Whether in private or group sessions, email, text, or DM, I’m hearing from many of you and a theme is starting to emerge. There's an undercurrent of worry, overwhelm, disbelief, and even outrage about the state of the world.

Things feel scary right now. For many of you, that heaviness isn’t just something you feel—it’s something you’re carrying every minute of every day. The concerns you’ve shared with me aren’t small; they’re deeply impactful, life-altering things.

The holiday season is supposed to be filled with joy and celebration, but for many, it’s a time marked by exhaustion and overwhelm. With endless to-do lists, family obligations, work deadlines, and social gatherings, it’s no wonder so many of us experience burnout during this time of year.

The holiday season is often described as a time of joy and togetherness, but for many families, it’s also a period filled with heightened tensions. Family gatherings can be tricky to navigate, with unresolved conflicts, differing values, and, of course, the pressure to create a perfect holiday experience. This year, however, those challenges might feel even more intense. Although the U.S. election is behind us, political divisions within families remain a present threat that could exacerbate the usual holiday stress, making it even more difficult to find peace and connection during family gatherings.

Although there are signs that holiday spending this year is more generous than anticipated, the financial impact of holiday gift-giving can be stressful for many parents. Holiday shopping once conjured images of joy and excitement for many parents, but it’s become synonymous with pressure and expectation more so than generosity and love.

In this inaugural post as part of my Holiday Stress Series, I’m tackling ways to save money on holiday gifting without losing the joy and connection that comes with giving. This season, it’s time to get creative and rethink what gifting means, focusing less on financial expense and more on meaning and thoughtfulness.

In the thick of a stressful season, it’s so easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. It’s like standing in the middle of a storm. We all know that hindsight is 20/20. But what if we could access that clarity in the moment, even when the storm is raging around us? What if we could find gratitude while we’re still in the middle of the hard stuff, rather than waiting until it’s over? That’s what I’m challenging myself to do.

I studied one of our engagement photos the morning of our anniversary. I admired our youth outlined by the gold embellished frame and tried my best to remember the hopes and dreams we had back then.

While I couldn’t quite time travel to the past, I was able to confirm with 100% certainty that neither of us saw what lay ahead. We never could have anticipated the joyous surprises, the scary and sometimes breathtaking lows, or the ambitions that blossomed as we ourselves evolved and changed.

To honor this 22-year anniversary, I reflected not only on the experiences and accomplishments we’ve navigated over more than two decades together, but I dug a bit deeper to consider what I’ve learned from this relationship and what lessons I’d want to pass on to our kids.

Renewal is evident in nature in the Spring for us all to see and rejoice in…or possibly despise if you have allergies. But renewal isn’t limited to nature or the Spring for that matter. Summer is an even better time to choose to renew ourselves and realign with what matters most.

Many moms are NOT OK. They’re struggling right now.

From the mental load, the emotional load, and the lack of deep and meaningful connections with their kids, their partners, families, colleagues, and more, mom’s are in need of something more than just a bouquet of flowers or chocolates this year.

They need nurturing. They need wellbeing.

They need to be reminded deeply of how much they matter.

Looking for a unique and meaningful gift for the moms in your life this season? Or perhaps gifting ideas for yourself? Look no further! And I have an epic list of 11 things that are sure to make your love (or yourself) feel valued and appreciated any time of year!

This exercise really gave me such delight, more so than when I simply state a handful of things I’m grateful for (and I consider myself a pretty seasoned gratitude practitioner, if I do say so myself). This one was a game changer because it felt like it shifted my energy, as if I were snuggling up in the coziness of joy more so than my typical gratitude practice does.

As talk about languishing, quiet quitting, and early retirement make the headlines, it’s evident so many of us are processing conflicted feelings across many aspects of our lives.

Both individually and collectively, we’re still processing the fallout of the past two years. It’s left us with lots of internal emotional conflict that we’re not sure what to do with. All we know is we want more space to breathe and actually enjoy our lives while we actually have one.