As the year winds down, Reader, there’s a familiar pressure in the air. Lists.Resolutions.Highlight reels.Assessments that quietly ask: “So… what did you accomplish?” For some people, that kind of looking back feels motivating. For others — especially if this year included grief, loss, burnout, illness, heartbreak, or a deep internal shift — it can feel discouraging, incomplete … even a little cruel. Over the years, I’ve found myself needing a different way to take stock of a year. One that...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hope your holidays were filled with love and laughter, Reader. Ours was a little different … and not entirely to plan. The next generation proposed a new holiday meal plan for us this year. Instead of the usual turkey-and-fixings routine, they decided everyone should bring dishes inspired by favorite countries we’ve visited… and/or just favorite foods, or favorite holiday foods. Apparently they got tired of turkey. (I NEVER get tired of turkey … yum! But I'm always up for a little disruption...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Here we are in December, Reader … with all the seasonal gatherings, traditions, expectations, stress, and pressure. The holiday season tends to stir up a lot: old patterns, family dynamics, financial pressure, loneliness, expectations we never agreed to in the first place… and the desire to make everything perfect for everyone else. This is the time of year when cognitive dissonance ramps up. 💫 Part of you wants connection, simplicity, presence. 💫 Another part wants to “go along to get...
3 months ago • 2 min read
A quick little note to say how glad I am that you’re in my orbit, Reader. I know inboxes get flooded with buy this, buy that messages this time of year, and I never take your attention for granted. Whatever you’re up to today, I hope it’s lovely. I’ve got a couple of quirky quiches in the oven for our holiday feast — I love that my family lets me experiment on them. 😂 (Remember the time Rachel got the dessert recipe stuck to the shepherd's pie recipe!!) Happy Thanksgiving! This year’s twist:...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Much of the stress we feel during the holidays comes from doing things we don’t actually want to do, Reader. Do you agree? Trying to create the “perfect” holiday for our kids. Keeping our extended family happy. Attending events when we’d rather build a pillow fort, burrow into a good book, and shut everyone out. And sometimes the pressure sneaks up on us in ways we don’t even see… until we’re halfway through state lines with a sick cat, a bag of medication, and a story we’ll laugh about...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Today is World Kindness Day, Reader, and it feels like the perfect moment to tend the part of us that still believes small acts can shift the world. Einstein once said: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." I’ve always leaned toward the second. When I was a kid, my mom once told me there was no such thing as magic — which confused me, because she absolutely believed in miracles. Later I realized:...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Sometimes, Reader—even when your heart is ready—the season (or maybe the universe) says: not yet. Have you been there? This morning, Nadine and I made the difficult decision to postpone our Moving On Retreat until Spring. The feedback we’ve received has been warm and encouraging—but the follow-through just hasn’t been there. And while part of me wants to push forward anyway (because honestly, I need this retreat as much as the participants do), another part knows this pause is right. Yep…...
4 months ago • 3 min read
I love hosting, Reader. Family. Friends. Strangers in our Airbnbs. But I especially love hosting retreats. I’m good at creating cozy spaces—not just with furniture and food—but with that deeper sense of emotional safety. Spaces that feel powerful and sacred. Spaces where people can be wholly HUMAN and wholly themselves. No need to wear the “right” clothes or know the “right” people. And yet ... When I was living in Seattle in my late 20s, for some reason I was intrigued by a guy whose mission...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Years ago, Reader, when I co-led my first backpacking pilgrimage, everything that could go wrong… did. We had to change destinations midway through marketing and convince a few disappointed folks to come along anyway. Then we got our wires crossed about overnight parking and had to improvise a plan B. My dog, Blue—then a puppy—refused to be left behind in the kennel, so he became our little brown-and-white (and mud-covered) mascot. Because of all that, we got a late start, stopped short of...
4 months ago • 1 min read