January 2025: Welcome to The Kula Diaries!

A new year, new plans, and new good things.

Hello Kula Diaries friends -

Happy New Year! I am so thrilled to be here with all of you. If you are new, WELCOME. If you have been here for awhile… also, WELCOME. I don’t take it for granted that you chose to press the ‘subscribe’ button on this page, and it really means a lot to me that you are here. I hope to take that gratitude, and pour it back into you. This entire platform is built on a foundation of lifting each other up and cheering each other on, and I aim to do just that!

My name is Anastasia Allison, and I’m the founder of an outdoor gear company called Kula Cloth and the violinist for a small duo called The Musical Mountaineers. In my ‘spare time’, I also started a small Motorcycle Apparel company called Milk Run Moto (where I sell my patented Rapunzel Gaiter for motorcycle riders!) + I also have a hobby/small business called POM Pizza (long story) making one of a kind upcycled ‘NOW’ watches and designing t-shirts. Somehow, I also manage to fit in writing a lot on this page… spending time with my cats… making chocolate chip cookies… and riding my motorcycle with my husband, Aaron.

Many years ago, I was not the things that I described in that paragraph above. I was a very miserable, very stuck-feeling and burned out railroad police officer who wanted to do something different in life, but who didn’t know how to do it, and frankly, was too afraid. A near death experience in 2017 was the catalyst for my own spiritual journey… and it was that journey that led me to all of the ‘other stuff’ that I do now. It’s funny, because my ‘job’ and ‘success’ used to be my barometer for happiness in the world — and I spent a lot of time chasing the things that I thought would finally make me feel good, and guess what? They didn’t. Well, maybe temporarily… but soon enough, I’d feel restless again, and need the next great thing in order to be happy. Over the past few years, I’ve come to realize and understand and truly believe that producing a piece of gear is merely a byproduct of a much bigger mission: to find presence in my own life, and to help others touch the present moment too. The present moment is the only place where life happens, and, sadly, most humans live their entire lives outside of that space.

Over the past year, I’ve written a lot of things… and I’ve hosted 3-4 virtual events per month. I’ve loved having the opportunity to share with all of you and to watch many of you grow and bloom on your own journey. It’s my intention to make the Kula Diaries a valuable and uplifting place for hope and inspiration — a place that you can come for a glimmer of joy when the going gets rough … and a place that will consistently serve as a reminder that you matter very much — and that you are enough, exactly as you are. Namely, I want to share all of the things that I wish I had heard on my own journey (both in life and as a business owner). I do believe that there is a different way to live in this world — one that not only will bring more joy and fulfillment to each of us individually, but also collectively — to all beings.

There are a few changes for 2025, but it’s my hope that these changes will make The Kula Diaries even more valuable for all of the folks who show up here every single week:

• Stuck to Summit: Each month, I’m going to try and pick a little bit of a theme for some of my writing and also for our Power Hour and Evening Tea Party. It’s my hope that having a tiny bit of ‘structure’ will really help folks make some meaningful progress towards their own goals and/or towards finding a deeper sense of peace and fulfillment in life. Many years ago, I created a class called Stuck to Summit… because, let’s face it, it sucks being stuck. This year is going to be about taking little steps — without needing to know all the answers… and just trusting the path as it unfolds before us. This is not a challenge to be better because we need to be ‘fixed’ — instead, this is a process of learning how to love and accept who we are, as we are.

• Our first Power Hour: For our first Creative Power Hour of 2025 (on January 15th), I’m excited to use our time together to set some intentions and to write down some small steps forward. We will use this momentum to guide each month of our Power Hour sessions and we can use our Evening Tea Parties for updates and to share progress. I’m really looking forward to seeing how we can continue to support each other and cheer each other on during the year. Please read the event description below for more details about our first Power Hour session.

• Learning how to rest when it’s important: I gave myself the gift of a week off from my self-imposed writing schedule during the last week of the year, and it was completely rejuvenating and necessary for both my creativity, continued enthusiasm and personal well being. Here’s the honest truth: I love writing. I started the Kula Diaries, because I love to do this. But, I realized this past week that my very self-imposed rigidity about producing writing material and content was taking away a little bit of the love that I felt about why I do this. I do not have to write The Kula Diaries as a part of my business — I genuinely do this because I want to do it, and because I very much care about each and every one of you. I’ve realized that producing content just for the sake of producing content is not the type of writer or creative that I want to be. Therefore, I’m releasing myself from all arbitrary deadlines so that I can actually share things that are valuable — coming from a place of feeling inspired … not from a place of feeling pressure to write something because I ‘have to’. If you are similarly finding yourself in a place of feeling like you ‘have to do something’ — it’s a gift to let go of that self-imposed regulation. Have no fear, I’ll still be sharing a lot of writing… but if I miss a week or two because I genuinely need to re-charge my soul, I’m not going to feel like a failure.

• Monthly Live Events: I’m still planning to host 3-4 LIVE events per week for paid subscribers of the Kula Diaries. The paid subscription is only $5 per month (less than the cost of an oat milk upgraded latte), which helps me cover the cost of my professional Zoom account as well as a bit of my time. The subscription also prevents ‘zoom bombers’ from gaining access to a public link — and it helps support this Kula Diaries project, which is a true labor of love. I am absolutely positive that the value of these events will far exceed your $5 investment. You can also cancel at any time. I put my heart into these classes and the content for The Kula Diaries because I really believe that it is valuable and important. It gives me a lot of joy to share with all of you, so I am infinitely grateful for the opportunity.

• Random Bonus Material: I love spontaneity and allowing myself to work with the creative flow, rather than pushing against it. One of my personal goals this year is to write and create when the little spark within me ignites. This might be in the form of mini pep talks… impromptu writings… spontaneous events, etc… I’m going to offer some of this bonus material to the paid subscribers of the Kula Diaries, because I genuinely want to appreciate all of you for choosing to support this project and for continually showing up and being a part of this lovely community.

• Your feedback: If YOU want me to write about something specific or if you have any questions or comments, please let me know (click that hyperlink or the button below)! I want to share things that will bring value to your life and help you take steps towards whatever it is that you want to find or create along your trail.

For the month of January, I’m planning 4 different live events, and you can read the event descriptions below. If you are a paid subscriber who cannot attend, please let me know (anastasia@kulacloth.com) in advance and I will make sure you receive a recording.

Event Descriptions:

Kula Diaries (Virtual) Dance Party - Wednesday, January 8th, 5pm pacific: This is about a 45 minute session with me… fun, joyful movement. If you’ve never tried it - be open and just see what happens. I guarantee you will feel amazing. I curate the playlist based on the themes that I’ve written about over the past month - so it really feels (and is) very special. I’ve truly enjoyed the Kula Diaries dance parties that I’ve hosted so far - they are unique and special, and even if you don’t consider yourself a ‘dancer’ - just come see what happens when you try something out of your comfort zone! You might be surprised.

Kula Diaries Creative Power Hour - Wednesday, January 15th 10am pacific: This is an hour long creative ‘mastermind’ type session where you can talk about anything that is important to you. For our first session of January 2025, I’m planning a slightly more ‘structured’ session than we normally do — we will start with a short grounding meditation… and then have the opportunity to share our intentions for 2025 — while focusing on the feelings that we want to cultivate and create. We will leave this session with some tangible, doable action items to take into the beginning of the year. Please note: if you don’t feel comfortable speaking or sharing on the call, it is never required and you won’t get ‘called on’. If you simply prefer to be in the space and listen, that’s entirely OK. Your camera does not need to be on for this session. It’s very low-pressure and welcoming! You do not need to be an entrepreneur to attend this session. We have folks from all walks of life who attend and find value in talking about what they want to create and focus on.

Evening Tea Party — Tuesday, January 21st, 5pm Pacific: This is an evening space where we can re-connect about mindfulness and presence and also share some of our progress or updates about the things we’ve been discussing in the Power Hour. You can also bring your creative projects to this session for some collective brainstorming… or bring your latest art project and feel free to work on it while we talk! Why is it a ‘tea party’? Warm beverages just have a cozy way of bringing people together, so come prepared with a hot beverage, and feel free to show up with any questions or ideas that are important to you!

Kula Diaries Book Club - Friday, January 24, 10am pacific: You do not need to have attended any prior sessions in order to join this one.

In January, we will be discussion TWO short books (and we’ll see how far we get through the discussion). First, will finish our discussion of a Thich Nhat Hanh book that I read many years ago, and have wanted to revisit with the book club — the book is called Being Peace. Secondly, we will discuss Robin Wall Kimmerer’s short book, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World.

If you’ve never been to book club before, but you have questions — please don’t hesitate to reach out. We have a dynamic, engaged group that meets every single month, and I genuinely and truly believe that our small book club will become a very valuable and important part of your month and that it will help you gain new insights to finding more peace and joy in life, and — most importantly — bringing that love and joy to others.

The Zoom links for all of the events are below - I do send a reminder e-mail prior to the event, but if you lose the e-mail reminder, you can always come back to this post for reference. Can’t wait to see all of you!

I am so unbelievably grateful for all of your support and I love getting to share this little nook of the universe with all of you. So, thank you for being here. I’m looking forward to a beautiful year of sharing, uplifting and connecting.

Zoom links for January 2024 Events: