My husband’s voice wavered in our cactus green kitchen nearly 20 years ago:“I’m just worried you’ll never be happy, Brooke.” I had just told him—again—that I felt the pull to shift directions. That something in me was stretching, reaching, refusing to settle. Back then, I didn’t have the language for what was happening to me. I only knew I had to keep following the clues. In my 20s and 30s, I moved from teaching high schoolers to working with young children, from grad school to leading...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, As part of my February blessing, I wished this for you: When you realize you’re in the wrong room—whether it’s the wrong table, the wrong conversation, or the wrong chapter—may you be brave enough to rise up and leave. So, I want to ask you: Have you ever realized you were in the wrong room? What happened next? Sometimes, I wonder if the hardest part isn’t leaving, but admitting—to yourself—that you’re no longer in the right place. Let me share a story with you. Just after...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Reader, Over golden lattes and biscuits glossed with tart apple butter, my dear friend and I named our “terrifying thought of the day.” We spoke them into the quiet café, setting them down like heavy bags at our feet. We noticed what was loosening the grip—the small intentions we were tending to, like embers in the dark: tucking our phones away in another room, stirring sauce until it thickens, shaping felted stones with our hands, dreaming up new gardens and inked talismans. And we reminded...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, As part of my January blessing, I offered this wish for you: When you’re overwhelmed, may you ground yourself in simplicity—the rise and fall of your breath, the feel of your feet on the earth, the presence of those who nourish you. The midlife women I support often describe feeling like they’re standing in the middle of a storm. They’re juggling identities that no longer fit, responsibilities that pile up, and the weight of breaking news—climate crises, political upheaval, and...
3 months ago • 1 min read
“You need to live a life that you can cope with, not the one that other people want.” ~ Katherine May Hi there, Reader, Want me to read this email to you? Click here for the audio. This morning I realized it’s been over a decade since I decided to stop living for what everyone else thought I should want, and started creating a life on my terms. In that time, I became a mother, started my coaching practice, chopped my hair, stopped wearing uncomfortable clothes, and even resurrected my...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, As November begins, I’m thinking of the women around me—clients, friends, mentors, neighbors—and the wishes I hold for them. Imagining these hopes strengthens my heart, and each month, I gather them as blessings that I hope will feed your spirit, too. So here’s a blessing for your November. Take what resonates and let it settle into the rhythm of your days: May you remember that you are here to be enchanted, to stay connected to the magic that pulses through life. May you reclaim a...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, When my client Gwen shared this reflection with me between sessions, it hit close to home: "Why am I not going after what I want?" Yesterday, I wrote that question in my notebook. I feel like I have a lot going on, but somehow, I’m still holding back from what I really want to be doing. Between managing her apartment, family travel, meals, a research fellowship, and a new puppy, Gwen was doing what so many of us do—carrying the mental load while also trying to stoke her deeper...
6 months ago • 2 min read