Holy shit, I'm back!

In this episode, I'm sharing a big life and business update, including the very rude Instagram plot twist that happened right before SPARK San Diego, what it has been like rebuilding from scratch, and why I now believe SPARK is not just an event.

It might be the beginning of a full-blown kindness cult.

The good kind.

I also walk you through SPARK Portland, my upcoming long weekend event for midlife women who are ready for more joy, more connection, more ridiculous fun, and possibly a disco crown.

In this episode, I talk about:

My Instagram account getting taken down right before SPARK San Diego

What it has been like rebuilding at @ThriveWithKira

Why SPARK San Diego changed something in me

How SPARK was created from what women were asking for: short, domestic, affordable, meaningful, and fun

The bigger vision for SPARK, including local chapters, community support, friendship, joy, and midlife women quietly changing the world

A full walkthrough of SPARK Portland, including happiness workshops, rage painting, baby goats, drag bingo, karaoke, bowling, Mrs. Roper energy, and a sparkle bar

SPARK Portland is happening in July at the Dossier Hotel in downtown Portland.

The theme is: Shiny Bitches Unite.

Think disco balls, glitter, sequins, sparkle, friendship, arts and crafts, midlife joy, and just enough chaos to make the photos legendary.

This weekend includes happiness basics, unlearning the bullshit beliefs we were handed, figuring out what we can and cannot control, building a joy roadmap for real life, and remembering what actually lights us up now.

And because this is SPARK, there will also be disco queen crowns, sing-alongs, drag bingo, rage painting, baby goats, resin mantra keychains, and a Mrs. Roper Romp scavenger hunt.

Come because you are tired of waiting for joy to magically appear.

Come because friendship in midlife matters.

Come because you want to laugh until your face hurts.

Come because rage painting, baby goats, drag bingo, karaoke, glitter, and science-backed happiness all belong in the same weekend.

But mostly?

Come for the women.

The women who show up to SPARK are smart, kind, funny, real, and ready for something more than small talk and beige hotel conference energy.

Ready to join the joy uprising?

Go to sparkmidlife.com to check out SPARK Portland, SPARK Montréal, and future events.

And come follow me on Instagram at @ThriveWithKira for funny rage content, midlife joy, unhinged Barbies, and the beginning of what may or may not be a kindness cult.

You might be asking yourself right now: "What can I actually do? How can I make a difference?"

I got you.

This episode kicks off a multi-part series on 35 ways to change the world, starting with the first 10 focused on changing your inner world first—because healing, regulation, and self-worth create the ripple effect that leads to real impact.

• Grief and attachment styles in real relationships

• Why self-healing is not selfish—it's strategic

• The connection between joy, regulation, and resilience

• A reminder that community and creativity are part of survival, not luxuries

• Spark San Diego Last Call: sequins, silliness, and sisterhood

1. Learn emotional regulation

2. Build true self-worth

3. Practice a growth mindset

4. Be intentional about what you consume

5. Align your time, energy, and money with your values

6. Learn basic somatic and vagal nerve tools

7. Get serious about sleep

8. Go to therapy and/or get coaching

9. Schedule play and creativity

10. Prioritize community and connection

Core Message:
You don't change the world by becoming busier or more perfect. You change it by becoming more aligned, regulated, connected, and fully yourself.

In this "welcome back to 2026" episode, I'm back on Thrive with Kira with a very minimal-edit rant (the best kind), sharing what's been happening behind the scenes—RomCom Rescue updates, the wild growth of my Instagram community, and the launch of Spark Midlife—and then I get into the real reason I hit record:

Midlife women are not here to just cope. We're here to create. Build. Lead. And make an impact.

If you've been waiting for a sign to stop wishing and start doing… this is it.

• Why midlife feels harder than anyone warned us (and why it's not because you're "failing")

• Why I disappeared from Thrive with Kira for a bit—and what I've been doing instead

• RomCom Rescue + what I'm excited about this year

• My Instagram blowing up—and why I'm doubling down on joy content

• Spark Midlife—what it is, why I created it, and why I'm so damn excited about it

• Stress, burnout, and why "willpower" isn't the issue (and never was)

• Why history is oddly comforting right now (and also horrifying)

• The trap so many of us learned: be good, be helpful, be easy… and life will reward you

• Why I'm done watching women wait for life to happen to them

• Why I keep saying: Why not me? Why not us?

• How community is the antidote—and why we've been kept from it for so long

Here's what I'm really saying:

Stop waiting. Stop wishing. Stop giving all your time and energy to systems and people that drain you.
If there's air in your lungs, you can make impact—small or big, loud or quiet, local or online.

You don't need to become "someone else."
You need to stop shrinking the person you already are.