Making Space — What We Lose, What We Find

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What if the space left behind by loss isn’t empty at all?

In this episode, I’m sitting with the idea that everything we lose — roles, relationships, old dreams, even outdated versions of ourselves — creates space for something new to take shape. Space for healing. Space for connection. Space for hope.

These seasons of letting go aren’t easy. They rarely come with clear answers or immediate relief. They often leave us standing still, wondering what’s next. But with time, those spaces begin to fill. Not with noise or distractions — but with what we actually need.

This conversation is for anyone who’s standing in that in-between. Anyone who’s learning to trust the quiet, trust the waiting, and trust that what’s ahead will meet them where they are.

🎙️ Still Here, Still Trying — Episode 3: Making Space — What We Lose, What We Find

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You can find more of my work — music, writing, art, and reflections — at:
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📚 https://a.co/d/4RqPS6g

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Still here. Still trying.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hello again, my friends.
Welcome to episode three ofStill Here, Still Trying, the
coolest podcast out there.
Listen, today's episode istitled Making Space, What We

(00:22):
Lose, What We Find.
And I'm so excited to have thisconversation with you.

(00:47):
talking nonsense sometimes.
I really appreciate it.
I know that it's bringing valueto many of your lives, so that's
great.
But before we dive in today, Ihave an ask of you.
I always hate to ask for help,ask anyone, but I need your
help.
So if you've been listening andthese episodes, all of two of

(01:08):
them so far, and number three,if this podcast has brought you
something to think about, ifit's helped you feel a little
less alone, if it's reminded youto keep going or just given you
something to sit with, will youplease help me out?
Please take a second to like,follow, subscribe, comment, do

(01:28):
all the things that help thiskind of work find the people who
need it.
And if you can, please share itwith at least three people in
your life.
But not just any three people,three people who could use a
reminder that they're not alone.
people who are still here, stilltrying, just like you and me.

(01:49):
All right, well, let's get intoit.
I referenced this Instagram postat the start.
And like I said, it's beenliving in my head lately.
And I love it when you seesomething and it just takes up
space in your head.
You find yourself reflecting onit again and again.
It was really simple.
It was just a post with text onit and a cool little background.

(02:10):
But it said, everything I losecreates space for everything I
need.
Let me say that again.
Everything I lose creates spacefor everything I need.
Now on the surface, it's simple.
But the longer I've sat with it,the more I realize how much
weight it carries.
How often we overlook the rolethat loss plays in shaping the

(02:34):
parts of our lives that trulymatter.
We move through life holdingonto so much.
We have jobs, we havefriendships, we've got these
roles and expectations that wehave to live up to.
We have these dreams that we'vebeen carrying since we were
young.
We have identities that wethought were permanent.
And then one by one, some ofthose things start to leap,

(02:56):
sometimes by choice, sometimesby force, sometimes it's slowly,
and sometimes it happensovernight.
But what's left behind I thinkit feels hollow at first, right?
That's the part that nobodytalks about.
It's the space, the silence, theache, that gray area, that sense

(03:18):
of uneasiness that just sitsright here.
It sits in my chest.
I feel off.
And it's easy to mistake thatspace for failure.
I know I do that all too often.
But to believe that if somethingleft...
whether it was a relationship, arole, or a version of ourselves,

(03:40):
we must have done somethingwrong.
But here's what I want you toremember.
Space is not punishment.
Space is an invitation.
Now, I've lived this.
I've held on too long to rolesthat weren't aligned anymore, to
relationships I'd outgrown, todreams that belonged to a
version of me I no longerrecognized.

(04:02):
But letting go felt impossible.
because I had convinced myselfthat my worth was tied to how
much I could carry.
But every time something left mylife, whether I chose it or not,
space was created.
And over time, that spacestopped feeling empty.
Friendships with more depthbegan to show up.

(04:24):
Work that allowed me to leadwith more heart took shape.
Music that felt more honeststarted to pour out of me.
Not because I forced it, butbecause there was finally room
for it to breathe.
Now, these weren't overnightchanges.
They were slow.
They arrived quietly.
I don't think I even realizedthat they were coming.

(04:45):
But they filled the space thatI'd been so afraid to make.
So when something ends, we'releft standing with open hands.
And I love that emoji, right?
It's open hands.
That's a hard place to bebecause it feels exposed.
We are like, what's going tohappen?
It feels uncertain.

(05:05):
But open hands are necessary ifwe're going to receive what's
next, right?
You have to have your hands outto receive.
The temptation is to fill thatspace as quickly as possible, to
grab for something new so wedon't have to sit with the
discomfort.
But the longer we can hold thespace open, the more room there
is for something better toarrive.

(05:27):
Because hope grows there.
Creativity grows there.
Healing takes root there.
We aren't wired to enjoy theempty season.
Oftentimes it's pain, right?
We aren't wired to enjoy pain.
But those empty parts of ourlife, those empty times where
we're trying to figure it out,they teach us what matters.

(05:49):
They clear the clutter.
They force us to ask harderquestions.
And I'm going to give you somegood ones that I want you to
remember.
I want you to write these down.
Just come back, play the episodeagain.
So question number one.
What am I holding on to that nolonger serves who I'm becoming?
Let me say that again.
What am I holding on to that nolonger serves who I'm becoming?

(06:15):
Next one.
What am I making space for byletting go of what no longer
fits?
I love that one.
And then the next one.
What deserves my time, my heart,and my effort moving forward?
Those are powerful questions.
And I think if you can let thosesit in your head the next couple

(06:38):
of days, if you think about themas you meditate, as you just
move through life, you're goingto come up with some really cool
answers and they're going totake you by surprise.
You really, you won't be, you'llbe shocked at what comes.
So remember those questions, putthose into your head.
In my book, The Optimist Way, onmy shelf, here's the one book on

(06:59):
my shelf, I wrote a lot aboutthese in-between places, the
spaces where we haven't quitearrived, but aren't where we
used to be.
And again, it's thatuncomfortable place.
These are the moments where hopefeels like a choice, not a
certainty.
Those moments, they trulymatter.
They shape us.

(07:19):
They ask us to trust ourselves.
Something beyond what we can seeright now.
And I know that's uncomfortable.
Hope often lives in thesequieter seasons.
It doesn't make noise or demandattention.
It waits for us to make space,to stay open, to keep moving
forward, even when the roadahead feels uncertain.

(07:41):
And that's what this podcast isrooted in.
It's a reminder to keep going.
A reminder that we're all doingthe best we can to create
something meaningful out of thespace we've been given.
So I hope that this has beenhelpful for you.
I hope you go back, you listento this episode again, and think

(08:04):
about the questions that I'vebrought up.
Think about the conversationthat we've just had.
Because I know that there'ssomething powerful waiting for
you as you create that space forthe world to open up and bring
you something new.
So thanks for spending this timewith me.
I am so grateful that you'rehere.
I'm grateful that you'relistening.
I hope that you're reflectingand staying open.

(08:28):
So if there's one thing I hopeyou take away from this
conversation is this.
The space you're holding rightnow is shaping what's coming
next.
You don't have to rush to fillit.
You don't have to know exactlywhere it's leading.
Trust.
that something good is alreadyfinding its way to you.
Everything I'm building, themusic, the writing, the podcast

(08:52):
comes from that same place, aplace of connection, a place of
hope.
And I'm so glad that we arestill here and still trying.
I'll see you next time.
Have a beautiful day.