The Power of Stepping Away

First of all, I apologize for not sending this email yesterday morning. It was a perfect storm (pun intended) of the impending weather interruption and traveling to OBX for the retreat that had me completely confused on the days of the week. It was a complete oversite.

Now that I am home from the beach retreat and settled in at home, I want to take the time to write to you all about the benefit of "retreat."

Why We Retreat

We retreat because clarity doesn’t happen in the midst of busy days. Stepping away from the demands of home and daily life gives us the space to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with what matters most. This time is about moving from reacting to designing—honoring what’s been, getting honest about where you are, and intentionally drafting what’s next. When you give yourself this space, your vision sharpens, your goals become grounded, and you return home with direction, momentum, and a deeper connection to yourself.

This weekend we went through the process of looking inward to identify your core values and who you need to be in order to achieve your goals in 2026. We cast a vision to our ideal future, where we want to be, what we want to be doing, who we want to be with, how we want to feel, etc.

Then we plan.

We take that vision and drill it down into tangible, actionable goals. Then identify the daily and weekly habits and processes that will enable us to get there. One of the biggest components is our self-talk. Our mindset. How I described it last week, the settings of our mind. How we interpret the things around us. What we tell ourselves. If we are operating from "old settings," how can we give them a rewrite?

It all comes together. With intention. Without interruptions. Removing yourself from the demands of daily life allow you to sink into possibility and make it happen. So make next year's retreat a priority. It's a gift to yourself.

Journal Prompts:

What has been carrying too much weight in my daily life?

What have I been postponing because I haven’t had quiet time to listen?

Who am I when I’m not rushing, producing, or meeting expectations?

What does my inner voice sound like when the noise fades?

What parts of myself feel most alive right now?

What does “moving forward with intention” mean for me?

Affirmations (Settings of your mind):

• I honor my need for rest, space, and reflection.

• Stepping away helps me step into clarity.

• I am worthy of time to listen to myself.

• Slowing down is productive in a deeper way.

• I choose intention over urgency.

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Office Hours:  There are no more office hours in January. This is for Editor's Circle Coaching Members as well as any Guided Revision Coaching Members who would like to touch base between scheduled coaching appointments. HERE is the link to schedule a 30-minute slot

The Weekly Draft: happens every Sunday evening at 7pm at this link. Come prepared to reflect on the past week and draft the upcoming week. It is meant to be a heads down, co-planning time, with me being available to share strategies and/or answer questions. Join me HERE

The Reflection Room: We will take a break from this until the new year, at which time we will switch to an evening session. The new day and time will be Tuesdays @ 7:30pm starting January 6.

Join me HERE