Olympian runner Martina Caironi’s story carries more than her incredible talent across the finish line.

Her legacy is a piece of history that carries inspiration for millions of women.

When Martina was being fitted for a prosthetic leg, she asked if she could try a blade that was made for running. What began as a simple question opened the door for her record-breaking running to impact athletes everywhere. She was given the blade for free to encourage her to run and compete, regardless of her below-the-knee amputation. Martina was not just determined, she was ready.

Two weeks later, she set a new 100m record in her home country of Italy.

Martina’s story even inspired future competitor Monica Confratto from her hospital bed as Monica coped with her own amputation. The two would meet in the future not just as competitors, but together with Ambra Sabatini as the three won medals in Tokyo in 2020 and again at the Paris World Championships in 2023. (source)

Whether your talents lie in sports and competition, business, the arts, or otherwise, we can all learn two important lessons from Martina’s drive. First, the only person who can stop us is ourselves. Second, sometimes you just don’t know until you ask.

When it comes to pacing ourselves, we as creative women may find that as a point of struggle. Just as we are embracing a seasonal perspective for life in opposition to socially constructed norms, we so often operate on our own timeline and at our own pace. This can bring us head-to-head with those societal structures that threaten to invalidate our journeys, or worse… try to stop them in their tracks.

So let’s reflect on those lessons from Martina’s story, remembering that we are solely in charge of that journey toward our goals, and ask ourselves… how do I pace myself in a way that works for me?

If you already have a routine and practices that work for you, bravo! It is so important to care for ourselves and our creative flow. If you are unsure of how to pace yourself as a creative woman, trust that you are never alone. The ability to regulate ourselves and find the best flow for creativity is an incredible thing that can always be lovingly adjusted to meet us where we need to be.

Some of our favorite go-to activities for regulating our pace includes:

• Making Vision Boards (you can still get an official Virtuosa Society Garden Party Kit in our shop!)
• Hiking
• Decorating and Organizing our space
• Honoring our quality time with family, pets, and friends
• Drawing inspiration from weekly Elevation Conversations
• Incorporating plant-based fuel for our bodies (like the Classic blend from CocoGlow for hormonal balance and energy, which you can get for 20% off with code VIRTUOSA20 ;) )
• Keeping a journal or personal calendar to keep track of deadlines

But what is the real point of these? Let’s look at the core of what truly serves us and why. In order to set and maintain our flow, we must first and foremost be sure we are taking care of ourselves. We can start anything at any time, but that doesn’t mean we should. Why?

As women, we are rarely prioritized by others, or even ourselves. We have taken the names of men and needed their permission to open a bank account or undergo elective procedures for our health. But they did eventually grant us the right to vote, at least!

All snark aside, we need to prioritize ourselves and our peace in order to be our best selves. This sounds like it could easily be a peaceful and centering meditation that we practice internally. But for us, self-love is radical. And it can be difficult to embrace ourselves in the way we deserve.

Here are some tips to help you find your creative pace:

Invest In Hobbies That You Love
As stated previously, we can start anything at any time. But what is something you can do every day that speaks to your heart and soul? Are you filling your time with things that bring you joy? Bonus points if your hobby has nothing to do with work! We know how that is, ladies. It’s okay to separate work and play.

Unplug + Connect
The societal structures that threaten our individual well-being run rampant and wireless. Find a block of time every day to put your phone down, shut off your computer, and enjoy the company of those who will invest in YOU, even if it’s a new book or beloved pet instead of a person. We are inherently human and that is so easy to forget. We crave connections and community, and luckily those can also result in beautiful collaborations when it comes to our creative endeavors.

Get Moving
Some of us weren’t built like Olympic runners, and that is perfectly okay. Taking walks outdoors and embracing regular exercise does wonders for our inner and outer worlds. This study from Stanford University even found measurable benefits for mental health when it comes to hiking in nature as opposed to a more urban stroll.

Stop Comparing Yourself
We hold our Elevation Conversations near and dear to our hearts because every story deserves to be heard. And like Rosalyn Kennedy said, “Your lived experience is your superpower.” Too often do we compare ourselves to others, trying to adjust our pace to match theirs or to achieve goals that were not meant for us. Take this moment to take a deep breath of gratitude - your story and your flow are unique to you, and we LOVE that about you. The best thing you can do for yourself, your goals, your flow, is to be unapologetically you.

Find Your Purpose + Use Your Voice
The world is filled with so much hope and potential, and we as creative women have endless gifts to share. What is your ultimate goal? What do you strive for? Say it loud and proud! And if you can’t yet, we invite you to explore what your creative gifts can bring to life. Here’s a little secret: many of us still don’t know what we want to be when we grow up. But there is an inner child in you that is still more than willing to explore those hopes and dreams. When you embrace them, they will lovingly embrace you back, and soon your creative voice will be fueled with passion to deliver your message to the world.

Give Yourself Some Grace
As much as we can compare ourselves to others, we usually end up being our own worst critics. Finding your pace in life and flow for creativity is a lifelong process as we continue to grow year after year. Maybe you can’t still do what you did a few years back, or maybe your passions have shifted focus. That’s okay. That’s the beauty of life, actually. We were never meant to be stagnant or do the same thing forever. And if something doesn’t work out the way we want it to, no matter how much planning we do, there is always a way to keep going. When times get hard, it’s okay to be soft. Forgive yourself and don’t ever give up.

As much as we would love for this to be an effortless process, our very existence as women can be a radical stand against many untruths. We work every living moment to be seen, heard, and valued in a male-dominated world. That, in fact, is why Virtuosa Society exists today.

We are born with an intimate connection to our natural pace and are not often encouraged to live by it. So we lift you up in celebration of your strength. We revel in your talent. We long to connect with your story and hear your message. If it ever feels like the world will not support you, remember that your fellow creative women always will.

So be kind to yourself and find that flow, girl. Women like you - and all that is unique to you - are what make this world such a beautiful place.

There will also be mountains to climb in life, which means there will always be beautiful scenery to take in along the way. Luckily our Summer Solstice hike in Klamath Falls, OR will be more of the latter!

We are planning a hike along a gorgeous trail and will release details as soon as we possibly can. In the meantime, we just have to share AllTrails with you. If you haven’t heard of it, this is a hiking gal’s BFF. You can get previews of the scenery, learn about wildlife that has been spotted in the area, plan a timeline for your next nature stroll, and even plan what to wear with this awesome website! Check it out here, mark your calendars for June 20th if you live in the Klamath Falls area, and keep an eye out for registration details.