I returned home from camping feeling good. Really good. The kind of good I had forgotten was still possible.

The Eastern Sierra mountains. Bright blue skies. Desert sand and dry air stripped everything unnecessary from me. There's something about that landscape...the scale of it, the silence, the way color just sits there, unapologetic...it moved me in ways I didn’t expect.

I felt cleansed. Soothed. Like my nervous system exhaled, and I could breathe without the heaviness in my chest. 

For 24 hours, we had no cell service at all. No news. No scrolling. No bracing for what came next. Just the world as it actually was, right in front of me.

When we came back into range, I felt a flutter of real anxiety. What happened in those 24 hours? Had something new collapsed? Had he done something irreversible?

He had. And nothing had stopped it.

And just like that, the thing I’d put down for 24 hours was back in my hands.

Why can’t I shake this feeling of doom?

I know scrolling doesn’t h...

 A letter to all of us who are exhausted, outraged, and still here.

I'm writing to you about something I feel in my body and in my soul.

The exhaustion.

Not tiredness. Exhaustion. The kind that settles into your bones. The kind that is still there after a full night of sleep. The kind that makes ordinary things feel heavier than they should.

I feel it. And I know you feel it too.

We are carrying something enormous right now. And most of us are carrying it without anyone acknowledging the weight of it.

So I want to start there. Before the call to action. Before anything else.

You are allowed to feel all of this.

The outrage. The exhaustion. The powerlessness. The confusion about why they keep getting away with it. The fear of giving up. The shame of what our country has become. The worry for our grandchildren.

All of it. At the same time. Without having to choose between grief and action, between anger and tenderness, between fighting and resting.

You are allowed to hold a...

I’ve made 76 trips around the sun.

That number stops me cold every time I say it out loud.

76 is how old my grandparents were when I spent weekends and summers on their farm. I remember them as the elders…not old, just people who had clearly been through things. I never stopped to wonder what those things were. Two world wars, the great depression, and farming the land with no guarantees were probably a few things. 

My grandmother took my mother to school in a horse-and-buggy.  And I remember her holding one of those candlestick phones, telling the operator to connect her to the person she was calling. It was the kind of life that was simple and hard at the same time.

And now here I am. That elder. The one who has been through things.

Do I feel wise?

Honestly… a bit. And also, some days, not at all. But I’ve lived a full, rich life that has asked everything of me. And I'm still here. That counts for something.

So on the occasion of my 76th birthday, here is what I actually know:...

Originally published in 2021. Updated February 2026.

When something goes wrong in your life, your relationships, even in the world around you...where does your mind go?

If you’re like many thoughtful, capable women I work with, it turns inward.

What did I do?
What did I miss?
How did I get this wrong?

It feels responsible.
It feels like maturity.

But often, it’s a habit.

You don’t lack confidence.

You’ve learned to blame yourself first.

You don't have to blame yourself

In fact, it won’t help you in any way.   

For sure, it’s easy to get stuck listening to the blaming and shaming voices inside of you that tell you that you did something wrong…spiraling you down into negativity, into funky land.

Those are the times when nothing seems right. You feel off but you don't even know what's wrong.

It might be that you woke up feeling happy and everything was going great and then, BAM.

Some small thing happens.

Your phone goes off in the middle of a yoga class, with a voice messa...

 Women are angry, and most of us were never taught what to do with that kind of anger and power.

We are saying it out loud now. We are pissed off. We are done swallowing it. And yet many of us are also unsure where to put it, how to use it, how to rise without burning ourselves out.

We're Angry and We're Done Hiding It

I'm less angry today.  I have been so, so mad this week. 

But I am tired.

Tired of the onslaught.
Tired of waking up to another outrage.
Tired of feeling like every day requires vigilance.

I'm sick of all of it.

And yet I love hearing women say, “I’m pissed off.”

I love it when a woman finally says, “I’m angry.”

Not apologizing.
Not softening it.
Not stuffing it down to keep the peace.

The Good Girl Story Is Breaking

For decades, we women have kept things even keel. We have swallowed what we really thought. We have carried the emotional weight for everyone around us. We have been the good girls.

But now something is breaking open.

Maybe what all of this corrupti...

We're needed now. 

Not later.
Not when things calm down.
Now.

We're living inside the collapse of patriarchy.
And it’s not subtle.

What is breaking apart is not just political systems or institutions.
It’s the way of being that rewards domination, greed, and control, while masquerading as leadership.

And the cost has been devastating.

The Epstein Crimes Are Not an Anomaly

The Epstein crimes are not an isolated scandal.
They are a revelation.

Years of abuse.
Young women and girls trafficked, violated, silenced.
Protected by wealth, power, and institutions that knew and did nothing.

And still, at the time of this writing, not all of the files have been released.

The files that have been made public are staggering.
The redactions are glaring.
The unanswered questions are deafening.

How much was hidden?
How many names remain protected?
How long has this been allowed to continue?

This is not just about powerful men who thought they could get away with whatever depravity they chose.  

This ...

In just a few days, I’ll be 75 years old...and honestly, that number still surprises me.

Not because I feel old (I don’t), but because there were so many things I didn’t know about getting older. There are so many things I wish someone had told me.

Here’s what I know for sure: Aging is not something to fear. It’s a privilege. It’s a time of stepping into your power, shedding old expectations, and finally...finally...living for you.

I wish more women knew that. I wish we didn’t waste so much time doubting ourselves, waiting for permission, or holding back our voices.

Because at some point, whether you’re ready or not, a switch flips.

It’s the moment when you realize you are done with being spoken to with disrespect, swallowing your words just to keep the peace, and staying quiet to avoid looking “difficult.”

And here’s what I wish more women knew: People respect you more when you start speaking your truth.

Damn, I wish I had known this sooner.

1. Know how to say no. And don’t gi...

When I first heard about self-love, I couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed like a punchline in a joke. After all, aren't we taught to prioritize others above ourselves from a young age?
Be selfless, not selfish... that's the narrative I grew up with, especially as a woman.

Reflecting on my upbringing, I realized that the women in my life, though remarkable in so many ways, rarely exemplified self-love. They epitomized giving, always putting others' needs before their own. And so, naturally, I followed suit.

We know that self-care goes right along with self-love. But why is it so hard? 

Years ago when my first coach asked me what I do for self-care, I stumbled to think of some words to say to her and silently thought, "What the hell is she talking about?"

I thought a lot about that question, feeling perplexed and a bit resistant.

Breaking free from the ingrained belief that self-love equated to selfishness wasn't easy.

But then came the epiphany…by nurturing myself, I had more to ...

"Do the thing you think you cannot do: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."   Eleanor Roosevelt

Traveling alone as a woman can be an exhilarating and transformative experience. 

It offers a unique opportunity to discover the world on your terms, pushing your boundaries and gaining a profound sense of self-reliance. 

In this blog post, we'll explore my journey traveling alone, highlighting the empowering aspects and offering tips for a safe and enjoyable solo adventure.

Empowerment through Independence

I had traveled alone in Europe, but it had been many years. I was nervous, scared, and aware that I’d make all the decisions by myself…a thing that always makes me nervous.

My solo adventure was for only two days. I left the friends I’d been traveling with for two weeks in Greece and flew to Rome.  I‘d booked a room near the Vatican. The host had arranged for me to be picked up at the airport, so I felt...

Recently when I was in Hawaii, I talked to my friend, Emily Emmons, who is one of the most get-things-done kind of women I know.

She started a nonprofit called Hoʻōla Farms in 2015 to teach military veterans, first responders, their families, caregivers, and the community how to grow healthy food. With her guidance and drive, it's now grown into a farm, and a commercial kitchen, and also provides an array of training and hands-on experiences. 

She has done all of this in hopes of creating a more sustainable future and well-being for all. If you're looking for a worthwhile organization to support this would be it! You can read about this amazing organization here. 

No one is coming to save us

Emily has been scrappy with finding money to fund all of these programs as she started with nothing back in 2015.

She knows that climate change is affecting our food supply so she's finding a way to make a difference because she cares. She knows that the world is in dire straits and she want...