When life says "Yes"

April's miracles + Moms on the Mic Presale

Welcome back to Behind the Mic — raw reflections from a writing coach, author, and event producer who believes everyone has something worth sharing.

---

TL;DR:

After a comedy-class shoulder pop, a mid-set cry, and a March meltdown, April reminded me that miracles show up when we least expect them. From my book landing in a dream store to a surprise writing workshop win and MORE, this month whispered: Keep hanging on. And a poop update. (Obvi.)

✨ Moms on the Mic tix are 50% off through Mother’s Day! ✨

These were the tulips at the beginning of my recent writing workshop. Wait til you see what happened to them after we all shared and connected…

OK. So. Remember at the end of my last newsletter — the one where March went sideways — how I said, “Well, even if I bomb, at least it will be on brand”?

That very night, I went to our final comedy class to do a full run-through of my set and forgot like 10 lines. Then, while running the ones I forgot and pretending to "elbow Alanna from Pilates in the tit for taking the last ripe avocado at Whole Foods (Full context later!), my SHOULDER POPPED.

“That’s menopause,” said one of the gals in the class.
“Oh, don’t even get me started on all my body stuff,” I said.

AND THEN…I did what no one has probably ever done at a comedy class.

I STARTED CRYING.

All of my exhaustion and frustration from everything that was going wrong in my world came to the surface in that moment. I had nothing left to give.

THIS was the moment I threw in the towel. And YES, I’m sharing this screenshot from my video because it’s important for me to share all the parts of the creative process and raw scenes from my life here. I like real-ness, and I feel like you do, too.

BUT!!

In the days that followed, some really cool things started happening. It’s almost as if God got sick of ALL my complaining and “What’s NEXT?” mindset. I’m convinced he tossed some miracles my way that whispered, I got you.

So, here are just a FEW of the amazing things that happened in April.

1. A Facebook Memory made my jaw drop.

The day after that comedy class, the first thing JeeWoo asked when he woke up was, “Can we go to Red Rocks after school today?”

With the all the energy I could find, I said, “Sure, buddy.”

As I drove to pick him up, I was secretly hoping he would forget about what he asked because I was just. so. tired. I’d been gone all day and was ready for a ho-hum afternoon at home.

But the second thing he said to me was, “I’m going to Red Rocks!”

It had been forever since he and I went to the place we would frequent at least once a week during Covid, and within minutes of stepping foot onto the trail, I felt like a new woman. And not long after that, we passed a fence that I had once taken a picture of him at. This made me think to myself:

I wonder when we were here last. It sure would be crazy if it was on this very day.

So, I checked my Facebook memories and look what popped up:

My jaw hit the red dirt. It reminded me that everything is connected and that it’s oh, so worth it to stay patient. It’s imperative to keep trusting because good things are always waiting for us.

THEN…

On the way home, I got a random surge of courage to bring my book to a boutique in Morrison. But when we got there, it was closed. As I went to toss Mama back in my glove compartment (Yes, I keep a stash for moments like this!), JeeWoo spotted something:

Curious George.

This Happy Meal toy — George dangling from a parachute — has lived in every glove compartment I’ve had since high school. He used to hang proudly from the door. As I got older, he had to go into hiding. But for some reason, I could never let him go.

When I told JeeWoo this whole story and how George had been waiting decades to be noticed again, his face lit up. It meant just as much to him as it did to me. And yet again, I was reminded to keep. hanging. on.

2. The Artisan Center said YES.

In February, I poured my heart into an email to my favorite store in Cherry Creek asking them to carry my book.

No reply.

On March 2, I sent a follow-up.

No reply.

Three weeks later, I dropped into the shop. The gal who does the book buying wasn’t in, but I got her direct email and left a copy of my book and my Mama Be Present Shop Guide with the folks at the counter.

I wrote to Sharona that afternoon, and the NEXT day, she wrote the following to me:

“I would love to have Mama Be Present at the Artisan Center, and yes, it will be a perfect addition to our store.”

a;slkdjf;aslkdfj;asldkfj;asldkjf;aslkdjfa;slkdfj;aslkdfj;asldkfj;alsdkfj

Whatttttttt??????? Hearing YES to this was like receiving an Academy Award.

What meant even more is that I got to take my mom with me to drop the books off. And like any typical mother would do, she made me take this pic outside the shop:

If you haven’t been to the Artisan Center at 2757 E. 3rd Avenue in Cherry Creek North, but you like art, laughing, joy, and all the lovely things, I highly recommend getting your cute little butt there.

3. I blanked out in my comedy debut…and I didn’t die!

First of all, I just want to celebrate that I did it. I did the thing I’ve wanted to do since that time I blacked out and bombed in 2008: I finally did stand-up comedy sober.

I had a great fucking time and was totally present and felt SO ALIVE. I loved seeing my dad, David, and dear friends in that audience.

And yes, my worst fear came true when I blanked out, and that part was edited out of the YouTube clip, but you HAVE to watch the flub below it. You HAVE to see how everyone met me with so much love and how life went on. In fact, two people told me that was their favorite part of the whole show because it was the most relatable thing. Wild.

Here’s the set (which contains a sprinkling of cussing, FYI!):

And here’s the flub:

4. I got clarity on my health stuff.

In the last newsletter, I let you in, man. I told you everything happening inside my house and my insides. So, now it’s only fair that I give you an update.

Turns out that a lot of my issues have been stemming from a parasite, SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth), and prediabetes. And while the next steps have been overwhelming to say the least, I’m glad I have clarity and a new doctor who’s taking me seriously.

I’m also in the thick of it right now and have some anticipatory grief about what I need to change in my diet. But I’m trusting that miracles are coming. In fact, I’m already seeing one: For the first time in like seven years, my morning movements are sinking, which means my body is absorbing nutrients!

And now I’m starting tell you about my poop. If that’s not “behind the mic,” I don’t know what is! But that is my cue to move onto the next miracle:

5. My house is healing-ish!

The day the restoration folks went to move the furniture back into the basement, a NEW ceiling leak from an upstairs pipe was discovered. Instead of putting our life back in place, they had to cut into the freshly fixed ceiling again. They had to put up alllll the plastic again. They had to bring in alllll the fans again.

That story is still unfolding, but looook at the new hardword:

Can’t decide if the piano should come back or if the dinos should claim their space.

6. My “least attended” workshop was the deepest one.

Before my April writing workshop, I was admittedly worried that “only” two women could attend. I thought it would make for less of an experience. I thought the sharing part would be dimmed by a small group. But boy, was I wrong. Every single moment of that morning was meant to be.

And look! As time passed and each of us shared, the tulips opened with us!

What was seemingly lacking turned out to be a gift. With a smaller group, we had MORE time to write. MORE time to share. MORE space for courage. And we ALL needed it. It was so perfect it was almost scary!!!

7. A dad bought my book at the wildest moment.

The morning of that writing workshop at Mint & Serif in Lakewood, I was thrilled to see Mama on display. But as I looked closer, I noticed that no books had been sold. It had been about a month. I was a little discouraged.

But as I sat in the main area for a bit, I started noticing some amazing new art on the walls. And as I looked even closer, I realized I KNEW THE ARTISTS: Devon and Charles Parson.

Devon was a high school pal and, hilariously, my college pen pal. (Yes, actual letters. Pretty sure his included mini comics.) And Charles is his dad — a man I got to meet once when we were all having a “jam session” and I got to learn the bass. But it’s not the bass I remember. It’s the fact that Charles spent that whole hangout shirtless. The Parson crew has always been joyful, quirky, and wildly creative, so seeing this father-son collab on the walls made my whole day.

A few weeks later, I was sitting back in the coffee shop. As my eyes drifted away from my laptop, I saw all that art again and thought, I should buy some.

Had our new hardwood not inspired us to start hanging more things on our walls, I don’t think that thought would’ve even crossed my mind, but with this new spark of inspiration, I started taking some pictures to send to D, and…

The second I snapped the first pic, the owner’s daughter walked up to me and said, “Brit! Someone’s buying your first book. Maybe you could sign it!”

Holding back tears for probably the first time ever, I got to meet the sweet dad that was buying a book for his wife. I got to hear about their 2-year-old, how his wife is needing some encouragement in this season, and then, I got to sign it.

Driving home that day, I realized that even if none of the other books sell, that is A-OK with me, because being there at that very moment was pretty damn cool.

What art did I buy, you ask? Three of these beauties:

And how does he make these? By painting with a variety of chemicals (ammonia, vinegar, muric acid) directly on the copper and using a blow torch to oxidize the copper and create coloring.

Where can you catch his art? His latest show is at Pirate: Contemporary Art Gallery until May 11. There’s even a First Friday opening tomorrow night! He’ll be updating his website soon, too.

8. An awesome woman is encouraging me to think differently.

Remember when I was on a high from that Sip & Shop event I was part of back in November? Well, Ashley Dodge is one of the women I connected with that night.

And now…with all of her creative consulting brilliance, she’s helping me broaden my thinking of what’s possible for Moms on the Mic — which is officially set for October 23 at The Vista at Applewood Golf Course!

This year, I’m shooting for the moon with my sponsorship asks. Why?

I want tickets to be more accessibly priced, for all the speakers (TBD!) and vendors (TBD!) to be paid what they deserve, to have a STAGE, to have an even fancier dinner, and sooo much more. I want every woman in that room to feel over-the-top honored and inspired to embrace who she is.

So, I’m looking for brands that could help me take this to the next level. If you or anyone you know could be a good fit for this, let me know, yeah? Check out this year’s potential partnerships:

THEN…

If you’re interested in attending this year’s soiree, I’m so excited to share that now through Mother’s Day, tickets for Moms on the Mic are half off! That’s $50 a spot, baby.

Anddd if this is your first exposure to the event or you want to see some highlights from last year, get ALL the event deets here.

Speaking of “here,” if YOU are still here, you deserve a gold medal for sticking through this one. I had a lot to say and your attention means more than you know.

Keep hanging on,