Metabolic Reset Week 9: I've Been Hiding. Out of the Cave, Back into Community.

“I miss you. When can I see you?”

Last week, I reached out to one of my dearest friends, whom I’ve seen only once in the past 13 months. I even missed her son’s wedding in Israel. She responded, “I just got back and thought of you, but I didn’t call because I know you’re so busy.”

The truth? I’m not “so” busy. I wanted people to think I was. The reality is that I didn’t have the emotional energy to connect.

For the past 13 months, I’ve been living in retreat. After the October 7 attacks on Israel, I withdrew emotionally, left a corporate job, and hid from my community, finding solace only in the safety of my family. I traveled frequently to New York City for new Jewish nonprofit clients, aimlessly walking the streets late at night. Outwardly, I seemed to be thriving, but inside, I was hiding.

Jewish wisdom often uses the cave as a metaphor for retreat and renewal—a place of reflection during exile, with reemergence symbolizing redemption and reconnection.

I can’t say I did much reflecting in my “cave.” I felt frozen in fear. But I know now it’s time to reconnect.

I credit this 10-week metabolic reset as the catalyst I needed to re-emerge.

Moving From Cave to Connection

This weekend, I welcomed LA fire evacuees into my home. On Friday, I cooked Shabbat dinner for a big crowd—a gathering larger than any I had hosted in 13 months. It felt so healing.

From a diet perspective, I strayed. I enjoyed my homemade challah, wine, and babka. I indulged mindfully, and while the scale went up the next day, I recalibrated with yoga, dance class, and mindful eating. By Monday, I was back to my baseline weight.

This small cycle of indulgence and recalibration was a powerful lesson: I can enjoy life mindfully, reset without shame, and still show up for what matters.

Week 9: Unconscious to Conscious Mindset

As we’re in the final stretch of the 10-week metabolic reset program, nutrition coach Wynne Heilbrunn shared an approach to mindset I hadn’t learned before. She taught us how unconscious patterns dictate our lives—and how shifting to conscious awareness opens new possibilities.

For the last year, my unconscious grief kept me isolated, stuck in my “cave.” I hadn’t realized how much retreating had dimmed my sense of purpose until now.

I’m done starving my soul and feeding my pain.

This week, I attended my first Jewish community event, celebrated a friend’s birthday, and supported family, friends, and strangers displaced by the fires. I proactively reached out to people I hadn’t spoken to in over a year, setting up coffee dates and reconnecting with colleagues. I reached out to strangers I admire and asked to meet.?

For the first time in a long while, I felt alive and purposeful. As an extrovert, being with people who inspire me feeds my soul.

I Want to See You!

From the outside, it may not have looked like I was in retreat. I kept TEDxSanDiego and Partners in Torah running. But I wasn’t fully engaged. I didn’t invite my friends or community to be part of my work. When I looked out at the TEDx audience during last year’s two shows, I saw mostly strangers—not my tribe that grounds and inspires me.

Now, I’m ready to change that. Doing this metabolic reset and losing 20 pounds wasn’t just physical—it was emotional and spiritual. It helped me shed the barriers that kept me from reconnecting.

This week’s mindset lessons solidified my commitment to step back into the light. I want to see you, to surround myself with the friends, colleagues, and community who inspire me. The cave served its purpose, but it’s time to get out!

So, I invite ALL of you in San Diego to join me at the February 19 TEDxSanDiego Mainstage show, SHINE, featuring nine local speakers and two performing artists sharing incredible ideas that will change the world.?

Curating TEDxSanDiego is my gift to San Diego, and I want to celebrate with YOU—in the light, out of the darkness of the cave.

To buy your tickets here https://www.tedxsandiego.com/

Mindset Mastery: Key Takeaways

In this series of reset articles on LinkedIn, each week I share the concepts I learn that you can apply to your life. Week 9’s focus on mindset highlighted the incredible power of our central nervous system and its role in shifting awareness.

Key lessons:

? What we focus on expands. Prioritize abundance and connection to create new opportunities.

? Live in the present. Conscious awareness allows us to create life, not just react to it.

? Recalibrate often. Progress isn’t about perfection—it’s about adjusting and moving forward.

? Small shifts matter. Whether it’s a 10-minute walk or a mindset tweak, small changes lead to big transformations.

Focus on gratitude, abundance, and connection to align with the life you want to live.

The Takeaway

I’m so happy! This reset has been about so much more than food or weight. It’s been a journey back to myself—reminding me once I regained my health I could again experience the joy of community, the strength in showing up for others, and the power of presence.

As the fires rage and the world feels heavy, I’m choosing connection over retreat. The cave was the safe place I craved, but I’m ready to return to my life of meaning and connection.

Are you ready to lean into connection and unlock the power of your mindset?

Check out Wynne Heilbrunn’s 10-week Vibrant Aging program:

• Schedule a chat with Wynne Heilbrunn here: Schedule Now
• Email Wynne: Contact Here

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