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:...
16 days 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...
23 days 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:...
30 days 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…...
about 1 month 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...
about 1 month 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...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
There was a season of my life, Reader, when everything I’d built—career, relationships, identity—came undone at once. One night, when the last shoe dropped and even nature seemed to betray me, I shook my fist at the sky and shouted: “Even caterpillars get a stick!” Because when a caterpillar dissolves into goo, at least it has something to hang onto. Humans? We’re usually expected to figure it out alone. It took a while—and a few more iterations of my life falling apart—but that fist-shaking...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
You know that tiny nudge, Reader? The one that whispers maybe this is for me — right before your mind jumps in with all the reasons it’s not the right time? Yeah. I know that voice too. I’ve taught about following the wisdom of your heart for over a decade. But that doesn’t mean I always listen right away myself. What I have learned is how to tell the difference between FOMO (fear of missing out) and that gentle nudge from my soul — the one quietly saying, this is what you need or something...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
This time of year always leaves me with mixed feelings, Reader — you? I love the soft rustling sound of leaves 🍂🍂🍂 letting go and whirling around in the wind on their way to the ground … I adore sunny October days and crisp nights. I even love how, when the rains start, they wash everything clean and leave muddy puddles for the dogs to lap from. And watching the mist rise from the evergreens as I sit in my cozy leather lounge chair sipping licorice tea feels like a very Pacific Northwest kind...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read