A Mermaid's Necessary Hiatus

For the past several months, I’ve been receiving the same questions from my beauties:

“Is anything new happening?”
“When is the next collection?”

And honestly, I’ve had to sit with those questions for a while before knowing how to answer them.

The truth is, this mermaid took a hiatus.

And for someone who has spent nearly eight years building, creating, designing, dreaming, and constantly moving, choosing to pause was not an easy decision.

For the first time since creating Belle Swimwear, I made the intentional decision not to release a new collection in 2026.

No new designs.
No new pieces.
No brand photoshoot.
No major campaign.
No pressure to constantly produce something new simply because I felt like I was supposed to.

And I’ll be honest—it felt strange.

Entrepreneurship has taught me to keep swimming, even when the waters get rough. There is always another idea, another launch, another goal, another email, another campaign, another thing that needs to be done.

But this year, the water became deeper than usual.

Life had taken me under.

For a long time, my instinct was to work through everything. When life became difficult, I became busier. When I was hurting, I created. When I was overwhelmed, I worked. When I didn’t want to feel something, I found something else to accomplish.

I convinced myself that if I kept moving, perhaps I could outrun the things that were weighing on me.

But grief has a way of reminding you that you cannot outrun what your heart still needs to process.

You cannot outwork grief.
You cannot outrun grief.
You cannot create your way around grief.

Eventually, you have to stop swimming long enough to feel the water around you.

And that is what I decided to do.

I decided to take a year off.

Not because I stopped loving Belle Swimwear.

Not because I ran out of ideas.

Not because the dream became smaller.

But because I needed to become still.

I needed to replenish.

I needed to breathe.

I needed to give myself permission to experience life outside of constantly building something.

So, instead of creating something new, I decided to appreciate what already exists.

This year became about clearing out old inventory, giving my existing collections the attention they deserve, offering beautiful pieces at special prices, and simply making space.

Space to think.

Space to feel.

Space to dream again.

And surprisingly, some of the most beautiful ideas I’ve had for Belle have come during this season of stillness.

There is something powerful about stepping away from the noise.

When you are constantly moving, you don’t always have the opportunity to hear yourself think. You can become so accustomed to producing that you forget the importance of simply being.

I’ve learned that rest is not laziness, and a pause is not failure.

Sometimes, rest is preparation.

Sometimes, stillness is where clarity lives.

Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is absolutely nothing for a little while.

I created Belle Swimwear eight years ago, and for eight years, I have poured so much of myself into this brand. I have learned through experience, made mistakes, celebrated wins, started over, reinvented, and continued to evolve.

I’m still learning what it means to be an entrepreneur and i’m still becoming the businesswoman I want to be.

But one thing I know now is that being a good entrepreneur doesn’t mean constantly running yourself into the ground.

It means knowing when to push.

And knowing when to pause.

It means understanding that your business needs you, but you also need you.

This year, I chose me.

And that choice has been both uncomfortable and incredibly freeing.

Belle Swimwear is still here. The ideas are still here. The dreams are still here. And trust me, I have plenty of plans for Belle. A hiatus was never a goodbye.

It was simply a breath.

I’ve been resting.

I’ve been learning that it is okay to take a break.

It is okay to change your plans.

It is okay to step away.

It is okay to choose yourself.

And most importantly, it is okay to come up for air.

The mermaid isn’t gone.

She’s simply been floating.

And when she returns in 2027, she’ll be coming back with a full heart, a clear mind, a renewed sense of purpose, and something beautiful waiting just beneath the surface.

Until then, my beauties…

Keep finding your joy.
Keep tending to your roots.
Keep making room for softness.
And never be afraid to rest when you need to.

Because sometimes, the most beautiful chapters begin after you finally give yourself permission to pause.