What’s in an origin story?

I often say to my clients, “We have to know where we begin and end in order to be in relationships with ourselves and others.”

Beginnings and endings matter. They shape us. My beginning with Applied Attachment came at the end of something else.  And endings are hard. Even when it’s time, they are still hard. The soundtrack behind this season of change has been “Butterfly Season” by Ella Langley and Miranda Lambert.

I see a different road, I see a different way

I think it's time to grow, I think it's time to change

Time to rearrange  ….

It's butterfly season, I'm finding my wings

A good time for leaving behind the old me

Headed for blue skies and lavender fields

Don't know where I'm landing, just know how it feels

That last line — “Don’t know where I’m landing, just know how it feels.” — has stayed with me. Change feels like a lot of things at once: hard, exciting, scary, intoxicating, confusing, and weary- I could keep going. But this season of change feels less like an ending and more like an origin story. Applied Attachment was born from a place of clarity in both my personal life and professional work. I love attachment theory because it brings organization and meaning to the ways we connect, protect, pursue, withdraw, heal, and belong. It has shaped not only the way I understand relationships, but the way I understand people.

At its core, attachment theory reminds us that we are wired for connection. The relationships we experience shape the way we see ourselves, others, and the world around us. When people feel seen, safe, and securely connected, growth becomes possible.