08/31/2026
Hi friends,
I wrote this from Spain, and I want to share it with you now as I reflect on August and gear up for September -
I’m writing to you from Barcelona, where I’ve been staying for the summer with my 7-year-old son. This trip is something I’ve dreamt about for years, and planned for over the past year, both with the LADDER team and my family.
But the more I’ve sat with the difficulty of this trip, the more some beautiful learnings and profound gratitude have emerged.
The realization that this trip was harder for me because I’ve built such an incredible life back home. Extricating myself from it for this long just felt...wrong. I missed seeing you and hearing about your summer plans.
But instead of running home, I sat with that realization, got curious about my tendency to control (hello, let’s be honest OVERcontrol everything), and ended up in a place that has shaken my idea of the future and given me such incredible perspective.
BUT, of course, I couldn’t spend a summer in Spain without bringing home some gifts for you in the form of two new brands that I discovered: Ovalo and MAREA.
I found Ovalo wandering the streets around my neighborhood, and when I walked in and met Beatriz, I knew right away we had to work together.
As for MAREA, I spotted these sandals and thought, “Well, those need to be on my feet for every summer from this point forward.” Maria, MAREA’s founder, has this to say about the sandals that inspired her brand: “freedom, simplicity, and a deep connection to place.”
That’s my life goal, and after this trip, I’m feeling confident my journey is exactly where it’s meant to be.
xx
Dre
