The Monthly Ping #1

Just Start & Be Authentic

Ally Bernardy

Nov 08, 2024

Just start. Start something. Commit to it. Test it out. Check in. See how you feel. Give it a try.

You don’t need to know what it could be, where it’s leading you or the purpose. Just lean into it and trust.

This is what I’ve been telling myself this past week - so, today, we start.

Hello Sweet Readers,

Welcome to The Monthly Ping by Changing Tides.

The world is beautiful. Humans are inspiring. Nature is comforting. Food is nourishing. Play is medicine. Change is magic.

I am on a personal mission to live a life that feels damn good.

My greatest joys and my guiding light always arrive as little pings.

What’s a ping? To me, it’s those moments where something taps a light within me that wants to shine brighter. Something within me comes online and whispers “that! - look at that, follow that, be curious about that.”

It’s these seemingly random moments that arrive during casual conversations, on podcasts, in a store, driving around, in a book, and all around; it pings something inside me.

Each ping feels like these minor redirections and signals guiding me to my greatest path filled with joy and inspiration.

As I continually recommit to living a damn good life, I must follow that which lights joy within me, pings inspiration, or nags at me to take action.

Each month, I intend to share a peek inside my inner compass.

You can expect to receive a monthly update that includes recent notable pings.

I am just as curious as you are to see what comes through!

Ping 1 - To start.

I found Anna Mack through an article a friend sent me earlier this summer that was part 1 of a 7-part series detailing what a portfolio career is. I’ve been inspired following her since, most notably seeing her Business Insider article in September.

Recently, I saw her break down the timeline of her experience with writing here. She wraps it up by saying:

“This entire trajectory didn’t start with a well crafted vision, a clear strategy or a 5 year plan. It started with a commitment to write for 30 minutes every day and see where it took me. The lesson? Let go of the need to know where you’ll end up. You’ll figure out where you’re going, while you’re going.”

What pinged for me? Start. Follow what excites me or makes me curious. Don’t overanalyze what it could lead to. Don’t force it. Take action simply by starting.

Ping 2 - To be authentically me within business.

I first noticed Kendall Toole from her videos making fun of her cold brew obsession where she frequently tried to sneak a few more sips of her cup while sitting on a Peloton bike ready to start a live class and the production crew is trying to pull her cold brew away.

I do not own nor have been a member of Peloton but I still learned who she was. Her audience was growing massively and I was intrigued as to why. So when she chose to leave Peloton in June, I saw the news and was curious.

In October, I came across a Move With Heart podcast episode with her as a guest. I started listening out of curiosity. Her story set off multiple pings for me.

Kendall and I have two similar experiences that occurred around the same time, as she is one year older and one grade ahead of me. We both attended college in LA and started our careers at two different fast-growing tech startups in Venice Beach, CA.

Fast-forward to landing at Peloton several years later - which came about from an Instagram DM shared in more detail on the podcast - she suddenly became a rising voice and face of Peloton. In the episode, she talks about when and why she decided to speak about her own mental health journey while teaching a Peloton class. She shared her beloved dad’s quote for their family: "They can knock you down but they'll never knock you out".

Today, after leaving Peloton, her decision to speak authentically about her mental health journey has led her to greater advocacy of mental health at large and has inspired her launch of the Never Knocked Out brand all because she listened to that voice that told her to share authentically.

What pinged for me? No matter whose business you’re in or the role you’re told to play, authentically be you and advocate for what matters to you. You never know where it will lead you.