spacious conversation that invites you to slow down, notice what is true for you, and consider how you want to show up in your own life.

🎧 Listen here →

Friendly reminder to share, rate, or forward the pod to a friend!

A few things that have been helping us slow down and feel a little more like ourselves lately:

📚 Read (Olivia): Heart The Lover by Lily King I read this in two sittings. It’s wry and tender, the kind of book that sneaks up on you with small emotional truths. It reminded me how desire and honesty always seem to tangle together.

🎧 Listen (Tori): Daydream by Lily Meola This one’s my go-to whenever I need to reconnect with my inner child and that version of me who created just to feel alive. It’s playful, wistful, and a little defiant. I’ve had it on repeat lately as a reminder that imagination isn’t a distraction from the work; it is the work.

🎬 Watch (Olivia): Cha Cha Real Smooth This was a pleasant surprise scrolling through something to watch on Apple TV. Awkward, soft, and unexpectedly moving. It made me want to call my friends and tell them I love them, then sit alone for a minute to process it all.

⚡️ Try (Tori): Imagination Meditations When everything feels urgent, I’ve been slowing down through small acts of make-believe — visualizing “future me” moments or doing something I loved as a kid but haven’t touched in years. For me, that’s making tactile mood boards again (magazine cutouts, glue sticks, the whole mess). It’s a way to see my dreams in color and remind myself that play is still productive.

Take care,
Tori & Olivia