Ways to Learn About Yourself: In Conversation with Sophie Alford

What a joyful episode this was! Chatting with my best friend and roommate Sophie Alford made my heart so happy. Being able to talk with your friend is always rewarding, but being able to talk to someone who genuinely cares about the world and people around her is truly something to be grateful for and inspired by. As I mentioned in the episode, Sophie is an event planner in Dallas, and is passionate about bringing other people joy through events, parties, and marketing.

Of course, in the beginning of the episode, we had a lovely cameo from my other bestie, roomie, and podcast guest Nicole Adams! I originally wanted to cut the scattered conversation out of the episode, but in revisiting the episode I realized that small moments of chaotic joy are part of what I want our community to be about - connecting with one another joyfully. If you want more of Nicole, check out the second episode of Making Meaning. 

Sophie and I kicked off the episode just chatting about our day which is something that all of us as roommates make an effort to do routinely and has become an important ritual in my day. I always look forward to hearing about my roommates’ days, but being able to share the experience of my day with Sophie and Nicole allows me a moment to decompress and process the day I just had. Not only does it brighten my day to see my favorite people, but it provides a moment of reprieve and peace as I transition from work mode to evening mode.

One of the most powerful moments for me during this episode occurred when Sophie was discussing the importance of remembering her own worth and power. Sophie described how when she needs a reminder of her intrinsic worth, she asks herself “Who am I?” and “What can I do?” These two questions struck me with their simplicity and strength, as well as their potential to unlock new insights. These questions can remind us of who we are and what we are capable of, but they can also help us tap into our hopes and ambitions for who we want to be, and what impact we want to make, in the future.

After the podcast, I wanted to continue exploring my own reaction to these questions and what insights they could potentially bring up. I decided to use automatic writing, a writing technique that relies on the subconscious, to journal using these questions as prompts. After about 5 minutes of journaling using the prompt, “Who I am?” I realized most of my responses were about who I was at that moment. I decided to continue journaling, but thinking about how I would like to answer “Who I am?” in the future. After 5 more minutes of journaling, I switched to “What can I do?” and repeated the process.

I entered into this exercise curious about why I felt so strongly about hearing Sophie discuss these questions, but stumbled into a journaling session that revealed several areas of self-growth and exploration to focus on. Further, I discovered some new skills that I wanted to hone and ways that I could implement that into my work and goals. If journaling is something you utilize in your own practices and routines, I highly recommend you try this exercise out for yourself. Using your journal, simply start with “Who am I?” and journal for 5 minutes about the present tense, then 5 minutes in the future. Then switch to “What can I do?” and repeat the process. Try to enter into the exercise with curiosity and without judgment. You never know what might pop up from your subconscious that could completely change your outlook, or just add a new layer to how you want to approach the world.

I hope you all enjoyed reflecting on this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it! Sophie is a constant reminder to me to always look for the ways we can serve others while holding space for ourselves and our needs and as you go about your day I hope you carry that with you! If you want more content, subscribe to Making Meaning on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and subscribe to the blog so you never miss a post! If you want to join the conversation, follow us on Instagram @thecoherecollective. If you want more of Sophie, follow her on Instagram @sophie_alford8. 

Until next time, so much love!

XX