Hey friends 👋🏽
Central Park is one of my happy places. I love strolling there, running, sitting on the grass with a book, people watching – and, apparently, animal watching too. A couple of weeks ago I was volunteering at a race in the park when I saw a hawk try to grab a chicken and fly away with it. (Yes, a chicken. In Central Park. I still don’t know why it was there.) The hawk didn’t succeed, but he did land near me afterward like he wanted me to know he was no quitter.
I digress, but the point is: I heart Central Park.
Until I have to get across it on a hot day, when I’m already late. Since there are no subways that cut through the park, my choices are the bus, a cab, or walking. And last night, as I was rushing to a dinner on the Upper East Side, I had a thought I rarely have: I wish I knew how to ride a bike.
People never believe me when I say I don’t know how. And when they realize it’s true, they look sorry for me, like I’m missing out on one of life’s great joys. But even if I’ve felt like I’m missing out sometimes, the truth is I’ve avoided learning because I’m scared. In your forties, scraped knees aren’t cute and broken bones don’t heal as fast. And if I’m being honest, balance has never been my strength.
And that goes way beyond bikes.
There have been plenty of times in my life where I’ve felt… wobbly. Like the stool I was sitting on had one leg that was always just a bit too short. For years, I had the steady job but no love life (I mean, who has time for that). When I finally thought I had both, the world stopped in a global pandemic (which not only limited me from seeing my family but also led to said love life crumbling). Now I have the partner, the friends, the family, the apartment in NYC I can call my own — all steady and grounding — but my work? Not at all.
Even before I quit my job, stability was elusive. I carried the fear that the whole thing could crumble if we couldn’t get revenues back on track after COVID decimating our industry. That responsibility for other people’s jobs was a weight on my chest.
And yet, like that chicken, I kept moving. A little wobbly, sure, but speeding up because of the fear that something terrible would happen.
Balance, stability, wobble — they’re not just about bikes, or even careers. They’re about how we live and lead. And my guest this week, Tarul Kode, has rebuilt her life in a way that embraces exactly that. After 15 years at the same company and 15 years in a marriage, she found herself starting over. In the middle of all of that, her daughter faced a health crisis. For a moment there she might have clung to looking for stability, to going back to the familiar, but soon enough she realized she needed to be true to herself.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m trying to reach some place of stability in my life, but I’m also cognizant of the fact that maybe my destiny is actually instability.”
She said this with strength, not defeat.
Tarul was talking about moving through different jobs and managing different responsibilities at the same time — after all, she’s a pharmacist turned co-founder of a healthtech startup, a venture partner in two studios, an advisor, a nonprofit leader, and a mom. She is in constant motion but it’s not out of fear – it’s out of interest and passion (something I can relate to very well).
Instead of fighting the uncertainty, Tarul is leaning into it. A fresh take, if you ask me.
We talk about this and a whole host of other things in this week’s episode:
What it means to stop living in the “shoulds”
How to recognize when you’re climbing the wrong ladder
The difference between peace-time and crisis leadership
Divorce, parenting, and modeling healthy choices for your kids
After my conversation with Tarul, I'm starting to think that maybe stability — at least in the traditional career sense — might not be for me. Don't get me wrong, I want a stable income and I’d rather not get attacked by a hawk. But the rest? Maybe it’s actually part of my nature. Maybe growing up in El Salvador, el Valle de las Hamacas (the Valley of the Hammocks), where earthquakes are part of life, prepared me to live with a little wobble.
I'm still not ready to get on a bike, but I think I'm finally ready to stop apologizing for the shakiness and start seeing what I can build from it.
Here's to wobbling forward together 🐓
M.
🎧 Prefer Spotify or Apple? Take it to-go:
(And while you’re there - don’t forget to hit subscribe and leave a rating 😁)
✨ About Dr. Tarul Kode:
Dr. Tarul Kode is a pharmacist, venture partner, startup co-founder, and advisor with over 20 years of experience in healthcare and life sciences. She’s the co-founder of Naviday Health, a digital health company building an AI-guided companion for women navigating menopause, and a Venture Partner at Persephoni BioPartners and LOUD Collective, where she helps scale purpose-driven healthcare companies.
Named one of the 2025 BLOC100 most impactful women of color and allies in biopharma, Tarul also serves on boards and advisory councils for organizations including Executive Women in Bio, How Women Lead, and Springboard Enterprises. She lives in the Seattle area with her two kids and their dog, and in her downtime she loves basketball games, travel, satire, and horror films.
🌸 What’s Been Helping Me Right Now:
A friend sent me this episode of Emma Grede’s podcast with Bozoma Saint John, and I’ve been a little obsessed. I’ve already sent it to a handful of people (including Tarul), and now I’m sending it to you.
What got me is Bozoma’s unapologetic confidence — the way she claims credit without shrinking, trusts her gut, and refuses to box herself into five-year plans (finally, someone who gets me!). It’s a refreshing take on building a career without pretending stability is the only path forward and honestly, it’s the kind of certainty I wish I had more of in my own wobble.
💕That’s it for today!
But in case you’re still doubting the truth of my story, here’s proof: me in my volunteer vest, the unknowing chicken before it saw its life flash before its eyes, and my new friend, the hawk.
