Today marks five days until I compete at the Master World Championships

This will be my fourth time competing at this event, and my sixth time stepping onto the mats at the Las Vegas Convention Center. I’ve yet to win a match there. Every year I tell myself, “OK, this probably won’t be my year, but I’ll do what I can to make next year happen.” And then… nothing changes. Life takes over—running two businesses, training, and trying to practice piano as much as possible.

Add to that the full swing of perimenopause chaos: absentmindedness, emotional swings, fatigue, and feeling more fragile than I’d like. And here I am again, a week out, thinking, “OK, this probably won’t be my year…”

Like a lot of people in midlife, I have big goals but can feel the window for them narrowing. I want to retire comfortably. I want a healthy body. I want to travel the world—preferably in the front of the plane. I need more vacations. I’d love a wardrobe filled with sustainable, well-made clothing. In short, I want better health, more joy, and, let’s be honest, more cash. But I also want less stress and more peace with the process of building the life I want. I’m lucky—I get to work in fields I love with people I genuinely enjoy.

As I write this, it’s 9:30 a.m. I’ve already trained and taught Jiu-Jitsu. I’ve sent work emails, sorted finances, and now I’m starting this blog. I’m working on another big shift in my piano business. The rest of my day will include practicing for concerts and lecture recitals, arranging music, more financial cleanup, administrative work for the Jiu-Jitsu academy, lifting, training, teaching piano, and yes—cleaning the house. You get the picture.

My Brazilian husband teases me for “abraçando o mundo com minhas pernas”—hugging the world with my legs. It’s his way of saying I take on too much, spread myself too thin, and forget to actually enjoy life.

So… I decided to take on one more thing and start this blog. I want accountability. I want to connect with others in my position—people who know they’ve got big things in them, even if life makes it messy. I want to document my progress and failures along the way. And next year, when I head back to Vegas for World Masters, I want to be able to say, “This is everything I’ve got. I’m proud to be here, no matter the outcome. I’m ready. This could be my year.”

And hopefully, I’ll get there in the front of the plane.

- Still Hugging the World with My Legs

Kari Johnson Barroso is a pianist, business owner, and Jiu-Jitsu competitor. In her mid-40s, she’s chasing big goals, managing the chaos, and proving it’s never too late to fight for the life you want—even if it means hugging the world with your legs.