Sweet Spot

Oh my god, is life actually kind of great right now?

Jul 03, 2026

I had a panicky realization on Tuesday night.

Am I…happy???

Is life good right now?

Now, I know better than to let myself get too comfortable, or to coast, or to let my guard down even for a second. No no no, I will not bask in the joy. I will keep one eye open at all times.

On Tuesday, I had a really productive work day, and then got myself to a Track Tuesday workout. (I’ve been working out with Granite State Endurance Project, led by my friend and true Local Legend Amber Ferreira.) My stomach, which has not been thriving lately, held up for the majority of the workout. It was hot, and it rained the entire time, and it felt downright cleansing.

I went to the grocery store afterward, and unexpectedly ran into multiple friends in the produce section.

I came home to air conditioning (new!), whipped up a solid Girl Dinner (baguette, various cheeses, sugar snap peas, baby carrots, prosciutto), took a delightfully long shower, and then crawled into freshly-washed bedding with Vanderpump Rules and a new bag of thawed-to-perfection TruFru frozen bananas.

Life felt genuinely good. And it kind of freaked me out.

Am I ready to be happy? Am I actually at peace? Might life not always feel quite so hard?

To back up a bit…

May was a rollercoaster. In many ways, it was an amazing month, filled with friend time and family time and tons of quality Annie time, along with dance recitals and school events. It was jam-packed, and it was great.

It was also the month of many of my Worst Day Ever anniversaries. I was as prepared for them as I think you can be, and some of the days passed normally without any need for fanfare or reflection. Others were sneaky and knocked me right off my proverbial rocker.

Then came June.

And June was the best.

Without planning for it or forcing it or trying to make it great, June was great.

I got to be in New York City during the Knicks playoff run. I worked the Mini 10K and spent the entire weekend with my best friends. I ran in Central Park. I felt great.

I got to be in Boston during the World Cup, as the city was invaded by Scots, and everyone was just so, so happy. It felt pure and lovely and healing. I was the start and finish line announcer at the B.A.A. 10K, and that entire weekend was joyful. The vibes, as they say, were immaculate.

In between those two sporty weekends, I got the big news: that after 11 rounds of chemotherapy and several months on a new maintenance therapy, I have reached No Evidence of Disease status. My latest PET scan revealed that while yes, I still have stage IV breast cancer, I don’t have enough to be visible on a scan. That’s huge. I haven’t necessarily sat with what it all means, but I can feel it. A massive weight has been lifted. I feel lighter, happier, more at ease. (“Yeah Mr. White! Yeah science!”)

It’s been a good month on the work front. After drowning a bit, I managed to tread water just long enough to finally come up for air, and I got back on the mic to chat with Laura Thweatt, Parker Valby, Emma Coburn, Rachel Entrekin, and Alyssa McElheny (coming next week).

I have a few exciting things in the works.

I’m dreaming again.

I’m planning again.

I’m excited again.

I’ve spent a lot of time in my own head. (Too much time in my own head!!!) And I’m constantly telling myself that I need to book some kind of week-long getaway where I can sit and just be. I can picture it. It’s somewhere really luxe and lovely, and my room has a giant tub and a balcony with some kind of great view — maybe mountains, definitely water, ideally both. It smells amazing, wherever it is. And I’ll sit on the balcony and I’ll alternate between journaling and reading. And by the end of my imaginary getaway, I will have processed and made sense of the last few years of my life, and will settle into a grounded yet hopeful state, ready to move forward.

The reality, of course, is that a weeklong dream getaway for my mind and body isn’t in my immediate future plans. (But I am having a prophylactic laparoscopic bilateral oophorectomy in 2.5 weeks — surgery, having my ovaries and Fallopian tubes removed because of the BRCA2 gene — so that should be equally enjoyable!)

So I’m pretty psyched to report that while I could surely still benefit from that aforementioned balcony and a fresh pack of Pilot G-2s, that I do appear to be unintentionally healing.

I’ll take it.

Feels good to feel good.

Have a safe, happy holiday weekend!

SPONSOR SHOUT OUTS

I am so grateful for the wonderful brands and partners I get to work with on the Ali on the Run Show. Supporting them = supporting me!

Shokz: Click here and use code ALI for $10 off your next purchase.
Lagoon: Click here to get my favorite pillows (I sleep on the Otter every night), and use code ALI for 15% off.
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And so…

Take good care of yourselves. Take good care of each other. Be the good. Have some fun.

(You’ve got this. You’re doing great.)

Love,

Ali

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