Hi there, it’s Jill!

At this moment, I’m eight months pregnant, counting down the days to welcome a new life into the world. While my husband and I are soaking up the final moments of our two-person life, I wanted to reflect on how this journey has changed me — not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.

This post is both a letter to personal growth, and the origin story of Anchor Growth Newsletter, which I launched earlier this year while carrying both a baby and a new idea into the world.

If you’re on a similar path — or considering parenthood — I hope this provides you with a different lens on how change can bring creativity, clarity, and even momentum. Let’s dive in.

I still remember the morning I saw the double red lines on the pregnancy test. I ran downstairs to tell my husband — our hearts were instantly full of joy and anticipation.

Over the following weeks, we watched this tiny life grow from a peanut-shaped dot into a baby with arms, legs, and a heartbeat. I’ll never forget the first time I felt a kick — a quiet but powerful reminder that something magical was unfolding inside me.

The support I’ve received has been incredible — from subway riders offering their seats, to neighbors and friends asking how I’m doing, to generous advice and hand-me-downs from fellow parents. To all of you: thank you. Your kindness has meant the world!

But pregnancy isn’t just baby kicks and warm wishes. It comes with its physical toll: nausea in the early months, back pain as the baby grows, and the kind of sleep disruption that foreshadows life with a newborn.

Even so, I’ve come to savour these discomforts — not because they’re pleasant, but because they signal a transformation in progress.

What surprised me the most during pregnancy wasn’t just the physical changes — it was the increase in curiosity I started to experience.

Part of it might be due to a recent career shift from Data Science to a Product Management team — a move that came with new responsibilities, a steep learning curve, and plenty of fresh stimulation. But I started to notice that my brain felt more active than ever.

And it turns out, this isn’t just in my head.

Scientific studies show that pregnancy can alter brain structure — specifically through a decrease in grey matter and an increase in white matter. It’s a powerful sign of neuroplasticity — the brain’s way of reorganizing and optimizing itself for new demands.

🧠 Grey matter reduction = indicates a “fine-tuning” of brain circuits
🧠 White matter increase = stronger connections between brain regions, faster information processing, improved problem-solving.

In short: pregnancy can heighten your ability to learn, adapt, and focus. That was the missing puzzle piece — the reason why, during one of the most physically demanding times of my life, I also felt more creatively energized and curious than ever.

Many people ask me why I chose to launch a newsletter while pregnant — wasn’t I already overwhelmed?

In hindsight, I think this creative urge wasn’t separate from pregnancy — it was part of it.

As I nurtured a new life within me, I also felt the urge to nurture something intellectually — a space to turn years of personal growth and career experimentation into something that might help others.

I moved to Canada alone at 18 with two suitcases and no clear path. Since then, it’s been a journey of building skills, finding my voice, and defining a life that aligns with my values. There were wins, setbacks, doubts, and turning points…

And the constant theme that kept me going? Growth.

That’s how Anchor Growth Newsletter was born — a reflective community for people to navigate their own careers and inner transformations, and it’s my great pleasure to have you in this journey with me to explore together.

This journey has also deepened my appreciation for my own mother. She’s been sharing her stories from when she carried me, and it’s brought us closer in a way I never anticipated.

Soon, she’ll be a grandmother, and I’ll be someone’s mom. That realization of life flowing from one generation to the next is both humbling and awe-inspiring.

Pregnancy is often framed as something that slows you down, and in many ways, that’s true physically. But what it’s taught me is that growth doesn’t stop just because your body is changing.

In fact, it might just be the time when growth — both inward and outward — becomes more potent.

Here’s to evolving — in career, in identity, and in life — one small step at a time.

With gratitude,

— Jill

Founder of Anchor Growth Newsletter

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