As empty nesters, we often find ourselves grappling with feelings of self-doubt that can prevent us from pursuing our dreams. After years of nurturing our children, we may question our own abilities and sense of purpose. Drawing from my personal journey to the summit of Kilimanjaro, I learned that embracing our own pace—what I dubbed the mindset of “MPole, MPole,” or “slowly, slowly”—allows us to take meaningful steps toward our goals. In this post, I’ll share how acknowledging self-doubt, setting achievable goals, and practicing self-compassion can transform our approach to this new phase of life. Let's embark on this journey together and discover the power of intentionality in reaching our dreams.

You’re empty nesting ALL wrong.

Here’s why:

You’re waiting for your kids to call.

You’re hoping your relationship with your partner will improve.

You’re waiting for something to change.

You’re hoping for the life you had when the kids were little.

You’re waiting to become a grandparent.

Waiting and hoping is not how you live an empty nest life you love.

Waiting and hoping is a recipe for disaster, sadness, and feeling stuck.

You’re waiting and hoping because it feels safer to wait and hope on others or crossing your fingers that things will miraculously change.

Even though life flat out sucks right now it actually feels safer than…

Somehow you want to believe you are the only one feeling a sense of loss, a lack of purpose, and an identity crisis as your kids prepare to head off to college this fall.

You’re not a unicorn.

You’re a human experiencing all the emotions that come with a big life transition.

And those emotions are not unique to you.

A friend reminded me of this recently:

You have to be bad at something before you can be good at it.

Of course my brain went straight to this:

Is that true of parenting and empty nesting?

Do you need to be bad at it before you can be good at it?

I received the following question from my Ask Me Anything Anonymously series on Instagram:

“My husband is so excited our kids are out of the house and I’m devastated. I don’t know how to relate to him and I’m so angry about it. Help.”

This is not an uncommon scenario.

One parent may experience a tougher time when the kids grow up and move on than their spouse or partner.

The reason?

It lies in the human experience and family dynamics. [read more]

From an early age you never got to see what life would be like when you hit your 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond. 

And when the time comes – even though you know it’s coming – you somehow find yourself wondering, “how the heck did that happen?”

You might even ask, “did this ALL go like I had planned?”

And you might be feeling a little lost in life now.

Last Sunday, I was reminded of this exact thing. Our weekly hike didn't quite go as planned.

Some might say THAT is a recipe for disaster [read more]

In every life transition - college, getting married, taking on a new job, getting fired, and, of course, the kids leaving home – there are three components to them which require you to strengthen your TQ.

So what, exactly, is TQ? [read more]

You might be thinking you don't have time to take care of yourself.

Or that you've tried and failed in the past.

Or maybe you decided you're just too old to start taking care of yourself -- what's the point, right?

Your health and wellness is the foundation upon which you'll build a life you love.

It's the starting point for moving forward into this new now in your life. [read more]