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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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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