Welcome to “Simple Stuff”: reflections our Creative Director shares on the little things in life—the small moments, habits, and choices—that often make a bigger impact than we realize.

I remember folding the glossy corners of Shape magazine in my teen years, marking Pilates workouts, and then following them on my Berber-carpeted floor. I found these workouts easy, fun, and strengthening.

The older I get, the more this habit of stretching has become a tad challenging—but a ton essential to daily living. Working at a computer, driving from place to place—those daily do’s contort my body in ways that don’t quite bounce back like they did a few decades ago.

Stretching realigns me physically, but I could swear it expands my brain power, too. I can almost hear my brainwaves release tension as I stretch my 5-foot-3 frame as far as it can go. Stretching, in other words, is also a form of growing. As humans, we’re often faced with a choice: to grow or to stay stuck in cycles that don’t serve us. We can expand our comfort zones like a wad of bright pink bubble gum—or we can stay stuck.

I’m a girl who loves steadiness and dependability. Most nights, I’d take a quiet evening at home over a loud night out at the latest hot spot. I love deep conversations and dark coffee. I like having a plan when I’m in charge—and trusting someone else’s plan when I’m not. My cheeks still turn hot pink when I get too much attention. I do not like being uncomfortable.

And yet, I crave growth. I get bored without it. I think you can relate. It might be the reason you’re thinking of switching jobs, why you binge-scroll Pinterest, or what fuels your latest vision board. We were created to grow. Ask someone who’s been confined to a bed or stuck in a season of waiting—eventually, the urge to move becomes almost unbearable.

And yet, to grow is to be uncomfortable, isn’t it? Because growth is new, and new means unfamiliar, and unfamiliar means uncomfortable. So sometimes, we want to grow—but we can’t bring ourselves to step into that discomfort.

So how do we do it? How do we expand our comfort bubbles?

Just like stretching. Just like blowing a bubble. One breath at a time.

It starts with awareness—with the “want to.” Then it continues with daily decisions to choose intentionality.

Remember learning to brush your teeth? Me neither! But we did it. What was once new and maybe even difficult became a habit. Growth can become a habit, too. And with growth—with stretching ourselves—we become more of who we were meant to be: people living with gratitude, adventure, and renewed awareness. People who stay positive.

So if you’ve been yearning to grow or stretch yourself but are struggling to find the strength—let this be your encouragement. If you’ve changed and are wondering if that’s okay—let this be your reassurance. If you feel stuck and have been hitting a wall—let this be your gentle reminder: you may need to try something new. And yes, it might be uncomfortable.

I don’t flip through glossy magazine pages anymore. An app now throws my favorite workouts onto the screen. But the practice of stretching continues. It meant I could power through three long days at Disney for my daughter’s final Nationals run. It meant I could move from sweating nervously in front of a handful of people to speaking confidently before hundreds. And loving it.

That’s simple stuff.
But it stretches into something so much bigger.