I’m changing my name and here’s why.
As you may know, I recently left my job at Google in an adventurous act of trust. I made the decision not upon some dramatic event, but rather in a simple moment while working from home for the nth day in a row in order to start earlier, finish later, and not be distracted during. I was surrounded by coffee cups, post-it notes, and cough drop wrappers. I had started typing hours ago, at the crack of dawn, and knew I wouldn’t stop until my eyes gave out on me in the evening so I could hit the latest looming deadline and get a gold star for excellent work. It had been days since I practiced yoga, meditated, or spent quality time with any human. And my skin had been sick for weeks.
On the verge of burnout (though I’d never admit it at the time), as I slumped over my laptop, staring at the cursor blink, I found myself wondering, “Is this really all there is?”
Just then, my partner came in to deliver some lunch for me to wolf down between sentences. And looking into his sweet, smiling face, I was suddenly graced to realize just how comical (and sad) my lifestyle powered by ladder-climbing and conventional definitions of success really was, especially compared to what I’ve always been committed to deep down: living a juicy, present life of love and adventure.
That’s when I decided to leave Google -- and, on a higher level, stop postponing my life in general. Because why wait?
Of course, I actually set the gears in motion on this quite a bit earlier. Four years ago I trained to become a yoga teacher and last year I trained to become a coach and started coaching on the side. The next natural step was to leave the corporate world to come alive to my real self and pursue my true dreams full-force. As part of that, I’m now starting my own business focused on a deep desire to help other successful women come alive through coaching, yoga, and retreats. Here’s where the name change comes into play.
Please allow me to introduce Ruby Ray. She’s me, and you, and every woman, in her fullest expression. She represents the ray of coming -- and being -- unapologetically ALIVE. Why this name in particular? Because to me ruby is the color of blood coursing through the veins of an ecstatic dancer, Dorothy’s magic slippers that bring her home to her very own self (transformed), and raw female life force, radiant and unstoppable. Ruby Ray is not a people-pleaser, someone who blends in, or someone who plays small. Vibrating in her frequency feels like waking up excited for not just coffee, but the whole day ahead. It feels like being a kid again, and running through the sprinklers with wild abandon. And it feels like falling madly in love with yourself. Because why not?
So you can still call me Ekat. But I’m going to be honoring and sharing the magic light of the divinely fierce inner ruby from here on out. I’m stepping into her ray. Who’s with me?