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Jessy Easton's avatar

ommmmmggg, Jo. I am crying over here, girl! It was so beautiful to read this, to live it all over again, and to experience the work through you. I'm so grateful you said yes to this cohort and that the guidance and practices shifted and opened things for you. I'm so excited to continue to write with you in The Inner Room. You're such a light. Thank you so much for putting words to your experience. It truly means so much to me. Can't wait to meet you in person in April at Write Doe Bay!

Jo Ollila's avatar

WRITE DOE BAY, HERE WE COME!!! Yaaaaaaaay!

Jessy Easton's avatar

Omg that reminds me - I need to book my ferry 🫠

Jo Ollila's avatar

The ferry ride! Your son is going to LOVE that part. Maybe you'll even see an Orca or some seals!! I fully believe in spirit animals, and I'm kinda convinced that the Orca is mine :)

Jessy Easton's avatar

Ohh an Orca is such a fierce spirit animal. I’m a bit afraid of them, tbh, lol. For me, I’m really connected to the Great Blue Heron. I saw on the last time I was on Orcas.

Jo Ollila's avatar

Mmmm, yes, I can see that. The Great Blue Heron is a mystical creature. It always makes me think of "Where the Crawdads Sing". (love that book). Now, girl, you're gonna get an earful from me about the Orcas. LOL. Fun facts: They are matriarchies. They are one of only 5 species that go through menopause. They grieve. They play. Each pod has a unique culture and they learn from generation to generation. And yes, they are powerful but they are not dangerous. I've got a book for Pressley! :)

Jessy Easton's avatar

We did a ferry ride to Ocracoke Island from the NC coast a couple years ago with him. In the middle of the ferry we got a hurricane warning for Ocracoke, but we were on the last ferry out and so we just had to settle in. It was wild.

Jo Ollila's avatar

WHOA! That is a story worth writing ;) Hopefully this ride is a bit smoother and the PNW shows you her gorgeous sunny smile.

Opi Kaur's avatar

You created a course Jessy, that nobody knew they needed. Thank you for walking us over the threshold into something we may never have been able to do alone xx

Jessy Easton's avatar

Thank you so much for saying that, Opi. I'm so glad we were able to do this work together. Even though you weren't able to join all the sessions live, your presence was deeply felt.

Opi Kaur's avatar

Ahhh this hits the nail on the head. Although I haven't been their live with you all (I really wanna say y'all because I have Jessy's voice in my head), I have been there. I get so emotional in the replays, what a courageous, interesting group of women. It's beautiful to be part of. And I am so overwhelmed by how incredible this journey has been, when I think I understand everything, Jessy says something else that resonates so deeply, it is a hug to the soul. I am looking forward to finishing it and going into this work deeper. Beautiful writing Jo xx

Jo Ollila's avatar

"it is a hug to the soul" - oh, yes. That's exactly it, Opi. The deeper we dig, the more layers we unearth, the more lessons there are to learn, right? We are all just big casserole pans of lasagne, layer upon delicious layer to be discovered :) xoxo

Tiffany Writes's avatar

Wasn’t it just the most beautiful soul edifying container of safety and calm.

I love that you were able to step across The Threshold with Jessy and find a voice for your stories and a body that is able to graciously hold all of you. 🧡

Jo Ollila's avatar

It truly was a soul edifying container of safety and love. What a lovely way to express that, Tiffany. 💕 I feel so grateful for the time spent with the cohort.