GRL Q&A on Connection + Belonging
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about connection — how it builds belonging, how easily it drifts, and how much work it takes to find again. This Q&A isn’t just for me; it’s for anyone who’s craving that same sense of being seen.
Connection starts in conversation, and sometimes that conversation begins here — between you, your thoughts, and a quiet place to land.
Q1: What does connection feel like — not just emotionally, but physically?
For me, connection feels like warmth. It’s the kind of conversation that makes you lose track of time. When it happens, I feel grounded — like I could stay right here and not rush to the next thing. It’s presence. When I’m disconnected, I can feel my attention scattering, like there’s always something else tugging at me. But when someone trusts me enough to share something personal — something tender — and we’re able to process it together, I often think, why me? And then I realize: because connection is a kind of safety. We share with those who feel safe.
Journal Prompts:
How does connection feel in your body?
What signals tell you you’re with someone, not just around them?
Q2: Who are your “safe people”?
I call mine my Sage Warriors. Two newer friends who somehow arrived right when I needed them. We share similar work lives, though we’re at different stages personally. They’re avid readers, big thinkers, and phenomenal coaches. They ask questions that make me think without trying to fix me. They give agency back instead of taking it away. And that’s what real connection is — not solving someone’s life, but sitting with them while they find their own answers.
Journal Prompts:
Who helps you feel seen, not managed?
What qualities make you feel emotionally safe with someone?
Q3: When have you felt true belonging?
I don’t have a big circle of friends — but the ones I do have, I don’t need to talk to every day. When we finally do connect, it’s like nothing’s changed. There’s no pressure, no performance. It’s a gift, not a to-do. That’s the kind of belonging that feels easy and earned.
But I’ve also learned that connection can be deceiving. You can get quick hits of it at work or social events, but still feel completely alone in a crowded room. I’ve been there — small-talking at one of my husband’s work events, smiling, listening, nodding — but not connecting. Belonging doesn’t live in proximity. It lives in resonance.
Journal Prompts:
Where in your life have you felt true belonging? What made it feel safe and lasting?
Can you tell the difference between connection and proximity in your own life?
Q4: Where are you feeling disconnected — and what does reconnection look like there?
For me, it’s my relationship with my partner. We’ve been in the roommate stage for a while — handling kid crises, keeping the house running, staying afloat. No date nights, no backup, no space. We’re independent except for the fact that we live in the same house. It’s not bad; it’s just… quiet. We don’t have family or a support system that just comes and takes the kids so we can have time. And if that happens, it’s usually so long overdue that we're just absolutely exhausted we don’t have the energy.
Reconnection, for us, looks like laughter. Like remembering how to have fun together. When the lists and logistics fade, and it’s just two people again — not parents, not task managers, not roommates. Just us. When I’m afforded the luxury of space without responsibility.
Journal Prompts:
Where in your life do you feel the distance growing?
What would the first small step toward reconnection look like?
Q5: What do you need to remind yourself about belonging?
Here’s what I’ve been reminding myself lately:
You don’t belong everywhere — and that’s not a failure, it’s wisdom.
You’re selective about where you belong because you’ve learned how much it costs to keep squeezing yourself into spaces that don’t fit. Right now, I don’t have my great belonging — not fully. But I know it’s coming. I trust that when it arrives, it will be colorful and beautiful and worth the wait.
Journal Prompts:
Where are you trying too hard to belong right now?
What would it feel like to trust that your belonging will find you in time?
💬 GRL Pep Talk
GRL, connection isn’t something you check off a list. It’s something you cultivate — moment by moment, choice by choice. It’s warmth, presence, safety, and joy. It’s the courage to be honest, and the patience to keep showing up when things get quiet.
You don’t have to belong everywhere. You just have to belong somewhere that feels real.
Start by reconnecting to yourself. That’s where belonging begins — and where it always returns.
