Hi, I’m Cissy.

I write becoming, a newsletter where I explore the question of what human flourishing looks like in the 21st century.

I run community & programming at The Commons, a third space in San Francisco, where I experiment with creating the conditions to seed cultures of introspection and usher in the modern day town square.

I study Applied Positive Psychology, the science of flourishing and psychological well-being, at UPenn.

I’m based in San Francisco. I’m passionate about curating experiences that allow us to visit our edges and freely unfold into the truest versions of ourselves. In my free time, I enjoy meditating, reading, writing, frolicking through national parks, urban hiking all of San Francisco, and hosting the occasional retreat.

Previously, I worked in product & community at Levels, advised startups at GV (Google Ventures), and worked in product at Wellington Management.

m u s i n g s

introspection, ambition, and agency

• What fuels your ambition? | on the transition to clean fuel
• Life is a series of experiments | it ebbs and flows and comes and goes
• A lifetime of should-ing | the case for an existential crisis
• On giving up control | cultivating self-trust and de-optimizing our lives
• 6 months of surrendering to the unknown | reflections on the four stages of sabbaticaling
• Dancing with our shadows | awakening the unconscious
• Thank you for triggering me | shining a light on the ways we're not free

flourishing in the 21st century

• Knowledge work as an emotional act | an integrated approach to emotions, work, and productivity
• Emotions in motion | a tactical guide to embracing your emotions while working
• Rest is for the dead and other misconceptions about worthiness | a prelude to the tech sabbath
• Going news sober | on unplugging from the news cycle in pursuit of connection
• Renegotiating our relationship with technology | on returning back to ourselves

work & self-expression

• Who we are without work | an exploration on identity
• Some practical thoughts on diversifying our identity | the search for meaning beyond work
• The art of self-expression | surrendering to your game
• How to sabbatical | the inner workings of the in between