This week’s reset moment comes from my duck, Tilly.
It’s been 90 degrees outside, and for two days, a brand-new, bigger pool sat in the backyard — full, ready, and waiting. But did she use it? Nope. Not once.
Instead, she paced. Stared. Stayed dry.
So today, I gave in. I pulled out her old pool, the one she knows. Within minutes, she jumped right in, splashing around like she’d found water for the first time.
And it hit me: how often do we do this too?
We stick with what’s comfortable.
We stay “small.”
Even when something better — bigger, more freeing — is sitting just a few steps away.
We stay “small.”
Even when something better — bigger, more freeing — is sitting just a few steps away.
Why? Because it’s unfamiliar. Because we’re afraid to try.
Tilly had the opportunity to enjoy something so much better, but she couldn’t get past her comfort zone.
Sound familiar?
We do this all the time.
That new job you haven’t applied for.
The lifestyle change you keep saying you’ll “start Monday.”
The creative dream you haven’t touched because it feels too scary, too big.
But what if… you just tried?
Today, I want to gently challenge you:
Do the thing.
Try the scary new thing you’ve been thinking about.
Maybe it’s a 24-hour fast.
Maybe it’s journaling, moving your body, or finally standing up for yourself.
Maybe it’s journaling, moving your body, or finally standing up for yourself.
Because here’s what I’ve learned: growth lives on the other side of the unfamiliar.
I’m not the same person my husband Ed married 32 years ago.
Since then I’ve become a mom, a caregiver, a nurse, an author, a health advocate, and a business owner.
But before all of that — before nursing school at 38 — I was nothing like this.
I didn’t even fly because I was scared.
Since then I’ve become a mom, a caregiver, a nurse, an author, a health advocate, and a business owner.
But before all of that — before nursing school at 38 — I was nothing like this.
I didn’t even fly because I was scared.
I used to be like Tilly.
But now? I’m not afraid to dip my toe — or jump headfirst — into the bigger pool.
Because I’ve learned: amazing things are always just beyond the edge of your comfort zone.
If you feel moved, share your story with me.
What’s your “bigger pool” moment?
I’d love to hear it — and cheer you on.
Rachel xoxo
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Your body always knows. The question is: are you listening before it has to scream?
For years, I ignored the signs. The brain fog. The fatigue. The chronic hives and joint pain. I chalked it up to stress, age, hormones — all the usual suspects.
But my body was trying to tell me something deeper.
I was stuck in a loop of caring for everyone else — my patients, my family — while silently falling apart inside. It took me hitting a wall to realize: I couldn’t keep living this way.
What changed everything wasn’t some big overhaul. It was choosing to listen. To slow down. To support my body instead of ignoring it.
Unfortunately there were many years in between, trying to figure out why I was still feeling this way and seeing doctors who often made me feel like I wasn't seen or heard because my labs were "normal."
Four years later, I found a natural protocol with Yerba Maté extract, diverse plant fiber, and intermittent fasting. And within weeks, my body started responding:
- My blood sugar normalized
- My cholesterol came back into range
- My restless leg, leg cramps and inflammation improved
- My perimenopause symptoms faded - goodbye hot flashes
- I lost 30 lbs without even trying
But more than the numbers — I felt like me again. Clear, energized, calm.
You don’t need to hit a crisis to start caring for yourself. Your body is already speaking. The Rooted Reset is about finally listening and getting to the root cause.
Take 5 quiet minutes today and ask: What has my body been trying to tell me lately? What have I brushed aside?
Then choose one small way to respond. Maybe it’s resting. Hydrating. Saying no. Moving. Asking for support.
Tiny acts of care create powerful shifts.
If you're ready to start feeling better — I’d love to show you what worked for me.
No pressure. Just a real conversation about how I got my blood sugar, cholesterol, and symptoms back to balance — naturally, and without any diets or pills.
💛 This is just the beginning. Let’s get to the root of the matter and rebuild from the inside out.
Rachel xoxo
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Healing doesn’t always start with a diagnosis. Sometimes it starts with a whisper — a nudge that says, “Something has to change.”
This isn’t the end. It’s the beginning.
The beginning of paying attention. Of noticing what your body has been trying to tell you for years. Of honoring your energy, your desires, your dreams.
It’s the beginning of listening — maybe for the first time in a long time — to you.
I’ve been there. In the messy middle. Burned out. Sick. Trying to keep all the pieces of my life together while my body and soul were unraveling.
I had to come to terms with who I really was — outside of all the titles and roles. Nurse. Mom. Caregiver. Professional. I realized I was more than the job that was draining me. More than the identity I clung to. I needed to re-invent myself.
At 50, I finally did something I’d always dreamed of: I wrote a book. First, I collaborated with 26 incredible women in The Truth About Success. Then I published my own: Confessions of a Hospice Nurse — The Journey of Life and Death and the Lessons in Between.
That creative expression was part of my healing. So was slowing down. (Although, let’s be honest — my body forced me to slow down.)
I had ignored the signs: the chronic hives, the fatigue, the brain fog. I pushed through until I couldn’t anymore.
Walking away from my job wasn’t easy. But it was necessary. I realized the company I gave everything to would replace me in a heartbeat. They didn’t even honor a $600 bonus I had earned. That told me everything.
My health had suffered. My family had been impacted. My soul was tired.
So I chose me.
And five years later, I can say this: I feel better than I have in decades. My health is thriving. My energy is back. And I’m doing work that aligns with my purpose.
If you’re at a breaking point — or a beginning — I want you to know: it’s okay to re-invent yourself. It’s okay to start again. It’s okay to listen to the whisper.
This isn’t your end. It’s your beginning. And choosing you might just be the most powerful decision you ever make.
Rachel xoxo
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Sometimes quitting isn’t weakness — it’s wisdom.
We don’t hear this enough, but here’s the truth: sometimes the bravest thing you can do is walk away.
From a job. From a role. From a version of yourself that no longer fits.
That’s exactly what I did.
Burned out and exhausted, I knew I couldn’t keep going the way I had been. Hospice nursing had taken its toll. My body was breaking down. My sons had all moved out. And I found myself standing in the rubble of every role I had once used to define me.
Caregiver. Nurse. Mom. Provider.
I didn’t just nearly walk away — I leapt. Not because I had it all figured out. But because I knew something had to change. I knew I couldn’t keep putting myself last.
For the first time in a long time, I focused on myself. On healing. On rest. On finding joy in small habits and nourishing routines. I let myself grieve what I left behind — and made space for who I was becoming.
And at 50 years old, I can honestly say: it was the best decision I ever made.
Reinvention isn’t easy. But neither is staying stuck in something that’s draining the life out of you.
If you’re facing a shift, a crossroads, a quiet question deep inside — maybe this is your nudge. You don’t have to prove anything. You just have to choose what matters now.
You’re allowed to walk away from what’s not working. You’re allowed to start again.
In peace,
Rachel
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We love a good before-and-after. But the truth? Most healing happens in the messy middle.
You know the highlight reels — “I used to feel terrible, now I feel amazing.”
But we don’t talk enough about the part in between. The part where you try something new and… nothing changes. Or where you get better for a bit, then backslide. Or when you have a breakdown in your car because you’re just so tired of not feeling like yourself.
That was me.
In the messy middle, I was completely burned out from my hospice job. My health was at its worst — brain fog, joint pain, chronic hives, and severe fatigue. On top of that, all three of my sons moved out within six months of each other. My day-to-day role as "mom" shifted dramatically. And I was in the thick of an identity crisis.
I knew I had to leave hospice or I was going to end up becoming a patient myself. But walking away wasn’t easy. It wasn’t a single decision — it was an entire unpeeling. Like an onion with layers of grief, burnout, guilt, and loss.
By choosing to take care of myself, I had to let go of how I used to care for others. I wasn’t going to be “nurse Rachel” in the same capacity. I wasn’t going to be “mom” in the way I had been. And that came with grief.
There were days I felt like a fraud — a nurse who couldn’t fix herself. Days I gave up. Days I tried again. And again.
What I wish someone had told me then was this: the middle isn’t failure. It’s not proof that what you’re doing isn’t working. It’s just part of the process.
Small shifts matter. Quiet wins matter. Showing up for yourself on the days no one sees you? That matters most.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep going.
If you’re in the middle right now, I see you. You’re not behind — you’re in progress.
Rachel xoxo
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