I am a recovering perfectionist, productivity chaser, and people pleaser, coaching women to disrupt old thought patterns, let go of behaviors that keep them stuck, and make their joy an everyday priority.
🦩 What do you need, honey? 🦩
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Guten Tag, Reader, How often do you get what you want? How often do you ask for what you want? How often do you NOT ask for what you want? Don’t just read on. Actually, think about it. Then, do it again and replace the want with need. How often do you ask for what you need? How often do you not? And here is another question: How often do you know (or not) what you need? Do you ever check in with your Self, your body, your nervous system, your soul and ask them: “Honey, what do you need right now?” There was a time when I didn’t know the answer to these last two. I didn’t know what I wanted or needed, and I didn’t even know that asking oneself the question was a thing people did. I was busy figuring out what other people needed and how I might help them get it (not that they asked for my help, mind you). From my work with midlife women and conversations with friends, I know this issue is not unique to me. “None of us are uniquely f*cked,” as a friend likes to remind me. Caring about kids while starting to worry about aging parents, planning healthy meals while beginning to worry about enough money for retirement, pets, neighbors, church, political activism, loved ones struggling with addiction… Women tend to put other’s needs first. Part of that is hormonal (which is why many of us are confronted with the “What the hell do I even want?” question when we enter perimenopause). The other part is the patriarchal systems we were raised in. 🦩 Here is an invitation for this week:Begin your day with a little check-in:
You may need to go Rogue for a week.Let me tell you, the women on last year’s Salmon River Slowdown became experts at asking for what they needed within the first two days: “Could you help me carry this bag up the beach?” “Can you make a fire in the mornings?” “Can you help me pitch my tent?” “Could you row backward through the rapids so that we stay dry and warm?” “I will stay on the beach and not join the group on this side expedition.” It was beautiful to watch it unfold. Please check in with your Self and ask if you need a week in the wild with eight other badass women. A week to unplug from the relentless demands on your time and energy. A nervous system reset. An opportunity to tap into your true Nature. Your inner wisdom. Your wildest dreams. If you want to join, what do you need to claim your space? Are your own stories and limiting beliefs holding you back? Can you step out of those shackles? If you are curious about joining, please reach out, and I will send you a special invitation.Whether I will see you on the river or not, I will see you back here in two weeks. If you liked this letter, please forward it to a friend. Always on your side, truly, *Remember, don’t go to the hardware store for bread. If the person you would like to support you has proven in the past that they can’t, or simply won’t, extend your mycelium network. p.s. If you got something from today's letter, why not buy me a coffee? I am keeping my writing AI-free, so I put much work into it. You can leave me a tip here. |
Welcome to my Joy Letters
I am a recovering perfectionist, productivity chaser, and people pleaser, coaching women to disrupt old thought patterns, let go of behaviors that keep them stuck, and make their joy an everyday priority.
Guten Tag, Reader, I am just getting off the river as this hits your inbox, so I am sharing a letter from two years ago that has not lost any of its relevance. Two things before you get to read that gem, though: Moss Hour, my virtual Forest Bathing Gathering formerly known as "Backyard Baths," is happening on July 7. I'd love it if you dropped in. The Solstice is nearing, and if you are in Missoula, please join me at Waterworks Hill for a Mindful Saunter on June 20, 6-7:30 p.m. The details...
Guten Tag, Reader, It was still dark. Still cool. The rising sun threw only the slightest glimmer onto the very tops of the canyon walls. Soon, it would be bright. Warm. Hot probably. But not yet. Right then, all movement on the beach was guided by headlamps. The women were still wearing that extra layer as they broke down camp for the last time on this adventure. They moved with skill, strength, and grit. Unexperienced strangers just a week ago, they had bonded into a tight team of confident...
Guten Tag, Reader, “I did not know clouds could do that,” I thought, lying on my back, staring at the surprisingly warm May morning as it dramatically unfolded across the sky. Clouds in a higher layer, shaped like a Hogwarts staircase, moved one way, while their relatives in a lower layer, shaped like a bowl of apples, moved another. Had I stuck with studying physics, I might have been able to name and explain this phenomenon. Luckily, I didn’t, so I could fully experience it instead. These...