I don’t know about you, but this part of the year always feels a bit weird. Not bad-weird. Just… in-between.

Like you’ve started things, you’ve made some changes, and you’re showing up, but you’re also questioning your own life a little bit, like, “Is this working? Am I doing this right?”

Because May isn’t really a “fresh start” month, is it? It’s the bit after the spring-cleaning motivation and before everything really clicks into place, and we can break out the deckchairs and parasol.

Building. Tweaking. Questioning (so much questioning). Growing into something that feels more like us, but not quite being able to articulate it yet.

Fun eh?

As I pulled this issue together, that theme kept showing up everywhere. Not in a “here’s how to fix your life in 5 steps” kind of way (we don’t do that here), but in a much more honest way.

Choosing alignment over performance.

Clarity over chaos (always a chaos gremlin somewhere).

And admitting that maybe the goal isn’t to become someone new (please don't), it’s to stop ignoring who you already are. Which sounds simple… until you try to do it.

This month, we’re also welcoming a brilliant new addition to the editorial team - Alex Standley, our new Style Columnist.

Alex doesn’t just talk about what to wear. She talks about how you show up. How your style connects to your identity, your confidence, your presence… and how, when those things are aligned, people feel it before you’ve even said a word. (Which feels slightly terrifying as I look down at my own attire … but also very useful.) You’re going to love her.

So, as you read this issue, here’s what I want you to remember: You’re allowed to be in the middle of it. Not finished or fully figured out. And not operating at your final form (thank God, imagine the pressure).

Just… in it.

Learning what works. Letting go of what doesn’t. Becoming more you with every slightly messy, slightly brilliant step.

And that takes a minute, so let it.