EP279: How Love and Impact Live On
True Stride
Over the past eight months, I’ve lost two dear loved ones who had a profound impact on my life. They lived fully, with vibrant energy, wisdom, kindness, and deep care for others. While I’m heartbroken that I no longer get to experience their physical presence here on earth, I also feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the love I was able to receive from them, love that was unconditional and deeply shaping. One of them passed just yesterday, so forgive me if my emotions rise as I share, but in the midst of the sadness, I find comfort in knowing that even though I can no longer see...
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EP278: Release, Readiness, and What Comes Next
True Stride
I feel like there’s been a lot of conversation lately about the Chinese zodiac and the year we’re moving out of, which is the Year of the Wood Snake. That year comes to an end on February 16, and then on February 17, according to the Chinese zodiac, we move into the Year of the Fire Horse. Even if you don’t follow the Chinese New Year, I’ve really appreciated how this way of marking time gives us an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and check our own reality. In this episode, I share why the energy of the Wood Snake has felt so accurate for this past year, with its focus on shedding,...
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EP277: Shape Your Vision with Creativity and Intention
True Stride
I’ve been thinking a lot about intention setting lately and how many different ways there are to get clear on what we want to attract. Some people love choosing a word for the year, others don’t resonate with that at all, and that reflection led me to revisit the tools I’ve used over time to stay grounded and inspired. What matters most isn’t the method itself, but whether we’re carving out space to reflect, get creative, and really listen to what’s calling us forward. Today, we’ll dive into how vision boarding has supported me in the past and how a simple, pen-and-paper practice...
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EP276: Looking Back Through Pleasure and Expansion
True Stride
At the start of a new year, I always notice a shift. It’s subtle, but it’s there. A little lightness. A sense that I can pause, take stock, and step into something new. Even though it’s just one calendar year turning into the next, it still feels like permission to begin again. To set new intentions. To let the past be the past. I don’t overthink it. I just pay attention to that sense of possibility. As I look back on the year behind me, it wasn’t especially easy. There were moments that felt heavy, uncertain, and stretching in ways I didn’t expect. Yet, when I slow down and really...
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EP275: A Word to Ground, Guide, and Inspire You
True Stride
I can’t quite believe that yet another year of us going on Wise Walks together has come and gone. In our last episode, I invited you to reflect on your previous Word of the Year, and I’ve been doing that too. Looking back, I can see how my word, Co-create, supported me in ways I couldn’t have fully anticipated at the time. Sometimes we choose a word with a clear sense of direction or intuition about what will help us feel more aligned and in our True Stride. When I think about why this practice matters to me, I always come back to the idea of choosing a word for the year not as something...
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EP274: Reflecting on the Year Through One Word
True Stride
As this year comes to a close, I wanted to slow things down and really look at how my word for 2025 actually showed up in my life. I’ve shared before that I no longer set New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I choose a word that helps ground me in how I want to show up and what I want to experience. This year, that word was co-create. As someone who has always relied on planning, structure, and execution, this word challenged me to loosen my grip and trust timing instead of forcing outcomes. It became a way to check myself when things felt rushed, heavy, or resistant, and to ask whether I was...
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EP273: Leaning Into Your Inner Athlete
True Stride
It’s funny how aging has a way of quietly changing the conversation we have with our bodies. I notice it when I’m moving or when a familiar pose needs more support, or when strength and flexibility show up differently than they used to. For a long time, I thought that meant I was losing something. What I’m realizing now is that it simply means that I’m being asked to listen more closely. There’s still a part of me that loves a challenge, that enjoys feeling capable and engaged, even if the expression of that looks different than it once did. Lately, I’ve been paying attention to...
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EP272: Freedom Waiting Beyond Your Limits
True Stride
Lately I have been spending time out on my Aunt’s ranch in Joshua Tree, California, and the rhythm of the animals has offered me a new perspective on how we respond to the boundaries in our lives. Watching the horses move through their space, communicate their needs, and express their energy reminded me how easy it is to accept certain limits without ever pausing to ask whether they still feel aligned. Their behavior became an unexpected mirror, showing me where I have honored barriers that were never truly mine or that no longer support who I am becoming. Their exuberance and clarity...
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EP271: Honoring Your Rites of Passage
True Stride
A conversation on a recent hike surprised me in the best way. My friend and I wandered into a chat about how we grew up and what shaped us, and it pulled up old memories I had not thought about in a long time. I shared a bit about my upbringing and the sense of community that came with it, but what really landed for me was how many different ways people mark the big moments in their lives. It does not matter if it comes from a formal tradition or something more personal. We all have these turning points that nudge us forward and help us understand who we are right now. Lately I have been...
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EP270: What Gratitude Makes Possible
True Stride
Happy Thanksgiving, fellow Striders. If you’re celebrating here in the U.S., I hope you’re surrounded by loved ones, friends, or even your fur babies, and that you’re feeling a sense of appreciation for the blessings in your life, the ones you’re experiencing now and the ones that have shaped you along the way. This time of year is a good reminder to pause, take a breath, and really acknowledge the good that is already present. As I’ve been reflecting on gratitude, I keep coming back to how much shifts when we look at what’s working instead of what’s missing. When we notice the...
info_outlineSometimes the best moments happen when we stop planning and start allowing life to unfold. Recently, I traveled to Boston for my yearlong drum apprenticeship and discovered just how powerful it can be to leave space in the schedule. From crafting drums with horsehide, bison, and cowhide to sharing unhurried time with friends Carolyn and Willow, I experienced what it feels like to truly be in flow—creating, connecting, and noticing the magic that happens when we’re not rushing to the next thing.
For much of my life, I’ve been known as the girl who gets it done. Productivity gave me purpose, but it also kept me tethered to constant motion. This trip reminded me that presence is just as valuable as progress. Whether it was seeing a bald eagle soar overhead or having a soulful, unplanned conversation with my teacher, every moment felt richer because I gave myself permission to slow down and breathe it all in.
On this Wise Walk, let’s explore what it means to be present to what unfolds and create space to celebrate our accomplishments while resting in a feeling of completeness, and allowing life to reveal its quiet gifts.
- Have you created enough space in your day to let something magical unfold instead of rushing from one task to the next?
- When you look at your calendar, are you giving yourself room to breathe or are you packing your schedule with back-to-back commitments?
- How does it feel when your days are so full that there’s little time to simply pause and be?
- What would it look like to be more intentional about creating openness in your life rather than filling every moment with doing?
- When was the last time you allowed yourself to just be present, noticing what surfaced naturally without trying to control the outcome?
- Can you hold space for yourself and others to connect more deeply simply by slowing down and being available in the moment?
- How often do you catch yourself wishing for more time, and what small changes could help you feel less rushed and more grounded?
- What does it feel like to sit with a sense of completeness and satisfaction before moving on to the next goal?
- Can you take time to appreciate what you’ve just accomplished without immediately planning what comes next?
- Where in your life could you allow more space for spontaneous conversations or experiences that might surprise and fulfill you in unexpected ways?
Whatever you have on your docket this week, whatever you have planned for the day, I hope that you create space for yourself to appreciate those accomplishments, to not worry or anticipate or feel anxiety about what’s next, and to gently retreat more into yourself and into that magical experience of being present.
And be sure to tune in next week for another Wise Walk as we continue to explore ways to align with our heart and our True Stride.
In this episode:
- [03:20] Throughout my personal and professional life, I have been known as the girl who gets things done. This became part of my identity.
- [05:02] I also love that this past weekend, I was intentional about arriving early and having some time to play with my friend.
- [06:23] Holding space for each other and attending the workshop were both magical. A bald eagle even flew over us.
- [07:40] Reflecting back on the bald eagle coming towards us, I wonder how many times I miss what's coming right towards me.
- [09:15] At the end of our workshop, I was fully present because I wasn't worried about my next flight.
- [11:44] I also had time to hang out, and I had a lovely Soulful conversation with my teacher. This beautiful conversation just happened organically.
- [12:25] It was all about human-to-human connection.
- [14:08] Trying to orchestrate every moment prevents organic, fluid moments from unfolding. We can't have magic in the moment if we've already moved on to the next space.
- [16:13] As we were driving home, we were visited by another bald eagle. This reinforces the point of paying attention to what's in front of me and staying grounded in my current lane.
- [17:11] Focusing on what's coming next, interrupts the present. I want to stay in the current flow more, cherish whatever I accomplish, and receive the magic of the moment.
Memorable Quotes:
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- “There was just this natural unfolding without expectations, without this rigorous agenda of what we were going to accomplish that day” - Mary Tess
- “It was all about noticing and paying attention to who I was with, and paying attention to what would surface and what was literally coming towards me, and how I could appreciate that moment.” - Mary Tess
- “I think a big lesson learned is that if we are busy designing, if we are busy trying to orchestrate our experience, and if we have things like, back to back, then what will naturally unfold can't be as fluid.” - Mary Tess
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