When The Lights Go Out

Episode 9 I Didn't Say Much

Sometimes people don’t remember the exact words you said, but they do remember how safe they felt around you. This episode is a reflection on quiet presence, listening, emotional safety, and realizing that not every impactful person is the loudest one in the room. For a long time, I thought I needed to say more, explain more, perform more, but I’m learning that softness, attentiveness, and simply making people feel seen carries its own kind of power. This conversation is for the people who have always been the listener, the calm one, the emotionally observant ones who hold space even when nobody notices they’re doing it. Maybe your presence has been speaking louder than you realized. Welcome to First Messy Draft...where becoming is messy, but growth is real. In process, Erica

Episode 8 Still Learning to Celebrate Myself

This past weekend, I attended an event surrounded by inspiring, accomplished, and transparent women and somehow the moment that stayed with me most was a simple question I couldn’t answer: “How do you celebrate yourself?” In this episode, I reflect on what that question revealed in me, the emotional impact of being in rooms I once prayed for, and why so many women know how to survive, achieve, and care for others… but struggle to celebrate themselves outside of accomplishment. We’re talking about visibility, softness, self-worth, answered prayers, and learning to take up space while still becoming. In process, Erica

I Said "No New Friends"... But That Was Fear Talking

There was a time when “no new friends” felt like protection.  Less people, less problems… right?  But what happens when that mindset starts to feel more like a wall than safety?  In this episode, I’m unpacking my own journey with connection; what it looked like to keep my circle small, what shifted when I stepped into new rooms, and what I had to admit to myself along the way. This isn’t about collecting people building an entourage. It’s about alignment, discernment, and being honest about what you actually desire.  In process, Erica

When The Lights Go Out

Who are you when you remove the titles? In this episode of First Messy Draft, I sit with a question that’s been lingering, who am I without the roles I play or the things I’m responsible for? Not the job title. Not what’s expected of me. But who I am underneath all of that. This isn’t about having a clear answer. It’s about noticing what’s left when it gets quiet. In process, Erica

We're All Just Winging It!

Have you ever looked around and wondered how everyone else seems to have adulthood figured out?  Bills get paid. Responsibilities get handled. People show up to work, raise families, and keep moving forward.  But behind the scenes, many of us are still learning as we go.  In this episode of First Messy Draft, Erica reflects on a simple moment that sparked a bigger realization about adulthood—and why so many of us are quietly winging it. In process, Erica