We hear these words tossed around like they’re interchangeable.

"Follow your passion!"
"Find your purpose!"
"Answer the call!"

But they’re not the same.

And I think that when we conflate them, we can end up chasing the wrong things, putting pressure on ourselves to figure it all out right now, and feeling like something’s wrong with us when the path isn’t clear.

So let’s untangle it all shall we?

When was the last time you let yourself be delighted? Full of wonder? Awe?

Not productive. Not perfect. Not impressive.

Just… wide-eyed, curious, and present in the moment — like a child chasing bubbles or laughing at a joke that makes no sense but feels right.

For many of us, childlike wonder isn’t something we’re very intentional about, but rather, it’s something that quietly slips away under the weight of responsibility, trauma, or just plain exhaustion. 

We’re taught to “grow up,” to be serious, to “manage” instead of marvel.

Once again, I’m calling bullshit, and quite frankly, I want to know who started these lies?

Because what if I told you that part of healing is reclaiming joy?

While we’re touching on trauma being inherited at a cellular level, it can also be discovered at the psychological level, or rather, in the events and environments that lead to psychological distress. It can be found in a dysregulated home, in a violent home, in a “we don’t talk about those things” home, in an abusive home, in a hollow home.

Maybe it’s a deep-rooted fear of abandonment.
Maybe it’s a tendency to over-function, over-give, or self-abandon.
Maybe it’s a nervous system that’s always on edge, even when things are "fine."

And if you’re like me, then maybe, for a long time, you thought you were the problem.

But when we zoom out, we begin to see something bigger: We’re not just healing ourselves—we’re interrupting generational trauma.

Do you feel like you’re ALWAYS going? Always in motion? Always running from work to the gym to home to soccer practice, to school pick up, and now you have to cook dinner, but you also want to make sure you still incorporate your 15 step nightly skincare routine?

Just me?

Our world is always moving. And honestly, even if we stop, it moves on without us. It makes it really easy to forget one simple truth: we are nature.

WE. ARE. NATURE.

And this hustle and bustle? I’ll tell ya what… it is not natural. In fact, it is the furthest thing from natural, especially if you’re a woman because we’re living in a society built for he masculine, circadian rhythm… not the feminine, infraedian rhythm.

So ladies, I have to say, this article is truly for you. Because men? You guys are actually able to gogogo, much better than we are, simply because your hormonal clock is set up for it.

But let’s get back to nature…

In the health and wellness space, I feel like we talk a lot about control… how to gain control over our thoughts, our health, our habits, our outcomes… But sometimes the most healing move I’ve found is to release control - especially the kind we try to hold in regards to other people.

I know some of you are already reading “release control” and cringing. How dare I suggest it? I get it. Bear with me.

Several months ago, among millions of other avid readers, I pre-ordered and subsequently devoured the latest from Mel Robbins… The Let Them Theory.

It’s a beautifully simple concept that challenges our desire to manage or fix the people, and things happening around us, on a regular basis.

“Let them be late. Let them choose something different. Let them misunderstand you. Let them go.” – Mel Robbins

Let’s unpack that together…

When I started doing healing work several years ago, I realized that the answers to some of these questions here often trace back to our attachment styles. 

In other words, the patterns we unconsciously formed in childhood to feel safe, loved, and accepted. These patterns don't just affect our romantic relationships; they show up everywhere: in friendships, work, parenting, boundaries, and even in how we care for our own Minds and Bodies.

This week in the Full Circle Wellness community, we’re diving into the deep and revealing world of attachment, or rather, how we attach, relate and connect to others. 

Let’s set some ground work, and define the four key areas we’ll be exploring together:

Most of us don’t even realize when these beliefs started. They sneak in quietly. Sometimes they sound like our own voice. Sometimes they echo the voice of a parent, a teacher, or a moment that left a mark on our hearts.

For a long time, I believed that I wasn’t worth it; that I wasn’t enough. I believed I wasn’t worth the work, I believed that change wasn’t possible for me. I believed I didn’t deserve help or space to heal. I never questioned it. I just made excuses around it, avoided taking action because of it, and stayed small to stay “safe,” and comfortable.

This is a new conversation for me, to some extent. I’ve touch on personal tolerance before with my therapist, but then I heard another therapist on social media say something that hit a little different, she said:

“Mental health is not about avoiding every trigger. Mental health is about building the capacity to navigate life without crumbling.”

In the mental health world, capacity refers to your ability to emotionally, mentally, and physically stay present through discomfort, challenge, or intensity—without shutting down, spiraling, or numbing out, or crumbling.

We all want to feel better. Healthier. Lighter. More at peace in our minds, our bodies, and our spirits.

But what many of us discover—sometimes the hard way—is that the lasting results we crave on the outside don’t come from just tweaking habits or chasing quick fixes. There is never a quick fix for lasting change, sorry to say.

Lasting change, and true transformation comes from doing the work within.

The truth is, your outer world is a mirror of your inner world. If you're feeling stuck, disconnected, overwhelmed, or constantly starting over, it might be time to pause and ask:

What’s going on inside me that needs attention, healing, or clarity?

There comes a moment on every healing, wellness, or personal growth journey when you have to look in the mirror and ask yourself:

Am I showing up for the life that I say that I want?

That question isn’t meant to shame you. It’s meant to empower you. Because the Truth is, the results we want - whether it’s feeling more energized, creating a peaceful home, finding emotional balance, or healing from childhood trauma - don’t come from wishing, waiting, or wondering. 

Every day, we wake up and step into the same story we've been telling ourselves for years. Maybe it's a story of limitation, of being stuck, of never quite measuring up. Maybe it's a story where we’re the sidekick in someone else’s journey, or the background character watching life pass by through a window we’re too afraid to open.

But what if I told you that at any moment, you can change the story?

Maybe that still seems like a whole lot of crap to you, but hear me out…

STATE, refers to your mental and emotional condition (mindset), which significantly impacts your actions and outcomes. 

Now, this isn’t original, this isn’t news. I learned this from the great Tony Robbins, who emphasizes that a positive and empowered state is crucial for success. And I couldn’t agree more.

One of the biggest epiphanies I’ve come to experience in my healing, and wellness journey is that… One cannot effectively implement a strategy towards a goal, if they have not first corrected their state of being.

But that’s not why I write you today. I wanted to chime in on the EXCUSES that hold us back from getting our movement in... Possibly slipping a disc, or pinching a nerve, or pulling a muscle, is a very good reason to temporarily step back from your movement... but I think sometimes we convince ourselves that much less serious situations also qualify us to retreat, and well... let's just call it what it is... an EXCUSE.

Chakras are energy centers in your body. They're like spinning wheels that help keep your physical, emotional, and spiritual self in balance. 

The word "chakra" comes from Sanskrit (if you've ever done yoga, you might be familiar with Sanskrit) and means "wheel" or "disk." These energy portals are said to help regulate different aspects of our well-being.

Raising your energetic vibration involves aligning your thoughts and emotions, actions, and environment, with the higher frequencies of joy, love, and balance. 

Everything in the Universe—including you!—is made of energy that vibrates at different frequencies. Think of your energetic vibration like your personal frequency or the "vibe" you give off.

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately felt good energy - or, on the flip side, sensed something felt off? That’s because energy is constantly moving, and we naturally pick up on its different vibrations. Since we are also vibration, we feel these shifts. It’s just a matter of tuning into it.

There is a deep and undeniable connection between the Mind, the Spirit, and the Body. This is what Full Circle Wellness is all about. Emotional and/or Spiritual wounds can ultimately manifest as physical symptoms when left unhealed. While this might sound like it toes the line of pseudoscience or the “woo-woo”, I’m here to personally attest to the fact that… Well, it’s very real. Let’s discuss.

Have you ever noticed that stress seems to lead to headaches? Or, that unresolved grief can feel like a heavy weight in your chest? Have you ever had anxiety for so long, so bad you ended up with a stomach ulcer? Just me?

Many of us feel disconnected from ourselves, burdened by unresolved emotions, and trapped in cycles of negative thinking. And much of this is a result of simply not knowing any better, and being easily sucked into what I’m just going to call, “The Matrix” (think - social media, ads, news media, cultural norms and expectations, systems, etc.)

Without addressing your internal barriers to being in a state of peace regardless of what’s happening around you, achieving peace remains a distant dream. Focus on peace as your state of being.

If I were a human in the Matrix, I’d break out by questioning everything—challenging the narratives I’ve been fed, seeking truth beyond the illusions of comfort and conformity. I’d sharpen my awareness, recognizing the patterns designed to keep me complacent, and push beyond fear, embracing the discomfort of uncertainty. I’d cultivate mindfulness, tuning into my intuition and observing the “glitches”—those moments when reality doesn’t quite add up. Most importantly, I’d rebel not just externally but internally, shedding limiting beliefs, detaching from the need for validation, and choosing freedom over familiarity, even if it means stepping into the unknown.

Or as Polonius puts it in Hamlet, “to thine own self be true,” which simply put means to be honest and true to one's own nature. This line is often used time and time again to encourage people to stay true to themselves regardless of external pressures, which is the true key here, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

All of this sounds so simple out of context, and yet I think so many of us struggle with it. Hands up! It’s me, HI. Is it you, too?

Contrary to how some people like to act, learning doesn’t stop when we leave school. In fact, the most impactful lessons often come from the self-driven pursuit of knowledge, growth and development. When you embrace the power of learning, you unlock a world of possibilities, proving to yourself and others that with curiosity and a little scrappiness, you can teach yourself anything.