Show Me Your Circle and I’ll Show You Your Future
We Become Who We're With (and What We Consume)
Have you ever heard that saying, we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with? It’s credited to motivational speaker Jim Rohn, and more recently echoed by Mel Robbins. I always nodded along politely when I heard it - sounded true enough. But lately, I’ve really started noticing it in action.
My son, once completely obsessed with scooters, skateparks, and everything Roman Dellapena, now wanders the house strumming a guitar. A bass guitar has made its way to the top of his birthday wishlist. He even threw “drum kit” into the mix the other day, like casually asking me to pop down to the supermarket for some milk and a seven-piece Yamaha.
What changed? He started a new school. A place where music is part of the culture, where kids wear band tees and swap playlists. His new mates are into Green Day, Kings of Leon, Muse - so naturally, he is too. He’s even joined the school band. The change didn’t come from nowhere. It came from the people he’s around.
The people we surround ourselves with matter. They shape us - our ideas, our goals, our energy. So we need to choose them wisely.
And it’s not just people, is it? What we consume also becomes part of us. Scroll enough junk and you’ll feel like junk. Watch empty TV, read empty magazines, and you might start to feel a little hollow yourself.
Years ago I cancelled my Grazia subscription - not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because I did too much. Every issue made me want to shop more, buy more, have more. I was already teetering on the edge of ‘more’. I didn’t need another nudge.
If you’re trying to save money, or live more consciously, maybe don’t hang around people who shop Shein hauls for fun. (Or at least don’t let them be 3 of your 5.)
Instead, find influences that nourish you. People (and content) who inspire, challenge, soothe or stretch you. Who make you want to be a better version of yourself, without needing a new wardrobe to do it.
Work
There’s something about a big idea that slowly gets under your skin. Starts off like a whisper and becomes a knowing. The new evolution of my photography business, The Sunlight Between is that idea for me.
The name came from this deep, nostalgic feeling I couldn’t quite shake. It’s about the quiet moments that happen between the big things. The golden light between storm clouds, the pause between noise, the warmth between people. That feeling when you’re standing in the middle of your life, noticing it. Not rushing. Just present. That’s what I’m chasing in my work and I hope that’s what it evokes in you, too.
The new name also speaks to a shift in focus. While I still adore working with families, The Sunlight Between is expanding into something a little wilder, a little freer: travel, prints, places, stories. A visual love letter to the way light falls across the world and how we choose to live inside it.
My new website is now live -
https://www.thesunlightbetween.com\
Rest
A big exhale this week, the shipping container from the UK has landed. Every last box, blanket, print, toy, and pot has finally made it across the ocean and into our new home. The first two days were a blur of chaos and unpacking, but slowly, corners have taken shape. The rooms are beginning to feel like us.
I’m reminded how powerful a space can be when it reflects your rhythm. Your real rhythm. Not the polished Pinterest version, but the kind where the light hits your favourite chair at 4pm, and there’s a basket of oranges on the bench and the kids know where the scissors live. That kind of magic. That kind of rest.
Listen
This week’s recommendation is a gem I found via the Minimal-ish podcast, hosted by Desirae Endres. She interviewed Nicole Runyon in a raw and honest conversation about raising independent, confident kids.
The episode digs into why so many children today struggle with independence and -spoiler alert- it often comes back to us, the parents. Nicole shares practical ideas, but also challenges some of the common parenting crutches many of us (myself included) lean on.
It’s a powerful listen, especially as we enter summer holiday season and the temptation to over-schedule, over-help and over entertain creeps in. A reminder that we’re not just raising kids, we’re modelling how to be people.
You can find the episode here:
🎧 Minimal-ish: Fostering Independence & Confidence in Your Kids with Nicole Runyon
Until next week, here’s to choosing wisely: our people, our playlists, our podcasts. And finding a little sunshine in between.
Victoria x
Photographer at The Sunlight Between
@thesunlightbetween
