Last Cut Project, Visalia, CA (2026)

12/14/2020

“Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.”⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
~ Arundhati Roy, ‘The pandemic is a portal,” originally printed in the Financial Times on April 3, 2020⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
Roy’s words have echoed in my head. 2020 has affected us all in unique and often deeply uncomfortable ways. The circumstances of this year have unraveled and ravished. We have been asked to be flexible, pivot, fight (for our wellness, racial justice and democracy), and ultimately surrender. We could no doubt focus on all the things missed or disrupted throughout 2020. The list of moments to grieve—both personal and collective—is long, and we will tend to that mourning in time. In the meantime, what if we take a minute to acknowledge what has been found? What if we reflect on what we have learned or unlearned during this year riddled with pandemic, politics and pressure? As Roy offers, what do we want to carry forth and fight for in this uncertain world?⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
If you want to hear more of my reflections, you can read all about what I am leaving behind in my last (monthly) newsletter of the year, which comes out today. Sign up via link in bio to receive additional book discounts, to stay in touch and also to hear about upcoming LCP projects and workshops. ⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
As always, I appreciate your presence here deeply. Through the end of the year, for every LAST CUT book bought, I will send you a second copy for free (buy one, get one for a friend). I have gone back to my book consistently this year—personally and in my teaching. As we move through the ongoing change and layers of grief, the LAST CUT framework offers a road map for navigating our hurt and our growth. ⁣
⁣
Stay connected. Stay safe. Stay well. ⁣
⁣
x

12/14/2020

“Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.”⁣⁣
⁣⁣
~ Arundhati Roy, ‘The pandemic is a portal,” originally printed in the Financial Times on April 3, 2020⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Roy’s words have echoed in my head. 2020 has affected us all in unique and often deeply uncomfortable ways. The circumstances of this year have unraveled and ravished. We have been asked to be flexible, pivot, fight (for our wellness, racial justice and democracy), and ultimately surrender. We could no doubt focus on all the things missed or disrupted throughout 2020. The list of moments to grieve—both personal and collective—is long, and we will tend to that mourning in time. In the meantime, what if we take a minute to acknowledge what has been found? What if we reflect on what we have learned or unlearned during this year riddled with pandemic, politics and pressure? As Roy offers, what do we want to carry forth and fight for in this uncertain world?⁣⁣
⁣⁣
If you want to hear more of my reflections, you can read all about what I am leaving behind in my last (monthly) newsletter of the year, which comes out today. Sign up via link in bio to receive additional book discounts, to stay in touch and also to hear about upcoming LCP projects and workshops. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
As always, I appreciate your presence here deeply. Through the end of the year, for every LAST CUT book bought, I will send you a second copy for free (buy one, get one for a friend). I have gone back to my book consistently this year—personally and in my teaching. As we move through the ongoing change and layers of grief, the LAST CUT framework offers a road map for navigating our hurt and our growth.

Stay connected. Stay safe. Stay well. x

04/07/2020

Friends,

The time has come for an indefinite pause for Last Cut Project. I could speak to logical reasons—my role as mother, other work, or the economic shifts we're all facing. I have always funded LCP from my savings, which has become a heavier weight to carry this last year.

What lies beyond logic is a truth in my body that I have learned to trust through life and this work. I feel the pull in my gut that I know means, “Listen.”

I feel such gratitude, pride and awe of the community that came from sharing my explant surgery with the world through Lisa Field's lens. Together, we asked the questions we are told not to ask.

I had spent prior years in a very private space, healing wounds from other transitions. Magic happens in that quiet. Something unspeakable occurs when we lean into reflection when it is most painful. This moment feels the same. With COVID-19's rupture to our usual rhythms, I desire to look within at all the things that have been forced to fall away and those that no longer feel a fit. I feel a call to do so more privately.

What does this mean? I’ll continue to write a monthly newsletter (please join me!). The podcast is available. It’s an encyclopedia of tips from amazing individuals on how to handle the layers of last cuts we’re facing. The is still my gift to you. The is on sale for $13 on https://www.lastcutproject.com/.

For LCP’s future, I don’t know. What I do know is that what's next will happen in the quiet and not in real time on your feed. I don’t think this is goodbye forever. The best way to explain it is what I said to my ex-lover when we ended things. Through tears, I confidently said, “I love you and need to find another way to love you.”

Thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing your innermost truths in this space. Let’s keep this spirit alive in all we do. Last Cut Project is mine, ours, yours, and we carry it with us wherever we are.

Truthfully yours,

Sam

(full letter here: https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?e=&u=538221a034d39f4e0783b3755&id=dad36b4515)

Image: Samantha, Joshua Tree National Park, 2/29/20, captured by Lisa Field.

04/06/2020

via Monique Mitchell ✁ "There is poetry in unraveling, undoing, letting go. We are collectively being asked to review our choices and make last cuts that not only serve ourselves, but our human community as well.

When is the last time we have all banded together in such a way, despite class or culture? The world is in waiting. We are paused, together. Unraveling, together.

All over the globe, people have been finding innovative ways to create connection. To celebrate the workers who place themselves on the front lines every day to ensure our wellbeing and survival. To bring beauty to a time where there seems to be none.

That is our power as creators: finding beauty in the breakdowns. Where have you been finding beauty?" —Monique

03/30/2020

via Monique Mitchell ✁ “There is something magical about the mothers we inherit. Despite growing up without my mom, I never felt an absence of maternal energy. Our ability to recognize a child in need of nurturing is one of our superpowers as women.

The modern feminist movement has, in a way, asked us to reject the very things about us that make us special. We have been asked to become harder. Sharper. More like, men. But there is beauty in our softness. In our ability to hold and comfort.

I’ve inherited mothers at each stage of my life. Maybe they’ve given me an amazonite crystal ring, treated me to a meal or a morsel of wisdom that left me feeling full. Whatever the act of love, it lasts a lifetime.

When womxn show up for womxn, we embolden one another. The world is calling for emboldened womxn to shape it. And this shaping starts with love.” —Monique

Tag a mother/sister/friend/daughter whose love emboldens you.

03/27/2020

via Samantha Paige ✁ “We usually speak of gaslighting in the context of one person making another believe they have fabricated a storyline, feeling or event. Being gaslit has traumatic effects, and it takes time to rebuild trust in one’s sense of self.

A betrayal in a long term relationship left me feeling crazed. The denial and gaslighting went on for months. Once out, I spent years re-discovering confidence in my inner knowing after repeatedly being fed untruths.

Yet, the ways that we gaslight ourselves can be equally damaging. I've been reflecting on my own propensity to revisit decisions made in moments of distinct clarity. Especially after trauma, knowing what is real and what is true can be confusing. However, when I question my own intuition, I undermine my connection to and understanding of self.

How do we keep believing in a personal truth that is fiercely strong even when we move through pockets of doubt? In the , I write about how when we make a last cut, we must go deep within and trust that the decisions we make are sourced in a knowing that is uniquely ours. Our knowledge of self is ever-present and worthy of protection and believing. And, we too are worthy of the love, connection, recognition, safety and all else we desire.” —Sam

03/26/2020

A via Amani ✁ “Your own body fighting against you is a horrifying experience. Trust me, I know. Imagine nine months of non stop bleeding, five blood transfusions, nausea, vomiting and one surgery. No, none of this was easy and no, I was not mentally or emotionally okay for a long time. Traumatic experiences never are easy, but at one point, I learned to make it work. This illness that came unexpectedly has taught me so much. Be less afraid. Speak up. There's no one who can tell you what's going on with you, but you. In the event of something horrific, I was pushed more to the woman I imagined being. I promised myself to live and enjoy every moment I have left.

My illness still affects me. I have a burning hatred for hospitals. I can't stand needles or IVs. I cry listening to some songs, and there hasn't been one blood transfusion where I haven't cried. After my surgery, I can tell it helped tremendously, but it's too soon to tell if it cured my ailment. However, I never felt more in tune with my body and what they need. I felt like I got to know Amani a lot more than anticipated. I guess at the end of every fight, true love finds a way to make it work. I am so proud of myself for fighting against this. My road to recovery is a lot smoother than I could have ever imagined. And if anyone out there is going through something similar, it may not feel like it now, but you got this. I believe in you. A bumpy road has to be fixed at one point.” –Amani ()

03/25/2020

via Michael Singer ✁ “In truth, the very responsibility of having to hold it together is itself a form of suffering. You notice this most when things start to fall apart outside. Your psyche goes into turmoil, and you have to struggle to hold your inner world together. But what exactly are you holding onto? The things in there are your thoughts, emotions, and movements of energy, none of which are solid. They are like clouds, simply coming and going through vast inner space. But you keep holding onto them, as though consistency can substitute for stability.” —Michael Singer

03/23/2020

via Samantha Paige ✁ “Please know I am thinking of you all right now- those of you who are immunocompromised, older than 60 and still showing up to work to make the few things left ticking tick, especially the nurses, doctors, and emergency workers. THANK YOU!

I am thinking of you who are working from home and those doing your best to keep your children sane and safe (feel you!). And you who are overwhelmed, scared, anxious and unsure of what’s next, I see you. I appreciate you.

Sometimes last cuts are chosen. Other times they happen to us, and we must adjust. Right now, there are a lot of the latter. As a global community, we are navigating an unprecedented situation that is changing rapidly. The only way I have learned to survive the most tumultuous times in my own life (cancer, surgeries, fire evacuations, mudslides) has been to do my best to shift my focus towards the basics and reflect on what matters most to me. In times of crisis, we are often forced to strip things down to the studs.

TO HELP IN WHATEVER WAY I CAN, I WANT TO GIFT YOU ALL THE .

In it, I ask the questions that remind us how to assess what we can control and where we want to place our focus (to the best of our ability) in these crazy and ever-shifting tides. Perhaps you can even do it with your kids. My daughter continues to blow me away with her wisdom during this time.

If you "purchase" the workbook, which is on sale at $0, you will receive the digital LAST CUT workbook via an immediately downloadable link and email. I hope it brings some peace and distraction while we ride this out together (well, socially distanced (!) and always connected).

Hang in there. Stay strong. Please stay home as much as possible to protect our most vulnerable while we attempt to flatten the curve, and to support our emergency workers.

Please share this and tag a friend who might need a little extra loving right now. I LOVE YOU. Truthfully, Sam”

Here's the workbook: https://www.lastcutproject.com/books/last-cut-workbook-digital

03/21/2020

via Miracle Garren ✁ “For the majority of my life, I've been sick. It seems as though as soon as I came out of the womb, I haven't exactly had the luck of the deck. I was a preemie who was 3 months early, weighing 1 pound 8 ounces. [There were] no health complications. So overall I was healthy until 4th and 9th grade when I got diagnosed with 4 chronic Illnesses that all have different courses and characteristics. 3 out of the 4 of my illnesses cause chronic widespread pain, dislocations, and fatigue. My other illness causes lung issues. Illness actively destroys narrative— it strips you from who you are. It creates a distance from the idea you have of yourself versus reality. For me, the thought of being physically dependent on medications for an indefinite period is not how I wish my life to be. I mean I'm only 17. My friends tell me I have the cough of a smoker who smokes several packs a day and the joints of a 70-year-old man. My illness is not visible so to people around me I get, "You don't look sick." But to anyone who sees me at home, they see otherwise. They see how this has taken a toll on my body. They see me as my sickness. My chronic illness has shaped me into who I am today. I've learned so much about myself, and life in general. My illness is just a chapter in my book. I have many more chapters to write, and chapters have already been written that do not involve my illness, but my journey in life. Yes, it affects me. It makes my life a living hell at times, but these illnesses are not my entirety. It doesn’t make up the whole part of me.” —Miracle

Let’s continue to stay home (unless you are getting food or medicine, exercising, and/or working) and to be mindful of others. Miracle’s line, “My illness is not visible,” has taken on new meaning in this current state of the world. Let’s operate from a place that puts the well-being of the whole community, especially those facing chronic illness like Miracle, at the forefront. Stay strong. We love you.

03/19/2020

via Monique Mitchell ✁ “The story of Spring Equinox is the story of Persephone’s resurrection. As the myth goes, Persephone, an innocent girl-child, was kidnapped, taken to the underworld and forced to marry Hades. All of the gods were in a frenzy looking for the maiden, but when they found her in the underworld, they were shocked to find that the depths of darkness did not destroy her, but rather, birthed her.

How many of us have experienced a dark night of the soul? It feels like we’ve reached the end of the road, and in a sense, we have. We’ve reached the end of one road, and are offered the opportunity to step onto another.

I am so proud of Rihanna, a woman who emerged from the depths of an abusive relationship and bankruptcy after being robbed by her accountant, to rebirth herself as a mogul, and more importantly, a humanitarian.

Rihanna has given hope not only to the young girls on her island, but to women across the globe that what looks like the end, is really an opening. Spring Equinox is not only the rebirth of the sun, but the rebirth of ourselves.

Who is it you will become today?” —Monique

03/17/2020

via Monique Mitchell ✁ In an effort to band together as human family during this global crisis, we are asking anyone impacted financially due to COVID-19 closures and cancellations to drop their venmo/paypal/cashapp in the comments. You don’t need to say what you need the cash for. If you have wealth/resource/time privilege, let’s work together to pay it forward to these individuals during this deeply challenging moment. Let’s offer support in the most immediate way we can, because, remember, what touches one of us, touches all of us, on micro and macro levels.

Please stay indoors and keep yourselves safe. Be mindful of ways you can help your loved ones and neighbors. And most importantly, breathe. We love you. 🖤

—Monique (in Italy) and the Last Cut Project team

Last Cut Project

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