May flowers are here 🌸

and summer is just around the corner! I always look forward to May as a representation of this turning point. Wherever you are in life, whatever goals you may have set for yourself at the beginning of the year, this season’s transition can represent an opportunity to reset before the mid-point of the year.

After an April focused on courage despite uncertainty, May feels like the perfect time to explore the transformative power of self-belief. I've been reflecting on how the way we see ourselves fundamentally shapes our experiences, choices, and even our capacity to recognize opportunities when they appear.

This month, I want to dive deeper into what happens when we choose to back ourselves unconditionally — how that quiet inner confidence becomes the foundation from which everything else grows. Because when we truly believe in ourselves, we unlock possibilities that might otherwise remain out of reach.

Here’s a peek at what to expect:

1. Why I’ve been staring at myself in the mirror

2. Affordable medication for the uninsured

3. Half-marathon recap and what I’m doing next

4. How I really felt when I first met my fiancé

5. The new hobby I’m using to replace screentime

6. Newsletter feedback!

If you were forwarded this email, we’re happy you’re here! Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future issues. 🫶🏽 

Mantra of the Month 🙏🏽

♡ You achieve what you believe 🎯💭🏅

When was the last time you truly, deeply backed yourself? I'm not talking about surface-level confidence or momentary self-assurance, but that profound internal knowing that you have what it takes — not because everything will go perfectly, but because you trust your capacity to handle whatever comes.

This kind of self-belief is indeed a superpower. It's what allows us to take risks, persist through challenges, and recognize our worth even when external validation is missing. It's what transforms "I hope I can" into "I know I will find a way."

I've been reflecting on this since completing my half-marathon. What surprised me most wasn't crossing the finish line, it was discovering how much my belief in myself fluctuated throughout the journey, but became the most important element on race day morning (more on that below!). I’ve run several long-distance races over the years, but I’ve always feared the training more than the actual race itself — committing to consistency, pushing myself to stick to a plan despite how I was feeling or what was going on in my life. To me, it sounds way harder than running 13.1 miles. And maybe it is, but the only thing that changed this time around was my belief that I could do it, as long as I truly decided to.

What I've learned is that self-belief isn't about never feeling fear or doubt — it's about continuing to back yourself even when those feelings arise. Acknowledging where those feelings may be coming from, and treating yourself as someone worthy of your own trust.

Here are some practices for cultivating genuine belief in yourself:

💌 Create a Personal Evidence Portfolio: Document evidence of your capabilities, resilience, and past successes.
♡ What this looks like for me: I’m currently exploring full-time work, as well as part-time opportunities both in fitness, and social media content creation. As a part of these journeys, I’ve created extensive portfolios around each area, capturing my accomplishments, thought leadership, and examples of my work I’m proud of! Creating and revisiting these concrete examples helps me reconnect with my capabilities. I even made a template so you can create your own professional or personal portfolio! If you’d like to see examples of mine, just let me know. 🙂 

💌 Love Who You’re Talking To: Consciously shift your inner dialogue from doubt to support, and make sure you’re viewing yourself with love and kindness.
♡ What this looks like for me: We all know shifting negative thoughts into positive ones is a good practice, but lately I've been challenging myself to something deeper – intentionally looking at myself in the mirror to truly connect with the person I'm trying to speak positively about. Not the distracted glances while brushing teeth or applying makeup, but actually pausing to look myself in the eyes and sit with what I see. This simple act has become revealing: How do I genuinely feel when I look at her looking back at me? Does my heart fill with appreciation and kindness toward my reflection, or do other feelings come up? (Not going to lie, I have noticed a bit of added complexity to this as an identical twin 😆). Still, this practice has added meaningful context to what it really means to be supportive of myself rather than unconsciously critical, making self-compassion more tangible and less theoretical.

Self-belief isn't arrogance or delusion — it's about recognizing your innate capacity to learn, grow, and navigate life's challenges. It's about treating yourself with the same faith and encouragement you would offer a friend.

This month, I invite you to notice where you might be undermining your own confidence, and ask yourself: How might my experience change if I fully supported myself in this situation? What would become possible if I trusted and believed in myself completely?

Health & Wellness 🌱

A recap of health & wellness trends I’ve been loving lately 🙌🏽

♡ Hers Mental Health: May is Mental Health Awareness month, and I want to share a personal victory regarding my own mental health journey! After being without full-time employment for the past year, I had to pause my regular therapy sessions and was facing the very real possibility of losing affordable access to my mental health medication. Rather than accepting this roadblock, I dedicated time to researching alternatives and discovered that I could actually get my medication for less than what I was paying through insurance! The process was incredibly easy and straightforward: a simple virtual assessment followed by prescription delivery right to my door. The relief I felt was immense. I'm truly amazed and grateful for this solution during a challenging time. If you're struggling with access to mental health resources or prescription medications, I genuinely recommend exploring Hers mental health services!

♡ Half-Marathon Recap! ICYMI, I raced my 6th half-marathon last month at The Columbus Cap City Half. I shared throughout my training that I wasn’t set on a specific time goal, but rather was focused on sticking to a consistent running routine, running a smart race, and finishing strong. Hilariously, I realized 2 minutes before we took off that I forgot my headphones and would have to run the entire distance with no music, aka, just my own thoughts. There were definitely moments when I considered if I was pushing too hard, if I would burn out and ruin my goal of “running smart,” and “finishing strong,” but ultimately I surprised myself and was extremely happy with the results! Not only did I run balanced splits throughout, I PR’d by over 3 minutes, and shaved over 6 minutes off my last race, the difference of ~20-40 seconds per mile! There were a few key things that got me through. One was the immediate response to not having my headphones, which was the belief that I would be ok — that I didn’t need music to run and to run well. And second were my mantras, which I repeated constantly, and especially anytime I got in my head about my ability to keep going. I shared more about my race and those specific mantras on an Instagram post here.

♡ Runna Training: As far as for what’s next with running, I will start training for The Chicago Marathon toward the end of this month! So my goals for May are to stay consistent with running, while incorporating more strength training and practicing running slower (to lower my heart rate). I’m super excited to leverage the best training app to guide me through this recovery phase and into my next training block! I’ll be sharing more about Runna on social media soon, but if you’re interested in trying it for 2 weeks for free, you can use code TENIKATIME here.

I’ve also been sharing my 5K and 10K training plans a lot lately! I wrote these as 4-week plans, and they’re suitable for any level to train for these ~3-6 mile distances. If you’re interested in giving a new beginner-friendly running routine/training a try, you can check out both guides for free here.

Relationship Corner 💘

Last month I reflected on maturity in relationships, inspired by Selena and Benny. This month, I'm focusing on how believing in yourself transforms your relationships.

The most fulfilling connections require vulnerability, honest expression, and healthy boundaries—all of which demand self-belief.

Despite coming up on our 3-year anniversary together, my fiancé Cody and I actually first met over 2 years before we started dating. We definitely hit it off right away—obvious flirting and getting to know you conversation, texting back and forth for hours. But we ultimately never went on an official date. I blame it on where I was at the time, personally. It hadn’t been too long since getting out of another relationship, and looking back at it, I wasn’t thriving.

Now, Cody and I both agree that had we even attempted to start dating back then, things might not have worked out. The relationship we have now exists because we each took the time to do our own inner work, learning to believe we were capable and worthy of what we had to offer ourselves and each other

Where past relationships always used to eventually feel anxiety-producing, our relationship has been consistently deeply nourishing.

I've learned that our relationships with others often mirror our relationship with ourselves. When we trust our worth and intuition, we create space for connections that honor who we truly are. When we believe in who we are and what we value, we can more easily accept and be gentle with others who might not.

How might your relationships change if you approached them with complete belief in your own worth? Sometimes backing yourself changes everything about how others experience you.

What I’m Loving Lately ✨

A quick roundup of what’s brought me joy over the past month.

♡ What I’m Watching:
MadMen. In our most recent re-watch binge, I’ve become obsessed with the 1960s advertising world and all it’s deeply flawed characters. Don Draper is the perfect example of an anti-hero. Do you root for him, or against him? It’s as interesting the balance each of the characters navigate between their professional success and battling inner demons and identity crises. The exploration of mental health challenges—depression, anxiety, addiction, and trauma—that remain largely unaddressed in an era before psychological awareness became mainstream is brilliant and poignant.

Conclave. I loved how the portrayal of a “routine” papal election was framed as a psychological thriller. The film beautifully illustrates how our most profound beliefs—about ourselves, our purpose, and our moral compass—can be shattered and rebuilt in moments of extreme pressure. I felt Cardinal Lawrence’s crisis of faith mirrored his struggle with deeper, hidden truths about himself, or what he believes in, and I appreciated the broader message of how sometimes finding authentic self-belief requires dismantling the foundations upon which we've built our identity.

♡ What I’m Reading:
Choosing to Run. I can’t remember exactly when I became obsessed with following elite athletes but Des Linden is someone I started paying attention to way too late. Leading into my race last month, I wanted to read something motivational, and even better if it was about running. I picked up Des’ memoir without fully appreciating much about her, other than I knew she was a Boston Marathon champion, and I liked watching her run. Now, just thinking about her story gives me chills. It’s humble and inspiring and I’m glad I was able to appreciate her final professional race this past month at Boston even more having read it. If you admire professional athletes for any reason, give Des’ book a read, and then watch footage of her Boston win in 2018. Insane! I’ve added it to my bookshelf on Amazon here.

♡ What I’m Loving Lately:
Replacing Screentime. Since I spend a decent amount of time in front of screens —between working, creating and editing content, and everything in between, I realized I was really craving some kind of reprieve. I remembered enjoying a “bedazzling” craft at a Valentine’s event Cody and I went to a few months ago, and decided to invest in my own materials. The biggest challenge is figuring out what items laying around my house to bedazzle 😂 but so far my Summer Friday Butter Balm lids are looking chic, and I’m thinking of giving a little sparkle to Leroy’s collar. Here’s what I bought!

Final Thoughts 💭

As we move closer to summer, I hope this month brings you opportunities to strengthen your relationship with yourself. Remember that self-belief isn't about never doubting or never struggling — it's about developing that deep inner knowing that whatever comes your way, you have what it takes to navigate it. 💪🏽

The most meaningful changes in my life haven't come from acquiring new skills or knowledge, but from taking risks and learning to trust myself more deeply.

I'd love to hear where in your life you're working on believing in yourself more fully! What would become possible if you trusted yourself completely? What's one area where you could practice backing yourself this month?

♡ Let me know by replying directly to this email. Your stories inspire me more than you know! 🫶🏽

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Have a beautiful May filled with self-trust and inner strength! 💕 - T

♡ Remember: You achieve what you believe. 🎯💭🏅

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