After recovering from cancer, I came back to life with a new perspective. What once felt urgent now seemed trivial. What once felt like sacrifice now felt like opportunity. Healing rewired me, reminding me that time is finite and that clarity is a gift. I return to work carrying more resilience, more perspective, and more compassion than ever before.

Life today feels louder, faster, and harder to filter than ever before. Even those of us who avoid constant news feeds and endless scrolling find ourselves pulled into the chaos. But is calm still something we can choose, or has it become a luxury we have to fight for? In this reflection, Leigh William shares a family journey across Europe that revealed a rare sense of peace, only to be met with the world’s mounting tension at every stop. The question that lingers is simple yet pressing: can we still carve out calm in a world addicted to noise?

The most powerful learning happens when it feels relevant to life. From homework at the kitchen table to conversations in the classroom, children and adolescents thrive when lessons connect to their everyday world. In this post, I explore how parents, caregivers, and educators can use relevance to spark curiosity and inspire deeper growth.

Can we talk about loneliness?

Not as a statistic.
Not as a trending topic.
But as something we each carry—quietly, or not so quietly—through different stages of life.

Over the past decade, I have noticed loneliness in unexpected places. Even with family, friends, and a busy career, it can still find a way in.

I wrote this piece to share my own story and to ask a question I think we all need to sit with:

What would it take to live in a way that loosens its grip?

We are living in a time of constant crisis exposure. With every scroll, swipe, or overheard conversation, we’re confronted by stories that stir fear, anger, grief, and helplessness. It can feel like too much, too often, and too close — even when it isn’t happening to us directly. But what if the way we respond to all this information is where our real power lies? In this article, we explore how self-regulation is not just a coping tool, but the essential first step toward meaningful action and personal resilience.

When the economy shifts, so does our emotional well-being—especially for women managing careers, caregiving, and households. This post explores how financial uncertainty quietly affects mental health, why even stable incomes can feel like they’re falling short, and what practical steps we can take to regain both emotional and financial footing. Plus, learn about CONNECT, a new community launching in 2026 for women seeking deeper, lasting connection.

You don’t need proof to walk away—just a feeling that something isn’t right. After decades of travel and sailing with strangers, I’ve learned that the most important safety tool I carry is my own intuition. In this post, I share the personal safety standards I’ve practiced for years, and how they helped me navigate a recent situation that could have turned dangerous. If you travel solo or sail with new crews, this one's for you.

👉 Read: Personal Safety Standards for Travelers

Ever ignored that quiet inner voice telling you something was off?

What started as a hopeful sailing opportunity turned into a situation that tested every boundary. In this post, I share what happened, what I learned, and why listening to your gut is never a mistake.

👉 Read: When Your Gut Says Go: Learning to Walk Away

Many thanks to Unsplash Edgar Chaparro

@echaparro for the image up above.

Thanksgiving Day, 2015. I had emergency surgery—a hemicolectomy and full hysterectomy—after nearly bleeding to death from undiagnosed late-stage colorectal cancer. I was 42, with two teenagers, a five-year-old, and a three-year-old. Cancer was the last thing on my mind. In a single moment, our entire world shifted.

It took three years to recover physically. Another three to begin healing mentally. And the last three have been about putting the pieces back together and finding meaning in it all.

Now, nearly ten years later, I’m still here. Stronger than ever.

Physically, as a sailor and Yachtmaster. Mentally, as a soon-to-be MSc graduate in Integrative Therapy. And wholly, as a woman who takes up space and time to move through life on her own terms.

I’m one of the lucky ones. I know that. And I’m here to support others navigating deep change—whether it’s chosen or arrives uninvited.

With family and community, we can do hard things. Together, we grow stronger.

As AI becomes more present in our work and lives, I keep thinking about what it will never be able to do. This is a reflection on birth, death, presence, and what still belongs only to us. I’d love to hear what you’re noticing too.

In the midst of preparing for my first exams in the Master of Science in Integrative Therapy program, I’ve been deeply immersed in The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, alongside a wealth of academic and scientific research. The material I’m studying has been both academically enriching and personally affirming. Looking back on my journey, from finance and marketing to midwifery care, I see how each step, including my own experience as a survivor of trauma, has shaped my path.

Through the lens of trauma studies, I now understand how trauma isn’t just a psychological wound—it’s a physiological imprint that can be passed down through generations. As we deepen our understanding of embodied healing, the importance of early intervention becomes clear. The body holds the wisdom to heal, and by listening to it, we have the power to break the cycle of trauma for future generations.

Unsplash Image by Unseen Studio

@uns__nstudio

Life is a tapestry woven from countless moments—each thread representing a phase, a story, a lesson. It Takes As Long As It Takes is not just a tagline; it’s the recognition that every part of our journey, whether joyful or painful, is essential to the person we become.

In this photo gallery, I invite you to walk with me through the snapshots of my life: from the trauma of my early childhood to the resilience that emerged after facing cancer, from the tender moments of motherhood to the freedom of travel and exploration. Each image captures a moment, a role I’ve played, and a challenge I’ve overcome, but more than that, they show the beauty of growth and transformation.

As you reflect on your own life’s journey, I encourage you to think about your own chapters—the highs and lows, the times of loss and the moments of triumph. Together, let’s celebrate the richness of our stories, knowing that each phase, each experience, takes exactly as long as it’s meant to.