These past few years, I lost more than a business.
I lost stability.
I lost certainty.
I lost the version of life I had worked so hard to build.
I even lost faith. Hope at times. And the future became foggy.
After COVID, I tried to hold it all together. I fought for my family. I fought for my business. I took loans to keep it afloat, pushed through stress, uncertainty, and exhaustion, believing I could turn it around.
But eventually… the weight of it all pulled me under.
Debt replaced income.
Stress replaced clarity.
And the life I thought I had secured… slipped through my hands.
Then My Body Spoke to Me
The signs were there.
Prediabetes had been quietly knocking at my door.
Stress eating, especially sweets, had become my comfort.
My energy was low. My weight was climbing.
And midlife, menopause… none of it made things easier.
But I kept pushing.
Until my body said… enough.
My stomach became painfully bloated. I could barely eat. A UTI made things worse… and the antibiotics meant to help sent my body into a spiral.
I had never been sensitive to medications before. But this time?
They landed me in the ER.
The tests confirmed I was prediabetic.
But my gut? Still undiagnosed. Still asking for attention I could no longer ignore.
Letting Go… and Taking Control
That moment changed something in me. I realized I couldn’t keep living the same way and expect a different outcome. So I made a decision that felt both simple… and radical.
I let go… and… I took control.
I let go of the constant worry.
The stress.
The stories in my mind about how life should look versus how it actually was. I stopped trying to force everything back into place. I started living untethered.
At the same time… I took control of what I could.
My health.
My habits.
My daily choices.
I committed to walking.
I shifted into a keto lifestyle.
And for the first time in a very long time…
I started paying attention to me.
From Raising Children to Re-Raising Myself
Before this chapter, my life was centered around raising four incredible children.
Basketball games.
Choir rehearsals.
Doctor’s appointments.
Late nights. Early mornings.
It was beautiful.
It was exhausting.
It was everything.
And I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
But this past year for the first time, I wasn’t responsible for everyone else’s path. I was responsible for mine.
And that realization was equal parts freeing… and terrifying.
Rebuilding From the Ground Up
This wasn’t a polished, picture-perfect reset.
I was rebuilding with no steady income.
Working from virtually zero dollars in my bank account.
Paying off debt.
Figuring things out as I went.
Living day to day, moment to moment.
I couldn’t pay for Airbnbs anymore. I couldn’t afford hotels.
So, rather than stop on my midlife journey, I got resourceful.
I petsat my way across the country. Said yes to opportunities that didn’t look like what I used to define as “success.”
Trusted that if I kept moving… something would meet me along the way.
And it did.
Sometimes it looked like a new place to stay.
Sometimes a conversation with a stranger who became a friend.
Sometimes a small act of kindness that meant more than words could express.
The People You Meet Along the Way
This journey wasn’t just about where I went.
It was about who I met.
People who crossed my path at just the right time.
Moments of connection I never could have planned.
Reminders that even in uncertain seasons… there is still so much good in the world.
And I found friendships and love.
Not in a way I expected.
Not on a timeline I planned.
But in a way that felt real.
Easy.
Honest.
Uncomplicated.
One Step at a Time
I didn’t overhaul my life overnight.
I just started walking.
And I kept walking.
Hiking on the Beaches.
Hiking on any shorelines I could find.
Hiking on the mountains that brought me across to the west coast beaches.
Step by step… things began to change.
The weight started to come off.
My energy slowly returned.
My mind began to clear.
45 pounds… gone.
But the real transformation wasn’t just physical. I gained something I hadn’t felt in a long time:
Ownership of my body.
Clarity in my mind.
Peace in my spirit.
Even my daily walks in my Skechers became part of the ritual… a quiet reminder that small steps still move you forward.
What These Years Have Taught Me
That healing doesn’t happen all at once.
It happens in small, consistent steps.
That you can rebuild… even when you feel like you’ve lost everything.
That letting go doesn’t mean giving up,
it means making space for something better.
That people are kinder than we sometimes expect.
And that sometimes… the life you didn’t plan is the one that changes you the most.
Midlife Reset
As women in midlife, we have much more to give, do and be.
We carry wisdom now.
We carry resilience.
We carry perspective that only comes from living, losing, rebuilding, and trying again.
There is value in what we’ve lived.
There is power in what we know.
And there is opportunity in what we’re still willing to become.
If You’re in Your Own Season of Starting Over
If life feels uncertain right now…
If you’re standing in that space between what was and what’s next…
You don’t need all the answers. You don’t need a perfect plan.
Just start.
Take the walk.
Make the change.
Listen to yourself in a way you may not have before.
Because sometimes…
The smallest steps lead to the biggest transformations.
Step with Love. Always Forward.
