A few days ago, I was talking with a friend about her gym membership. You know the kind. The dusty  one. The one you sign up for with the very best intentions… then keep paying for month after month while rarely (if ever) setting foot inside the building. It quietly charges your card while you quietly avoid eye contact with it in your banking app. She laughed and said, “At this point, I think I’m just donating to the gym.” Most of us have some version of this story. A gym mem

What if the change you’ve been chasing doesn’t actually start with doing more …but with being at peace ? That idea alone can feel almost rebellious in a world obsessed with productivity, optimization, and “leveling up.” We’ve been taught—explicitly and implicitly—that progress requires pressure. More discipline. More striving. More self-correction. But what if that’s backwards? What if peace is not the reward for progress —but the foundation  of it? The Progress Trap (And Why

I love my pecan tree. This is a pic of it in the summer. The other day I was out under this big, gorgeous tree—hands cold, bucket ready—when it hit me: this tree is a perfect metaphor for how we learn… and how people interact with the things we teach. It’s simple, but it’s been sitting with me ever since. Here’s what I noticed: 1. Sometimes we only notice the tree—not its value. There are times I’ve walked past this tree without thinking much about it. It was just… there. A l

You don’t need a new year to start fresh—you may just need one quiet, courageous “I’m done.” Over the past two days, two completely unrelated people—who don’t know each other at all—said almost the exact same sentence to me. About two different situations. In two different conversations. “I’m not taking that  into 2026.” And it stopped me in my tracks. Because it wasn’t said with frustration or hustle…It was said with clarity , peace , and a little bit of holy relief . When t

Have you ever discovered something about yourself that felt a little bit weird , but also slightly magical? Well… here’s mine. 😅 Confession: One tiny box of See’s Truffles lasts me months I know. It sounds impossible.But here’s the truth: Most of the time, I don’t even eat them. I just open the box…take a slow breath in…and the smell alone makes me happy, satisfied, and surprisingly at peace. (It’s okay if you’re shaking your head. I get it. 😂) But this little ritual taught

Why Inner Peace Is the Beginning of Every Other Kind of Peace December shows up with glowing lights, soft music, and the gentle message that this is “the season of peace.”   Honestly… who wouldn’t want that? Yet in real life—between the holiday bustle, emotional triggers, high expectations, and plain old life stress—peace can feel distant. Sometimes not just distant… but impossible . But here's the truth that changes everything: Peace doesn’t start out there. Peace starts rig

(Warning: My science nerd is showing in this one...but not too much.) It’s that time of year—leaves are crunchy, pumpkin spice is in the air, and we’re all encouraged to give thanks. But here’s a confession: I’ve always loved gratitude… but sometimes I wondered if it was a little… fluffy. Then I remembered something amazing: gratitude isn’t just nice —it’s powerful . And science says so. So today, let’s get a little nerdy about Thanksgiving and uncover why saying “thank you”

🤔 Wait… Fun as a Value? Not long ago, I heard a grown-up—a full-fledged, responsible, business-owning adult—say that one of her core values  was fun. And I’ll be honest… my first thoughts were not gracious. “How very unadult of you.”“What kind of frivolous value is that?”“How could fun possibly belong in the same category as integrity, faith, or compassion?” Fun felt… light. Fluffy. Unnecessary. Something for weekends or vacations, not the foundation of a meaningful life. Bu

✨ A Sacred Reminder “They are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I might be glorified.” — Isaiah 60:21 Every so often, a verse stops you in your tracks. For me, it was this one: “the branch of My planting.” Something about it felt deeply personal—like God whispering, “You’re not here by accident.” We live in a culture obsessed with reinvention—new jobs, new cities, new versions of ourselves. But what if your purpose isn’t waiting “out there”? What if it’s r

If you’ve never been to a Trunk or Treat , it’s a church or community event where people decorate their car trunks, line them up in a parking lot, and hand out candy to kids who go from car to car in costume. It’s a fun, safe, and lighthearted way to celebrate Halloween. At our church’s Trunk or Treat this year, my daughter-in-law decorated her car like a friendly monster — complete with eyes, teeth, and a big bowl of candy. She stood beside it, smiling and offering handfuls

A simple practice to help you stop reacting on autopilot and start responding with calm, clarity, and grace. If you’ve ever found yourself reacting in the moment—snapping at someone, stress-eating, overthinking a decision, or agreeing to something you didn’t really want to do—you already know how powerful emotions and impulses can be. That’s where something I call The Sacred Pause   comes in. It’s a simple idea I first introduced in my Stop Emotional Eating  guide, but it’s u

We’ve all been there—staring at a blank page, tweaking a project for the tenth time, or delaying a launch because it’s “not quite ready.” Perfectionism can look like high standards, but often it’s just fear wearing a clever disguise. The truth? Done is better than perfect. On a recent vacation, I came across the saddest little mini golf course  I’ve ever seen. At first, I couldn’t even tell what it was. I remember thinking, “Why are there all those oddly shaped concrete slabs

A few weeks ago, I was on a road trip with my husband, crossing state after state on a long stretch of highway. If you’ve ever done a...

If our bodies were machines, the idea of “calories in, calories out”  might work perfectly. Put in less fuel, burn more energy, and...

Have you ever felt God nudging you toward something that felt way  beyond your comfort zone? It can be scary, confusing—even a little bit...

Have you ever looked at someone and thought, “They’ve got it all together. They’re so confident” ? It’s easy to assume that other people...

On a recent cross-country RV trip, we were cruising along smoothly when we heard a steady beep. At first, it was just a nuisance—until we...

For years, my road trip tradition was non-negotiable: 👉 Fill up the tank. 👉 Grab a big yellow bag of peanut M&M’s. 👉 Hit the road....

There’s a story told about Mother Teresa  that has always stayed with me. When she first saw the overwhelming poverty and suffering on...

As a singer, I’ve performed solo—and loved it. You get to choose the song, set the tempo, control the interpretation. You rehearse when...