I've been sitting with something I've heard recently, and honestly, I've found myself conflicted. I'm not angry, and I certainly don't want to attack or demean anyone. I'm simply uncomfortable, and I think it's important that women are allowed to say that. Discomfort is real, and I believe we should be able to acknowledge it, sit with it, ask questions, and have honest conversations about why something makes us uncomfortable without immediately being labelled hateful, ignorant, or intolerant for doing so. There has been a recent conversation surrounding Drew Afualo's podcast about trans women and the experience of womanhood. Part of that conversation explored the idea that some trans women may experience femininity and womanhood in an especially intentional, joyful, and beautiful way because of the unique journey they have taken to embrace it. I can understand and appreciate the desire to celebrate that experience. I really can. Where I find myself uncomfortable, though, is when we begin comparing women's experiences of womanhood or suggesting that one experience is somehow more beautiful, meaningful, or authentic than another. Womanhood isn't one single experience, and it certainly isn't a competition. The beauty of it is that our experiences can be completely different and still be worthy of being heard, respected, and celebrated.

For a long time, I thought being tired was just the price of being successful. I thought exhaustion meant I was working hard enough. I thought feeling overwhelmed meant I was carrying important things. I thought pushing through, showing up, and figuring it out was just what responsible adults did, and maybe you have thought the same. Maybe you were the person everyone counted on. The one who always found a way. The one who could juggle work, family, responsibilities, expectations, and everyone else’s needs while somehow making it look effortless. Until one day, you just couldn’t. It wasn't because you stopped caring or became lazy or because you suddenly lost your ambition, but because your body finally said "I can't do this anymore!"

As our first wedding anniversary approaches, I find myself feeling all the emotions. Gratitude. Joy. Reflection. Wonder. It's truly incredible just how much life can change in just one year. This past year has been filled with so many beautiful milestones. We said "I do," blended our family, made big financial decisions together, purchased a new vehicle, found a home we absolutely love, learned how to navigate life as husband and wife, as well as mom and stepdad, and continue discovering who we are, both individually and as a team.

Lately, I've been sitting with a lot of mixed emotions.

A Coach Jo Heart-to-Heart on Self-Esteem, Mindset & Starting Again

There was a time in my life when photography felt like breathing. Not because I was making a fortune or curating a perfect social media feed, but because for the first time in a very long time, I felt truly present.

Have you ever noticed how something feels more "real" the moment you write it down? Not typed, not rushed into a digital cloud, but truly etched by your own hand onto paper. There’s a profound energy exchange that happens in that moment. For centuries, mystics and seekers have believed that writing our desires helps bridge the gap between the ethereal thought and the physical world.

There’s a word we’ve all heard before. Maybe from a magician. Maybe from childhood. Maybe whispered in play, followed by a little ta-da! moment.

There was a time in my life when I truly believed I was just… part of the background. Not invisible because people saw me. Not unwanted because I was welcomed into the room. But selfishly (or so I believed), I was never quite center stage.

gentle reminder that peace is possible.

There’s a quiet truth I don’t talk about enough… Even the “self-esteem coach” has days where she doesn’t feel like herself. Days when the affirmations feel far away. Days where the light feels dimmer. Days where I look at my life and think "Am I really who I say I am?" Lately, I’ve been feeling the weight of imposter syndrome in a way that’s hard to ignore, and if I’m being honest with you… I’m tired! Not just “I need a nap” tired, but deep, emotional, stretched-in-every-direction tired.

We hear a lot about self-care these days.