“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 marriage from the ashes.

It’s so wild to think about how much has changed, and today, I want to tell you a little bit about why I began coaching women like you to embrace their second bite of life.

It wasn’t just about uncovering my own longings or finally letting go of the perfectionism that pinched my creativity and joy (though those were powerful shifts). It wasn’t only about helping others live fuller, more expressed lives either.

Deep down, I realized I had built what looked like a 'successful' life but felt hollow—a life consumed by demands and expectations I didn’t truly care about.

I was checking all the boxes: career milestones, books published, speaking engagements, awards. But somewhere along the way, I lost essential parts of myself. And deep down, I knew it.

What would it look like to stop? To listen to my heart? To live on my own terms, instead of nodding along with the next logical choice?

I didn’t have the answers, but I did know one thing for sure: I didn’t want to keep editing someone else’s draft of my life. I wanted to write a story that felt like home.

With time, my “big why” became clear:

I want every woman who feels the ache of what could be to know they have the power to create what’s next.

That there’s nothing wrong with you for wanting more. It’s okay to upend a structure that brings you success, but not happiness.

Living this way isn’t selfish—it’s nourishment. It’s how we build the capacity to show up for what truly matters: to love wildly, create bravely, and live as an expression of our truth. Because we’ve traveled around the sun enough times to understand the beauty of impermanence.

Today, I want to check in with you: Why do you want to create a life that's fully yours?

Take a moment. Imagine your life beyond surface-level wins or chasing someone else’s definition of success.

🍒 Maybe it’s the felt sense of waking up each day and knowing you’ve got your own back.

🍒 Maybe it's letting fun things be FUN.

🍒 Maybe it’s finally being at home in your own skin.

So tell me, what is it for you? Why do you want to take a second bite?

I’d love to hear your answer. Really—press reply and share it with me!

To your second bite,​
​Brooke

P.S. If you want to spend 2025 living the questions with like-spirited midlife women, come on over and check out SECOND BITE. ​

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