That post TEDx feeling.

That mix of relief, accomplishment, and a pinch of that strange emptiness that comes after something you’ve been building toward for months is suddenly over.

I’ve never been married — always an officiant, never a bride — but this must be a similar comedown to how my friends feel after their weddings. So much support, joy and build-up followed by the “Wait, so now we’re just… married?” feeling after the big day has finally come to a close.

And now you just wait for the video to drop to prove it all actually happened. The opposite of college blackouts — this time I actually want the footage to exist.

I’ve said it a thousand times and I’ll say it a thousand times more: I have the best support system in the entire world.

From the texts, flowers, cards, trinkets and gift boxes my friends sent for good luck, to the people who actually bought tickets to the live event and the live stream and tuned in from as far as London (here’s to you, John), I really do feel like that energy fueled me into giving an even better performance than I expected.

And to the TEDx team, there really are no words. I can’t even believe what they were able to pull off while keeping every speaker fully on track during the entire process. I’m totally floored by you all (hi to the ones who read this!)

I can’t wait to share the final product with you all once it’s out. And yes, I will be requesting you share the shit out of it too.

In the meantime, I'm sitting in this weird in-between space — the thing I've been mentally rehearsing for months is done, and now I'm left with the question every performer dreads: "OK, so what now?"

The answer, as it turns out, is a lot. Because while I was laser-focused on TEDx, other parts of my world kept moving forward. My company has been quietly evolving, my next special is lurking in the planning stages, and I'm realizing that the "comedown" isn't actually downtime at all — it's just a shift in which plates I'm spinning.

So here's what happens when the thing you've been obsessing over for months finally wraps: everything else you've been quietly building decides it's showtime.

The Hustle

Let’s talk about My Break-Up Registry, because it’s been quietly shape-shifting.

When I launched back in 2021 following the release of my first special, it started exactly as it sounds — a registry for people going through breakups or divorce to allow the community to rebuild their lives with support from friends and family. Like a wedding registry, but for breakups.

A way to turn one of life’s shittiest experiences into something tangible and helpful — practical gifts, emotional and financial support, and a little humor to soften the blow.

But… here’s what I’ve learned about building something: if you’re doing it right, it evolves based on what people actually need, not just what you thought they needed when you started.

The pivot isn’t dramatic, it’s more like a natural recalibration: expanding beyond breakups (if you saw my TEDx talk, you’re ahead of the curve here), and building a world based in conversation and community first, centered in entertainment over technology — the world I know.

What I’m realizing is that the core mission isn’t changing — helping people navigate hard transitions with humor and community support — but the execution is getting smarter and will make tons more sense for me being at the helm.

Less “here’s a fun and kitschy bandaid” and more “here’s an actual ecosystem for getting through this.”

Story-centric, media-centric, entertainment-centric.

I can’t wait to begin rolling this out because it’s exactly in alignment with what I spoke about on Friday. It’ll be fun to finally see everyone understand the weave of it all.

Speaking of hard transitions and finding humor in them, I'm also in the early stages of prepping my next special...

The director I secretly wanted for it approached me, and we are scouting venues across the nation that fit the aesthetic I/we envision. I’ll probably drop some options here and see which city vies the hardest for me to film there. Leaning west coast…

Needless to say I’m looking forward to being back in LA for the month of October.

The Chill

So about that LA trip...

Most people don't go to Los Angeles to "chill." It's not exactly known for being a restful city. But for me, there's something about being back in my other home that creates the perfect kind of reset — not the kind where you do nothing, but the kind where you remember who you are outside of the thing you just accomplished.

The TEDx comedown needs space to process, and somehow LA provides that even in the middle of its chaos. I can hike trails I've run a thousand times, take meetings that feel more like catching up with friends, hit my usual spots and be reminded that I exist beyond any single event or milestone.

It's the in-between — no longer preparing for the big thing, not yet fully into the next big thing. Just existing in my routines in a city that paradoxically makes me feel both more ambitious and more grounded at the same time.

There's also the practical element: I need to be out there scouting venues for the special, meeting with the director, starting to shape what this next project actually looks like. But the beauty of doing that prep work in LA is that it doesn't feel like I'm immediately jumping from one pressure cooker into another. It feels like easing back into creative mode rather than forcing it.

The "what now" after a major milestone isn't actually about figuring out the next big move immediately. It's about giving yourself permission to exist in the space between — to let the accomplishment land, to process what you just did, and to trust that the next thing will begin unfolding seamlessly.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is nothing urgent. Just be where you are, let your brain catch up to your body, and remember that the comedown isn't a problem to solve — it’s just the setup for the next hustle.

The morning after isn't the end of the party, it's just intermission.

Catch you from the in-between.

Upcoming Shows

Stay tuned here for shows in LA in October. I’ll be popping through my regular clubs out there throughout the month.

Also — iykyk how into Halloween I get. Need some inspo for this year’s epically cinematic costume — my idea tank is running dry.

SAVE THE DATE(s) for New Orleans the weekend of November 7th and the surrounding areas before and after. I should have those links ready by next newsletter, as well as tour dates for EOY 2025 into beginning of 2026.

Love you all and cheers to the hustle + chill. We love a good intermission.

xx NPH