Ch 2 Act 1 Why Pivoting Isn’t Quitting: How to Trust Your Next Chapter

Pivoting isn’t quitting—it’s listening.

In this first episode of Beautifully Unbalanced, Mikita shares the story behind the evolution from Thym 4 Tea with Mikita to a podcast rooted in growth, community, and becoming. This conversation is about the quiet moments before clarity, the uncertainty that comes before confidence, and the courage it takes to trust yourself without permission or validation.

If you’ve ever felt like you outgrew a version of yourself…
 If you’re questioning what’s next but don’t have the full map…
 If you’re learning that growth doesn’t arrive loudly, but slowly and honestly—

This episode is for you.

We explore finding your voice, building community, embracing change, and why you don’t need to have it all figured out to take the next step. This season is about showing up as you are, listening inward, and allowing yourself to evolve—beautifully, imperfectly, and in community.

This is the sound of becoming.

✨ Reflection Questions from the Episode:

• How do you define community in this season of your life?
• Are you ready to embrace change and build what comes next?

🔗 Stay Connected & Join the Community:

• Join the Beautifully Unbalanced Book Club – a space for real conversations, growth, and connection beyond the podcast
• Subscribe to the Tuesday Tea Newsletter – for updates, events, giveaways, and what’s next
• Follow Mikita on social media and continue the conversation
• Leave a Review

You don’t need permission to evolve.
 You don’t need validation to listen to yourself.
 You just need to trust your next step.

Until next time—namaste.

Transcript

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Pivoting isn't quitting, it's listening. It's listening to yourself, trusting that you know what your next step should be. And if it doesn't feel quite right, you have the ability to do whatever it is you want. You don't need permission to listen to yourself. And you don't need validation to evolve. Trust yourself first. I really thought I had it all figured out. Same, girl. Literally the same. This is Beautifully Unbalanced, a podcast that celebrates where you are right now. We don't pretend to have it all figured out, but we understand the determination it takes to keep going. Join me as we find joy and chaos, laughter through the hard stuff, and the resilience it takes to move forward. If you're craving real, raw, unfiltered conversation, pull up a seat and join us. Welcome back to Beautifully Unbalanced, formerly known as Time for Tea with Mikita. I just want to thank you so much for sharing your time, your space, and your amazing energy with me today. I want to remind you of something. That change doesn't usually announce itself. It doesn't come crashing in with alarms or flashing lights. Most of the time, change starts quietly. I like to say change almost feels like a lamb when it comes in. Small, subtle. And then one day you look up and you realize you're standing in the middle of uncertainty. Everything feels so unfamiliar, so unsteady, that at the same time you feel so alive. This season, this episode, this very moment is about that space. The space before clarity, before confidence, before you know exactly where you're going. This, my friend, is the sound of becoming. Now, when I started Time for Tea with Makita, as you know, I didn't have a strategy. I wasn't really thinking about downloads or seasons or where it would lead. I just knew I wanted to talk to that younger version of myself. The virgin who believed she had to dream small. The virgin who thought stability meant staying quiet. The virgin who did not know who she was and did not know yet that it was okay to do the unthinkable, to dream out loud. And I wanted her to know that she could dare, that she could be great without permission. What I didn't realize at the time was that I was on this remarkable journey of healing. I didn't have a language for it. I didn't have the word to quite define where I was at. Because sometimes when we are in a journey, we don't really recognize it in that moment. We just know life is happening to us quick and fast and it won't stop. Sometimes you start to feel a little lost. And you just start to get up and put one foot before the next. And before you know it, you're showing up. And sometimes that's just how it begins. Just showing up, one foot in front of the other. For me, podcasting gave me something I did not know I needed. And that was a voice. A voice at a time when I felt voiceless. And I was searching for a way because I didn't know I was lost. And I needed to find my voice again. I needed to find out who I was again. And I wasn't voiceless in that obvious way. It was this quiet way. The way where you're functioning, you're showing up, and you're doing all the things. But you don't even hear yourself because it's so much noise. It wasn't until I sat down and I actually started speaking into the microphone that something shifted. And I'm not gonna lie, being in front of a microphone sometimes is so intimidating. It's like, what am I gonna say? How am I gonna sound? You know, but it was this idea of showing up and just being myself. And not because I had answers. Because let me just say, I don't have all the answers. You know, I have a little life experience, some things that, you know, life has taught me, but definitely don't know it all. I know some things that has worked for me, but like anything, just because it worked for one person doesn't mean it's gonna work for the next. So we're all in this thing. But the one thing I did know that it allowed me to be honest with myself. And in that honesty, I started connecting with people from all over the world, different backgrounds, different lives. But we all have the same questions. We all just want to know, are we doing it right? You know, is this the right thing? Am I making the right decision? You know, I think we all have the same question when it comes to this thing called life. Am I getting it right? And in all of that, I learned this. Your voice doesn't come from certainty, it comes from practice, from repetition, from being willing to show up just as you are, flaws and all, beautifully unperfect self. And in that, my voice, it didn't get louder, it got clearer. Because I was listening to myself, I was creating something that not just resonated with my younger self and me, but with others, with you. We don't have to be loud to be heard. The one thing your voice should do is ground you in clarity when you give yourself permission to sit and listen and just have that moment of self, to be with yourself, to listen and start trusting yourself. That's what it meant for me. And I believe voice is formed in community. There are a lot of us right now that feel stuck. We don't know which way to go, which way should we like we don't know how to get started in in the grand scheme of things? Is like, okay, you can get started here, but what's the right step? How do I get the ball rolling? Do I need to talk to this person? How do I get in contact with this person? And and how do I just get everything started? And it all seems to sometimes feel so big, bigger than it is, that we end up being stuck. We end up feeling unsure of the next step. We start to feel so disconnected. We're all searching for a community, but don't know quite what that means. And here's the truth community doesn't magically appear, it's built. You know, I've listened to a lot of things and I read a lot, but research shows that people who feel connected to a community experience more personal growth, more confidence, and more resilience. But honestly, we don't need a study to tell us that, do we? We've all lived it. When we form community, your voice doesn't grow in isolation, it grew in relationships and conversations and shared stories. It grows in knowing you're not alone. And that's how I feel as I have been on this journey for the past four years. So this evolution, this pivot I made to beautiful imbalance, kind of started as a name. Beautiful Imbalance was a business I I created, but I didn't really fully understand where I was going with it. And I was like, that's okay, because I love that name. I love what it when I hear it, what it means to me, what it signifies that you can be beautifully unbalanced and unperfect, and you don't have to have it all together, and you don't have to have it all figured out, and yet you can create a life that is balanced and perfect for you. Because growth has a way of catching up with us, right? We all reach a moment where we ask, what's next? Like, okay, I got to this point, I dreamed of getting here, and that was my goal. But now that I'm here, what's next? Like, what happens after this? And the answer, whether you like it or not, my friend, is anything. You can do anything at this point. You have weathered so many storms, trust me. And you may be in the midst of weathering one nail, and you're like, I don't even know if I'm gonna get through the storm. But trust me, you've been through storms before, you navigated them, maybe with a lot of tears, maybe you know, having that one person by your side, or maybe just having that faith and understanding that nothing lasts forever, whatever got you through it will get you through it again because you truly can do anything. And if you live if you realize along the way, like, okay, I'm going on this path. If it's not working, pivot. Like beautiful and balance, you know, was there for me. And time for tea, not that it wasn't working, but so much had changed, so much has evolved, like I have grown so much that it's like I have outgrew what time for tea was meant to be for me, which was a starting platform. It was it was the foundation. And not that I've grown the foundation, you always need your foundation. But guess what? You can always build on your foundation. And that's what this is. Beautiful and balance is building on the foundation. So it's okay to change direction. Pivoting isn't quitting, it's listening. It's listening to yourself, trusting that you know what your next step should be. And if it doesn't feel quite right, you have the ability to do whatever it is you want. You don't need permission to listen to yourself. And you don't need validation to evolve. Trust yourself first. I know I've talked a lot about, you've heard me say the word community several times. And that's because um a few months ago, I was at the final um conference of Afros and Audio, and the conversation that kept coming up was community. And it was like people were talking about community, what it is, how do you define it? You know, do we actually understand it? And how do you build one? And it's just so much that was happening around this idea of community that it was like I've been thinking, I've been trying to create my people, like my group, my peoples that get me, that I get them. And the thing is, what I was really building was community. I was creating a space, a space for people who are evolving, who are questioning what's next, who are growing into the next phase of their lives. And it means having conversations that need to be had, saying the things that need to be said, but with understanding and love. If I had to define community in three words, it would be this: family, love, and being. Not fixing, not making things perfect, not performing to be the person people want you to be, but just showing up as you are and being you. To me, that's community. And that's why this season is truly all about community. The one I'm a part of and the one I'm building. And if you're looking for a space to have real conversations, to reflect, to grow, to evolve, I want to invite you to join the Beautiful Imbalance Book Club. It is more than just a book club, it's a space of connection, it's a space of growth and evolving. So, yeah, we're gonna read some books, but guess what? We're gonna have some conversations. It's gonna be more than just being given a book and saying, let's read and can and check back in. It's gonna be what's happening with you in your life and how we can all come together in that space beyond the podcast. And there's other ways to stay connected. That's the beauty of building community. So join the Tuesday T newsletter as well. This is where you're gonna be hearing all about upcoming events, giveaways, and what's coming next. So there's so many ways to connect and be in community with me. But more than anything, I want you to encourage you to start where you are. Reach out, start a conversation, build community through presence, not perfection. We're over perfection, we're over balance. We're not trying to balance anything. We're just trying to get through the next day and hopefully not mess it up, right? Because we're all just still trying to figure it out. We're still all becoming. And whatever is next for us is, I'm sure it's gonna pull us, it's gonna stretch us, it's gonna remind us to dream even bigger than when we started. It's gonna remind us that we are capable of doing anything and everything. Now, before I close out this episode, I want to share what I'm reading right now. And so I'm reading, I'm revisiting The Alchemist. I've read it before, but I I love this book. And every time I read it, it's like another golden nugget just pops out on me. Um, and if you've read it before, this is one of those books that meets you differently depending on where you are in life. This time around, what stood out to me wasn't the destination. It was the listening, the quiet trust, the willingness to follow, the pull toward who you're becoming, even when the path doesn't make sense yet, that feels aligned with this season for me. This idea that you don't have to have everything figured out, you just have to be willing to take the next step and trust that clarity comes through movement. If you're looking for something to read alongside the season, I'd recommend the Alchemist, not as a rule book, but as a companion. Let it walk with you as you're becoming. This season, my hope is that you walk away with more than answers. I want you to walk away with clarity about your mission, your next steps. You are in a season of growth, it will stretch you, it may scare you, and it will definitely test you. But you're not doing it alone. There is a community behind you, and I'm part of that community. So let's do it together. This is the sound of becoming. So I'm gonna leave you with these questions. I want you to think on as you think about what's next for you and how you want to pivot and move and grow and evolve into this new season. I want you to think about how you can redefine what community means to you. And I want you to ask yourself, are you ready to embrace change and build what comes next? You know, those questions are for you. If you want to share with me your answers, please do. You know how to hit me up, hit me up on social media, Makita Smith. I'm definitely here for you. Um, in the show notes, there are links to the community as well as to the newsletter, ways that we can connect. All right, you guys, that is all the tea that I have to spill today. But I just want to thank you so much for being with me on this journey. Don't forget to join me next week as we spill more delicious hot tea and we continue to live a beautifully unbalanced life. Until next time, my friends, Namaste.