<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Weaving Grid & Garden: Section 2]]></title><description><![CDATA[Section 2]]></description><link>https://sheedakoa.substack.com/s/section-2</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xR2T!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsheedakoa.substack.com%2Fimg%2Fsubstack.png</url><title>Weaving Grid &amp; Garden: Section 2</title><link>https://sheedakoa.substack.com/s/section-2</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:15:14 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://sheedakoa.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Sheeda KOA]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[sheedakoa@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[sheedakoa@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Sheeda KOA]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Sheeda KOA]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[sheedakoa@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[sheedakoa@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Sheeda KOA]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[The Cargo We Call Self]]></title><description><![CDATA[We are conditioned to believe that to be &#8220;someone,&#8221; we must collect.]]></description><link>https://sheedakoa.substack.com/p/the-cargo-we-call-self</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://sheedakoa.substack.com/p/the-cargo-we-call-self</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Sheeda KOA]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 03:53:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_pML!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We are conditioned to believe that to be <em>&#8220;someone,&#8221;</em> we must collect.<br>So we collect titles, experiences, responsibilities, and scripts of who we think we are supposed to be.<br>Over time, these stop being credentials and start being ballast.<br></p><p><strong>Q: Are we building a life, or are we simply hoarding the heavy baggage of an assumed identity?</strong></p><p>There is a common fear that letting go feels like a loss.<br>There is a worry that if we drop the act, stop trying to look perfect, or set aside the version of ourselves that everyone expects to see, there will be nothing left. </p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://sheedakoa.substack.com/p/the-cargo-we-call-self?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://sheedakoa.substack.com/p/the-cargo-we-call-self?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>For me, it was a slow process of unclenching my grip on what I thought was the <em>perfect </em>professional container. I was so busy holding that structure together that I didn&#8217;t realize I was suffocating the other parts of myself that actually mattered. <br>I had become misaligned and out of sync with my own instincts, leaving no room for the human parts that make my work meaningful. <br>I realized that succeeding isn't about following a set template or structure. </p><blockquote><p>It is about reclaiming my agency within that structure and having the freedom to design a professional life that is uniquely my own.</p></blockquote><p>But expansion or agency isn&#8217;t about adding. <br>It&#8217;s about the vacancy; the off-loading.<br>To grow into the next version of yourself, you don&#8217;t need more room. <br>You need to create space.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_pML!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_pML!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_pML!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_pML!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_pML!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_pML!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png" width="1060" height="590" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:590,&quot;width&quot;:1060,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:85784,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://sheedakoa.substack.com/i/200948363?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_pML!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_pML!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_pML!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_pML!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64b9a139-941f-4c7c-9a57-6da7b23cf602_1060x590.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Sometimes, the most honest thing one can do -<br>the most daring thing -<br>the most professional thing - <br>is to set the cargo down, stand back, <br>and see who remains without the weight.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>I&#8217;m curious about where you are standing right now.</strong> </p><p>When you look at the cargo you are carrying, what is one piece you are finally ready to set down?</p><p>We are all figuring out which loads are worth keeping and which are ready to be released. Does this resonate with the season you are in? <strong><br></strong>If you are open to sharing, I would love to hear what you are currently making room for.</p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://sheedakoa.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Weaving Grid &amp; Garden is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>