What’s in a name? Quite a lot as it turns out.

After a few years of thinking about it, talking myself into it, talking myself out of it, trying it on for size and generally overthinking the whole damn thing, I’ve decided to change my name.

Peita Vincent is becoming Vida Green.

What’s in a name, anyway? Turns out, for me, there’s quite a bit.

I wanted a name that felt like mine. Not just a name I’d been given and carried around all these years, but one I’d actively chosen. Something that reflected who I am now and how I want to move through the next part of my life.

I kept coming back to the idea of life.

Life in all its messy, surprising, funny, beautiful forms. Life as something to throw yourself into rather than watch from the sidelines. Life as stories. Life as people, conversations, adventures and changes of direction.

And, having dabbled on and off with learning Spanish over the years, the answer was sitting there waiting for me.

Vida. Life.

I love the way it sounds. I love what it means. Most importantly, I love the way it feels when someone calls me by it.

And Green? Well, there’s something about that I love too. New growth. Fresh starts. Things coming to life. So, I’m giving my lovely ex-husband back the name he has generously loaned me for 20 years and creating something new of my own. And I love the idea of living the green life.

So, Vida Green it is.

And this isn’t just a nickname or a work persona. I’ll be using Vida personally and professionally, which means there’s now the small matter of changing my name approximately 4,732 times across every government agency, account, subscription, login, database and forgotten corner of the internet I’ve accumulated over a lifetime.

Fun!

There will also inevitably be a transition period. I fully expect to accidentally introduce myself as Peita. I also expect other people to accidentally call me Peita. I may even ignore someone calling out “Vida!” for a while before remembering: Oh. That’s me.

And that’s completely fine.

To our F&E clients, collaborators, friends and assorted favourite humans: I’d love your help embracing it. Use it. Say it. Correct yourself when you forget, but please don’t feel terrible about it. I’ve had a fairly substantial head start getting used to the idea.

Besides, the world has successfully adjusted to grown men being called Pitbull and The Edge. I feel quietly confident we can manage Vida.

And if you’re wondering whether Frank & Earnest will be changing its name too, absolutely not. One administrative identity crisis at a time.

Here’s to Vida.
Here’s to life.
And here’s to finally choosing a name that feels like it’s mine.

Vida