Hi friend,
Sending love your way this month. I hope you're surrounded by people who see you, support you, and remind you how loved you are.
In this issue:
February spotlight: Drea on community, vulnerability, and showing up
How I reclaimed my attention (30 days without my phone in bed)
Tips that actually worked for me
Book of month: Heart the Lover by Lily King
February always feels like the month where New Year's resolutions either solidify into real habits or fizzle out. For me, this month has been about reclaiming something I didn't realize I'd lost, my attention.
I've spent the first month of this year rebuilding my relationship with focus, sleep, and presence. It's been uncomfortable, revealing, but one of the best decisions I've made in a long time.
If you've been feeling scattered, distracted, or like you're constantly chasing dopamine hits instead of actually living your life, you're not alone. This month, I'm sharing what happened when I finally got honest about my doom-scrolling and decided to do something about it.
But first, let me introduce you to someone whose conversation reminded me why presence matters. Why showing up for the people we love, being vulnerable with them, and leaning on community isn't optional but essential.
February Spotlight: Andrea Buckley
"I'm a human first. A community builder. A lover."
That's how Drea introduces herself, not with credentials, not with accomplishments, but with the essence of who she is.
Drea grew up in small-town Michigan, raised by a village who showed her what it means to truly hold each other. Now, as a therapist in Detroit, she's teaching others how to move from isolation to genuine connection.
We talked about everything: relational trauma, the art of being in community, and why love, in all its forms, is a choice you make every single day.
This conversation felt like coming home.
Want more from Drea? She writes beautifully about love, healing, and community on her Substack, Sacred Rambles. Check it out
This Month on the Blog: Reclaiming My Attention (And Maybe My Life)
I walked into 2026 knowing something had to change. I was scattered, distracted, and exhausted from the pressure to be online.
So I did something about it. I removed my phone from my bedroom. Deleted TikTok. Removed Facebook and LinkedIn from my phone. Set up app blockers. Started sleeping with a book on my nightstand instead of scrolling for an hour before bed.
Thirty days later? I'm reading every day, not touching my phone first thing when waking up, and learning what it feels like to be present in my own life again.
This article isn't just about phone addiction (though let's be real, it's these damn phones). It's about what happens when you decide you want something different and you're willing to do something different to get it.
If you've been doom-scrolling your life away, this article might be just what you need.
Tips for February: Small Acts of Reclaiming Your Time
Sleep without your phone in the room. Just try it for one night. Notice how you feel when you wake up.
Delete one app that steals your attention. You know which one it is. You don't need it as much as you think you do.
Set up app blockers during work hours. The Freedom app has been a game-changer for me. Force yourself to focus.
Replace scrolling with something tangible. Keep a book on your nightstand. Pick up a journal. Do a puzzle. Give your brain something real to engage with.
Practice being bored. Don't reach for your phone the second you're in line, waiting for a meeting to start, or sitting alone with your thoughts. Let yourself be uncomfortable. There's power in that space.
📖 Heart the Lover by Lily King
It's February, so here's a book about love.
Heart the Lover follows Jordan through a college romance triangle in the 1980s with two classmates, Sam and Yash. Their bonds of literature, desire, and intellect deepen and fracture, shaping Jordan's understanding of love for decades to come.
King explores how early love carves itself into memory, how longing and regret coexist, and how we grow toward forgiveness and self-compassion.
It's a moving meditation on connection, loss, and the lasting impact of the heart's first true entanglements.
If you've ever wondered how the people we loved first continue to shape who we become, this book will resonate.
February's the month of love, so here's what I've been thinking about:
Sometimes loving yourself means setting boundaries with the stuff that steals your peace. Sometimes it means admitting something's not working and being brave enough to change it. And sometimes it just means putting your phone down and actually being present with the people you care about.
P.S. If you've kicked your phone out of the bedroom or changing your relationship with social media, tell me about it. I want to hear what's changed for you. I read every reply.
With love,
Ashlee
Coming in March...
Next month, I'm sitting down with a friend who's living proof that you don't have to lose yourself when life throws you the unexpected.
We're talking about what it actually takes to stay grounded when everything is shifting, how to advocate for yourself when it matters most, and what it means to hold onto your values even when the ground beneath you isn't steady.
Her story will remind you that resilience isn't about having it all together. It's about refusing to abandon yourself in the chaos.
About WokenHeart
WokenHeart is about building lives we don't need to escape from, through intentional choices, real connection, movement and wellness, travel that transforms you, and the courage to start over when something isn't working. Every month real stories, honest reflections, practical gems.