It's the Season of Shedding

Can you believe it’s already fall? Or at least in one half of the world it is. Insane, how quickly this year has flown (says the girl who literally has been flying through the year).

This past month, in the week of 9/9/25, I hosted, together with Carmen from yourtrueblueprint.com, our first SOULSHINE RETREAT in Curacao. OMGOSH, it was absolutely such an unforgettable week. I deeply trusted in our ability to deliver, but what truly went above my expectations was the depth of connection, healing and transformation that unfolded within this moment, these individuals and this group of people. People from across the globe arrived as strangers, and within days, not only did they connect deeply with one another, but mostly with themselves and their own souls.

The retreat was filled with everything your soul craves: healing, growth, joy, release, laughter, tears, stillness, challenges, alignment, balance, expansion, honesty and profound wisdom. I witnessed Soulshine working its magic, holding space, guiding souls and creating a sanctuary for mind, body and spirit.

I realized Soulshine is so much more than a retreat. It’s a journey into energy and soulwork where people finally are able to make time for everything their soul has been whispering about and craving. Building it has been a blessing! It feels deeply aligned with who I am and the purpose for which I came here to live. (Passion + Service = Purpose)

I truly felt like this week was the beginning of a new chapter: a chapter of choosing myself, embracing my mission and walking fully in my purpose, while inspiring others to do the same. I’m so super grateful for all the beautiful and brave souls who solo jumped into Soulshine. Check out here some sneak peaks of the retreat

Some of the messages we received afterwards sounded like this:

“One of the most enjoyable weeks of my life, and my life is full of fun, love and adventures. I was opened beautifully to levelling up” – T

“It was a heart opening and joyful transformative journey” – D

“It was a beautiful, relaxing, healing and an affirmative (who I am) experience” – D

“Transformative - It awakened parts of me that I had forgotten existed & helped release so many things that didn’t serve me anymore” – N

As you can believe, my heart is full, completely filled with love and so much gratitude. I’m already excited to plan the next one – most likely spring 2026! If you want to be sure you stay up to date about this transformative week or at least want to stay in the loop, hit the following button and keep an eye out on our instagram page.

At some point during our retreat week, one of our guests brought up a beautiful tree metaphor when we were talking about relationships, growth and losing or gaining people in our life, and the influence of relationships on us. I liked this metaphor so much that I was inspired to write about it here in case someone else wants to have a deeper understanding of the relationships in their lives. On top of this, it’s officially fall, which means it’s the moment when the leaves are slowly and beautifully being shed off the trees again, and I was like: why not turn this season into a more aware season where we not only become aware of the leaves, branches and roots of the trees but also of the leaves, branches and roots in our lives? So here we go.

From the moment we are born, we start to interact with others. And as we grow into adulthood, until the day we leave this Earth, we continue to go through many different stages in our life (and become many different versions of ourselves), over and over again. Each season, each version and each chapter of our life goes hand in hand with many different bonds, connections or friendships with all types of people. As we walk our path of life, our paths cross with many others. Through life, you come to realize that some of these friendships are for a lifetime, mostly, as they endure the tests and seasons of life, while, with some other connections, they may eventually collapse the moment their purpose has been filled.

I can speak from experience when I say: The impact of friendships and relationships on a person are majorly transformative. I believe they can truly make or break us. I feel like the version I am today is a cocktail mix of all the experiences and people I have connected with. Each moment, person or experience has left an imprint on me. And the mix of all these imprints (good and bad) is the version of me who is currently writing this post. I am sure I will continue to evolve and grow, depending on all the new connections which are awaiting me in the future. I believe that if you’re not growing, you’re dying, so how dope is it to dare yourself to stay open so you can continue to be inspired by others so you can become even more of yourself while you continue your growth through each connection and moment?

And just like a tree continues to grow through life in many ways and forms, friendships and connections can continue to grow with endless possibilities too.

Because I believe that friendships have such a big influence on our lives, I am convinced it’s very important to have a better understanding of the dynamics of friendship and connections and exactly how these relationships have an impact on you.

This is the moment where the metaphor of the tree comes in. When we compare our friendships to a tree, we realize a tree has three basic components. It has leaves, branches and roots.

The leaves change with the seasons and have the shortest span of life. Just like the leaves on the tree, you can consider the “leaf people” in your life as the ones who come into your life for a season. They offer temporary joy and lessons, but are not built to last. Leaf people are the people you can appreciate for their presence and your connection with them without expecting them to stay. The leaf people in your life always go in any direction the wind blows, changing often with the seasons, which is why they are referred to as the leaf people.

Remember, it’s the tree that provides nourishment to the leaves. In other words, when their season has passed, the leaves probably fall away, like many people in our lives do. Often, this may feel like a loss, but this is not a real loss, as, just as the leaf takes nourishment from the tree, so do the leaf people often take nourishment from you. (Yet they hardly give back or nourish you to the same extent.)

The branches hold up the leaves or the fruits that the tree produces. Just like the branches on the tree, the branch people are reliable friends who stick around for a while, but they might break away when times get tough or whenever they no longer can handle the pressure. They are stronger than leaves but less dependable than roots. (Hold your thoughts.) They may look like they are always there for you, or even for others, but this is mostly because the weight or burden that would separate them from you has not come yet. They often look like the people you can lean on, but whenever the weight of life does get too heavy, they break away instead of hold you up. They feel like they will be there for a lifetime, but this often changes when you continue to grow at a different speed or in a different direction. 

Yet, it is the roots that hold up the entire tree while also providing its nourishment. It is the only part that is hidden underground and is often not seen or recognized by others, while it sometimes can take time to truly appreciate these connections in your life.

The root people in your life are your most supportive, and the ones you feel the most connected to and the most deeply connected to. They hold you up through every storm, even though they aren’t always present in your life daily or noticed, yet are so essential for your well-being. Your root people are super rare and irreplaceable. They get you, hold you, love you and nourish you. When you have figured out who are the root people in your life, you realize how truly blessed you are. They are the real people who support you, no matter the situation you find yourself in. They would never abandon you, always be honest with you, respect you and hold you and lift you up, while you elevate and grow higher and higher in life.

The older I’m getting, the more my awareness of the importance of my root people becomes. And it’s mostly the awareness of who my root people are. Who are the ones who are giving you energy while you equally pour energy into them? Who are the ones whose foundation and core values, their way of giving and sharing love, care and wisdom is equal to yours? And, who are the ones who water you in the way you need and crave?

While reading this, you might realize, just like I did, you have and have had a lot of people who are closer to the category of the leaves and branches. They may have added a lot to your current life, but remember, a tree can always shed its leaves or lose its branches, but a tree cannot and will not stay alive without its roots.

Who are the people who make you feel the most alive? Who are the people who make you feel supported? Who are the people that excite and nourish you?

No matter how many leaves or branches a tree may hold or lose, the roots eventually sustain the tree at all times and will always be there.

May this metaphor inspire you to identify the root people in your life. Depending on how the wind blows or the season evolves, you will have different leaves and branches throughout your life. And each friendship or connection will either be a lesson or a blessing, the moment you feel it’s time to allow the pressure or tension to do its thing, in other words, you realize it’s time to allow the season’s ending to start its ending... May you remember the roots in your life and stand firm in your love and light together with your fellow root people. They are the ones who will continue to fill your cup until it overflows.

In life, I’ve often had to face the reality of knowing and experiencing that everything eventually will be temporary – even the best of it – actually, especially the best of it.

We only have so many years to experience life, human love, and connection, and to do human things together. Nothing will ever be lost as long as we learn something from it. And how do we learn from it? By choosing to be open to new adventures and by taking the lessons while we let go of the baggage, from opening our hearts and allowing space for new connections to come in who better match this new version of ourselves.

How do we know if someone will be a blessing or a lesson? How do we know whether someone will become a leaf, a branch or a root? By simply living, talking, learning, connecting, mirroring and loving. Each person has the key so you can discover a new or deeper layer of yourself. And the ones who get this are often the ones meant for you, temporarily or not.

To see how Soulshine created a bond between others, a feeling of community, where people now feel like they have planted new seeds from which roots can grow, is an amazing feeling. To be able to lead this community of people, who, in many ways, are so different and yet at the same time feel so connected, is magic to me. I truly love witnessing and experiencing this priceless moment of connection.

No matter what chapter you are currently in, knowing there are people you feel safe enough to be your purest, rawest self with is one of the biggest gifts of life.

We are meant to shed everything and everyone who no longer serves us, each season, again and again. "Keep your circle small" - is what they say for a reason, right?

May you find your tribe, your root people, all while enjoying each new leaf and branch of each season too.

Happy Season of Shedding and Happy Fall from me to you.

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