I was listening to a podcast recently where Martha Beck was the guest, and she mentioned something that simultaneously felt like a gift and a gut punch: a state she calls "bug soup."

On a physical level, "bug soup" refers to the in-between stage of a caterpillar's transformation into a butterfly. We often picture this process as magical, even graceful—but the truth is a little more grim. Inside the cocoon, the caterpillar doesn’t just grow wings and become prettier. It completely dissolves. It turns into an unrecognizable, soupy mixture with no form, no direction, and no sign of the magnificent creature it’s about to become.

Oooooooof. 

On an emotional level, we all know what bug soup feels like. We’ve all had seasons where our old identity starts slipping away, and the new one hasn’t taken shape yet. Where nothing makes sense. Where we can’t see a way forward. We feel messy, lost, maybe even broken.

And in that place, it’s easy to believe we’re falling apart. But what if we’re actually falling into something? Or maybe not even falling at all? 

Just like the caterpillar, maybe we need to completely come undone before we can be remade—stronger, clearer, more aligned with who we’re meant to be. Maybe the chaos isn't a sign that something's gone wrong. Maybe it's a sign that deep transformation is underway.

Bug soup isn’t the end of the story. It’s the beginning of a new one.

So if you’re in that place right now—soupy, uncertain, barely holding it together—I just want to say: you’re not failing. You’re becoming. 

Hang in there. The wings are coming.

And if you're open to it, I want to challenge you to take it a step further: find the fun in it. Seriously. What if this in-between, messy, soupy phase didn’t have to feel so heavy? What if you could shift your perspective and embrace the unknown? Let it be weird. Let it be wild. Let it be... a little fun. Play with ideas. Explore without pressure. Dance in the mess. Give yourself permission to not have it all figured out—and maybe even enjoy that freedom while you’re here.

Because even in the goo, you are growing.