Hi everyone! It’s been a while. This post has been brewing in my mind for too long. I’m writing you today as I begin to feel better from my second round of preventative chemo.

These are the once every six months chemo infusions I’ll continue to get for three years. They reduce my chance of recurrence by an additional 5%, and target my bone marrow, strengthening my bones and making it harder for cancer cells to grow there. So, the several days of achy flu-like symptoms are well worth the benefit.

Life 2.0 has been very good. I’ve been working only part-time at Bridges, supporting the leadership transition there, mostly from afar. This has been a rewarding – and sometimes challenging – daily lesson and practice in letting go. I’m grateful Bridges boasts an incredible team of leaders carrying on a long tradition of student-centered decision making and heart-first authentic communication.

My heart will always hold a very special place for Bridges, it’s staff, parents and the students served in this special school.

Stepping back in this way has allowed me to focus on rebuilding, recovering and reclaiming my body post cancer, while navigating the continued treatment necessary to stay cancer free.

For me, this has meant dedicating 1-2 hours a day to self care. Be that moving, napping, meditating, soaking, writing or creating, it’s been an important process in reclaiming my life – and myself. One thing this journey has revealed to me is that life is meant to be lived, enjoyed and celebrated. I choose every day to lean into the infinite pleasures life has to offer. Indeed, life 2.0 is grand.

I have also spent time thoughtfully and intentionally building my own business. Well, businesses. It’s been hard to answer your many questions about what I am doing now. As I am doing a lot, and it’s not all new. But likely, it’s new to you.

Over many years I have built a private practice rooted in holistic, intuitive, reiki and energy healing. I use a different name in this work, Reina, and over the past several years I have expanded and honed my offerings. I am grateful this year to have the opportunity to more fully embody my role as a healer, life coach, and mentor. You can read about that work here.

As many of you already know, I have also developed a line of natural skincare products that are available through my website here.

And, because you know I believe variety is the spice of life, that’s not it. I am excited to announce that I am carrying forward many years of experience in supporting neurodiverse adults and children into my newest endeavor, Neurodiverse Life Coaching with Beven Byrnes.

With an already full client base, I’m grateful to be working with parents, guardians, and neurodiverse teens/adults to help them navigate the challenges they face over time. You can learn more about that work here.

In other news, Daphne and Dahlia are loving 1st grade at Kairos PDX. They are learning to play the piano, exploring a variety of artistic creations and are curious and loving beings that spread joy everywhere they go.

Jasper is working as a supervisor at Pizzacato on 42nd and Fremont and spends their free time loving on fur babies Ruby and Chorizo.

Grace is working at the PDX airport Starbucks and got to meet Bernie Sanders last week. In her free time she’s loving on her fur babies Bentley and Prince.

And, Dylan and I are more in Love and happier each and every day we are blessed to be alive together.

Life 2.0 is sweet indeed.

As I fully transition to living my best life, I’ll be leaving this blog with cancer, a thing of my past, not my present. It’s been an important part of my healing to share each step of this journey as it developed. Thank you all for your amazing Love and support, for reading these posts, and for being on this journey with me.

With Love, Beven 💕