Hello beautiful,

Happy Valentine's Day! I do enjoy romantic love and have a marvelous partner myself, but regardless of dating or relationship status, sexual desire or orientation, I encourage you to consider celebrating other relationships as well, such as friendships (aka Galentine's Day), family (chosen or blood), or a Self-Love month! After all, I am the only one I know will be with me my whole life long and I like time with myself! 💝

Speaking of self-love, our relationships with body, food, and eating are an important part of this acceptance and care. Eating Disorders Awareness Week, an annual campaign to educate the public about the realities of eating disorders and to provide hope and visibility to individuals and loved ones impacted, is coming up at the end of the month (February 24th-March 2nd). I'd love to know of any resources you'd recommend, in English or in German, to help make my work as a Collaborator this year as effective as possible!

Throughout February Koeln Karneval has been heating up and it seems there is a sprinkling of costumed revelers on every train! We have been among them already and have more events on the horizon. In addition to EDAW, I'm also planning on celebrating International Women's Day next month. So much to love!

Though we don't exchange presents on Valentine's Day, Ela and I do give each other gifts at other times, such as the special bag she recently made to hold my growing fountain pen collection. It is beautifully designed and crafted (bespoke!) and also upcycled from a Levi's shirt arm and leather scraps, so I feel good about protecting the environment in a small way while protecting my pens. Peek in my Pen Case is the topic of this week's video, below...

In today's blog, I elaborate on my 2025 Word of the Year and supportive resources:

​Read my Float in 2025 - Word / Intention of the Year article here​

My other creations, recommendations, and questions for you are:

Viewing:

• ​Peek in my Pen Case Ditty Bag - Writing Utensils & Supplies of a Creative Coach & Dance Educator video on YouTube: Along the same lines of my recent notebook & journal "lineup," here are the utensils I'm currently using to write in them. I rely on both analog and digital tools to organize my coaching, teaching, and creative life in an inspiring way and I caught the fountain pen bug last summer.
• For such videos about my artistic tools, I created a new YouTube Playlist: Creative Materials - A Blythe Coach's Favorite Supplies​
• "Clean Slate" directed by and starring Laverne Cox is styled like a cute classic sitcom, but handles themes relevant today
• "Romeo & Juliet" Ballet, especially the Balcony Scene & Dance of the Knights is tragically romantic
• Karneval Tanzcorps / Dance Corps in action at closed shows and coming up soon in the parades all around town! An amazingly acrobatic mix of gymnastic lifts, can can kicks, and precisely synchronized movement with a tongue-in-cheek Cologne flavor

Listening:

• ​Fly on the Wind - Airy Mood Music Playlist on YouTube vibes with 2025's Word of the Year
• Janelle Monae's "​Float" Dance Edit​, the track I used for "F" of my Alphabet Superset, a perfect fit for my Word of the Year for 2025, a banger of a song and music video!
• ​10 Steps to Unshakeable Confidence from the Good Life Project podcast

Reading:

• ​Can you learn two languages at the same time? from Duolingo
• ​The Wishing Game by Meg Schaffer is still my current fiction read, almost finished...

Practicing:

• Review and reflection like Matt Ragland's video, I was so focused on planning that I missed this (big mistake)​

Practicing Together LIVE / Adult Movement Classes this week:

• In-Studio Adult Beginner Ballet, 6-7:00pm CET Mondays, Tanzschule Tanzraum Nippes, Cologne, Germany creates a strong, body-friendly, and graceful foundation for dance (German)
• Online Yogalicious Gentle Yoga. 7-8:00pm CET Tuesdays (8-9:00am HI) provides a delicious mindful movement feast which balances strength, balance and coordination for mind, body, and spirit adaptable to all levels and conditions (English)
• Online Balletlicious Gentle Adaptive Ballet Barre+, 7:30-8:30am CET Wednesdays, consists of mostly barre with a little dancey centre work, building a strong, body-friendly, and graceful foundation for dance at home or anywhere in the world (English)

Inquiring:

• What resources should I include as a collaborator on Eating Disorders Awareness Week and International Women's Day?
• Which powerful words inspire?
• Where can I take the momentum I created last year?
• In what areas might I be able to exert less force and continue to sail?
• How will I uplift others?

Gladly share your response to the questions above or provide other updates by replying to this email or on social media if you are active there.

Thank you for reading, for being, and for dancing with me, in spirit or in fact. Take care of yourself and keep moving mindfully!

Love, Blythe

Blythe Stephens, MFA, Bliss Catalyst
they/them or she/her
Creator of A Blythe Coach: dance through your difficulties
and take leaps of faith into a joyful, fulfilling life

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