Dre's Takes: Grounded in Motion

Our spring collection just dropped. And I need to tell you what it actually means — because this month, I had to live it in a way I didn't expect.

"I don't believe in balance. I believe in harmony — the kind that comes from understanding that some notes are louder than others, and that's exactly how the song is supposed to sound."

I need to start with something hard.

I withdrew from the AVP Qualifier this month. And I'm really sad about it. I was looking forward to competing on my hometown court and get a change to make the Draw. but, welp! Maybe next year.  

It wasn't an injury. It wasn't a schedule conflict. It was a choice I made because I wasn't prepared — and I don't enjoy doing things if I haven't given them my best chance. I don't want to take the exam without having studied. That's not who I am.

TIY has been taking all of my time. My weekends. My sleep. My focus. And as much as I love this business and what we're building, the cost of that has been my training. I haven't been able to show up on the sand the way I know I need to in order to compete at the level I expect from myself. So I made the call. 100% or nothing. That's my take. And this month, volleyball couldn't be 100%. So it had to be nothing — for now.

That decision hurt. But it also clarified something for me. Something I've been thinking about for a long time and finally have the words for.

01 — I Don't Believe in Balance

People talk about balance like it's the goal. Work-life balance. Balancing your passions. Balancing it all. And I'm going to be honest with you — I think that's a lie.

Balance implies that everything gets equal weight at all times. That you're somehow supposed to distribute your energy evenly across every part of your life, every single day. And the reality is, that's not how life works. It's definitely not how mine works.

Some days — some weeks, some months — TIY gets 80% of me. Other times, volleyball does. Or recovery. Or my relationships. Or just rest. The idea that I should somehow be giving equal attention to everything at all times? That's not balance. That's a recipe for burnout disguised as wellness advice.

What I believe in is harmony.

Harmony — just like in music — is made of individual pieces that don't always balance each other. The most beautiful songs are the ones that have highs and lows. Notes that are loud, notes that are quiet. Silence. Crescendo. The instruments don't balance — they harmonize. And it's only when you zoom out that you hear the melody created by all of it working together. And hopefully close your eyes and dance.  

That's what I'm after. Not balance. Harmony. The understanding that right now, this note is louder. And that's okay. Because the song is still beautiful.

02 — What Grounded in Motion Really Means

So when I say this collection is called Grounded in Motion, I'm not talking about perfectly balanced days where everything gets its time and attention. I'm talking about moving fast — sometimes chaotically fast — while staying connected to what actually matters.

Right now, TIY is the loudest note in my life. It's consuming my weekends, my mornings, my mental bandwidth. And that's what it needs right now. We're building something real. We're launching collections, managing a team, scaling operations, creating content, building partnerships. That takes everything.

And volleyball? Volleyball is quieter right now. Not gone. Not forgotten. Just quieter. Because I made a choice — a hard one — that says I'd rather sit this one out than show up unprepared. I'd rather wait until I can give it 100% than give it 60% and pretend that's good enough.

That's what being grounded means to me. It's not about doing everything at once. It's about knowing what season you're in and honoring it. It's about moving with intention, even when the motion is uneven. Especially when the motion is uneven.

The colors in this collection are soft and calming, our lookbook for this collection will be descriptive of a day spent moving through things that bring me back to the ground, even when moving.  

03 — The Hardest Part: Choosing

Let me be really honest about something. Withdrawing from the AVP Qualifier wasn't just logistically hard. It was emotionally hard. Because I don't like admitting that I can't do it all. I don't like choosing. And I especially don't like the idea that choosing one thing means failing at another.

But here's what I'm learning: choosing isn't failing. Choosing is honoring the moment you're in. It's saying, "Right now, this is what gets my full self. And the other thing? It gets to wait until I can show up the way it deserves."

I will compete again. I will maintain my training schedule and ramp it up again. But right now, TIY needs me in a way that volleyball doesn't. And I'd rather honor that than try to split myself in half and give both things a diluted version of who I am.

That's the part no one tells you about high performance. It's not about being superhuman. It's about being honest about where you are and what you can actually give. And sometimes, being honest means saying no to something you love because it's not the right time.

04 — How the Collection Reflects This Philosophy

So what does all of this have to do with hair ties and headbands?

Everything.

This collection was designed for a life that doesn't stay in one lane. For the woman who's running a business and training for a competition and showing up for her team and trying to take care of herself — and realizing she can't always do all of it at the same volume at the same time.

We built this for motion. For long days. For travel. For the gym, the office, the volleyball court, the event, the flight, the meeting. For the reality that your life doesn't pause just because you're in a different location or a different role. You need things that work everywhere — because you're moving between everywhere constantly.

This collection is for the woman who's learned that she can't do it all at once — but refuses to stop doing any of it. She just knows that some seasons are louder than others. And she needs tools that can keep up with whichever season she's in.

If you're in a season where work is the loudest note, you still need to move your body. If your sport is consuming you, you still need to show up professionally. And wherever you are in the harmony of your life, your hair needs to stay exactly where you put it. That's what we made.

05 — This Isn't Just a Random Collection

I want to close with this: we don't create collections at TIY because we need something new to sell. We create them because there's a reason. A philosophy. A lived experience that demands a product to match it.

This month taught me something. Harmony isn't pretty. It's not effortless. It's making hard choices and sitting with the sadness of what you had to put down — while also trusting that you'll pick it back up when the time is right. 

The joy that created and planning Grounded in Motion has brought me is what I'm living right now. It's TIY taking up most of my bandwidth and being okay with that. It's beach volleyball being quieter than I want it to be and trusting that this isn't forever. It's moving fast in one direction while staying connected to all the other parts of me that are waiting for their turn to be loud again.

And if that resonates with you — if you're also trying to honor the season you're in instead of pretending you can do everything at once, if you're learning that choosing one thing doesn't mean failing at another, if you're building a life that's more like a song than a spreadsheet — then this collection is for you.

Not because it's going to solve everything. Because it's built by someone who knows exactly what you're navigating. And it works.

Grounded in Motion isn't about balance. It's about harmony. And right now, my harmony is loud in some places and quiet in others. And I'm learning to trust that the song is still beautiful.

That's the take.

Ciao!