I’m Analee.

I’m 26 years old, the oldest of 4, a book lover, sometimes quiet, and sometimes super chatty. Beets are my favorite vegetable, and mangos are my favorite fruit. I actually don’t like bananas that much, which is why my family started calling me bananalee when I was 4 years old. My elbows crack almost every time I straighten my arms, and I’ve had 13 teeth pulled. And, I hate ice breakers, which this is starting to feel a bit like.

In 2018, I graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Master’s degree in Human Development Counseling. Around a month before my graduation, I realized that counseling was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and I was left wondering what I could do with a specialized education, minimal work experience in other fields, and no clue what my dream career even looked like. Two years later, I feel like I have even fewer answers about my future, both professionally and personally, than I did when I was shaking hands and receiving a diploma for a degree that I no longer wanted.

Yet, when I think today about how I want to spend my days in a meaningful and fulfilling way, images start to appear when they didn’t before. I can see myself sitting in an office space with a full kitchen, lots of comfy chairs and couches, and big windows to let in all of the natural light possible. I am meeting with young girls and women, preparing snacks and meals with them that are nutritious for their bodies, minds, and spirits, and talking to them about everything and anything on their minds. It is a place where two people can come together and connect over what it means to be human, in all the minute and major ways.

In thinking about this picture recently, I began to understand that I might not need to wait until I can purchase an apartment-office to begin having these conversations. Maybe, by sharing my own thoughts and stories during a time of major change for myself, a space can be developed where people realize that they aren’t alone in thinking/feeling a certain way, aren’t the only ones who have areas in need of personal growth, and definitely aren’t by themselves in not having everything figured out.

So, that is what I hope to do through my writing. Share my own thoughts, insights, and challenges during this journey of self-discovery, and encourage others to share their stories of setbacks and successes as well.

Hi, I’m Analee. It’s nice to meet you. Who are you?

Trained counselor turned barista, on a mission to abandon the perfectionism engrained within me and find joy and wellness, inside and out.

ig: @analeemyra ; youtube: @itsmeanalee