Okay, babe, listen. You know how we just keep going because stopping feels like it’ll unleash some emotional flood we are not ready to deal with? Yeah. I see you. And honestly? SAME. We live in a world that practically hands out trophies for never sitting still, never feeling too much, never pausing long enough to ask, “Wait… do I even want to be doing this??” But here’s the thing—when we don’t stop, we lose track of ourselves. Like, fully misplaced. (Have you seen me? She was last spotted running on caffeine and sheer willpower.)
So, here’s what we’re gonna do: we’re gonna make some damn space to feel what we feel. No running, no numbing, just… noticing. And not in a scary, “oh no, emotions are about to ruin my life” way. More like, “oh hey, that’s just a feeling. It’ll pass. And also, I should probably eat something.” It’s a practice. Like learning how to float instead of drowning in the deep end of the emotional pool. You don’t have to do it perfectly. You just have to do it.
Three Reasons You Gotta Try This With Me
- You Are Not Your Feelings, Babe. That crushing exhaustion? The frustration? The weird, sneaky grief that pops up when you’re just trying to buy milk? NOT YOU. When we name our feelings, we get a little breathing room from them. Like, “Oh hey, Sadness, I see you. But also, I am still a functional human who deserves nice things.”
- What’s Actually Going On? No, really. Are we moving toward something good, or just running away from something hard? If we never stop to check, we might just be out here sprinting on a treadmill—exhausted but getting nowhere. And that’s a whole nope.
- Joy Is A Sneaky Little Trickster. You know what’s wild? The best, most anchoring kinds of joy don’t come from forcing happiness. They come from meaning, from integrity, from knowing we can handle the hard stuff. Even when we feel like we can’t. ESPECIALLY then.
Rest, Reflect, Rewire
Let’s Do This
Imagine stepping away from the noise, the pressure, the constant doing… and just being for a little while. Sounds dreamy, right?
That’s exactly what the Rest, Reflect, Rewire Retreat is all about. It’s your chance to breathe, reset, and actually listen to yourself again.
- Rest: Get some damn space between you and your emotions. When you slow down, your feelings stop steamrolling you, and you can see them for what they are—temporary.
- Reflect: What’s really going on under the surface? What’s pushing you? What’s pulling you? Are you running toward something meaningful or just avoiding the next emotional mess?
- Rewire: Open the door to the kind of joy that stays—the kind that doesn’t rely on everything being perfect but shows up even in the tough moments.
So. Are you coming?
(Say yes. Future You will thank you.)
[✨ Yes! I’m in 😀✨]
Spark up*
One Step Towards the Universe is a weekly co-working and parallel play aspace where you can practice some radical emotional space now—by gently moving towards what nourishes you, in the company of others who get it. ✨ Ask me how
Oh babe, listen up—You do not have to earn rest.
You do not have to explain why you need a damn minute (or a whole weekend) to breathe.
Your agile, brilliant, beautifully chaotic brain deserves more than just running on fumes.
Inside Rest, Reflect, Rewire, you get to drop the hustle, feel what’s real, and find the kind of joy that actually sticks—not just the quick-hit dopamine kind (though we love her too).
Because you are not just what you do.
You are a whole-ass person, and you are so, so worth taking care of. 💛✨
AuDHD-friendly affirmation for restless-creative women
Many women with AuDHD in their lives love to move fast, figure things out, and keep everything running—sometimes at their own expense.
They are conditioned to push through exhaustion, stay busy to avoid feelings, and rely on momentum instead of pausing to check in.
Which undermines our ability to recognize what’s truly driving us, access joy in hard places, and make intentional choices instead of reacting on autopilot.
Remember you can slow down, feel what you feel without getting lost in it, and recalibrate in a way that serves you.
I trust you to know what you need when you have the space to listen.
Inside Rest, Reflect, Rewire you can step away from the noise, reconnect with yourself, and shift the patterns that no longer serve you.
EARNEST ENCOURAGEMENT EDITION
Space to Feel, Strength to Shift
We live in a world that often rewards momentum—always moving, always doing, always producing. Many of us, especially those with AuDHD, have learned that staying busy is the easiest way to avoid feelings. But what happens when we stop? When the cyclone of our minds or our lives settles just enough for us to notice what we feel? It can be unsettling, especially if we’ve trained ourselves to push through exhaustion, to ignore sadness, to keep going because that’s what we’ve always done. Yet, there’s something profound in creating space to simply be with what we feel—to name it, to acknowledge it, to breathe through it. It’s a practice, and like all practices, it shifts us over time, from drowning in emotion to floating with it.
Acedia—the ancient term for spiritual weariness—reminds us that sometimes, exhaustion isn’t just physical or mental but soul-deep. And often, that kind of exhaustion comes from leaning too hard on our spirit, from expecting inspiration or purpose to carry us when we’ve neglected the ordinary anchors of labor, logic, and loss. But joy lives in these places too, in the steady satisfaction of a job well done, in the clarity of figuring out the next right step, in the bittersweet wisdom of letting go. When we stop and make space for what we feel, we give ourselves the chance to recognize what’s truly driving us—and to recalibrate, not just keep running on habit or reactivity. Here are three reasons why this matters:
- It Separates You from the Feeling – When we name what we feel—whether it’s sadness, frustration, exhaustion, or even joy—we create a little space between ourselves and the emotion. It’s no longer consuming us; we can see it, observe it, and remind ourselves that it will pass. Emotions influence us, but they are not us.
- It Reveals What’s Really Going On – Often, we move forward on autopilot, pushed by unseen forces. But stopping to notice our feelings helps us ask: What’s pushing me? What’s pulling me? Am I moving toward something I want, or just escaping something uncomfortable? That awareness allows for intentional choices instead of mindless momentum.
- It Opens the Door to Joy in Hard Places – Joy isn’t just giddy happiness; it’s also found in meaning, in integrity, in facing what’s hard and coming through it. If we never pause to feel, we risk missing the quiet joy that exists even within labor, logic, and loss—the kind that anchors us rather than fleetingly lifts us.
Giving ourselves permission to feel isn’t about wallowing; it’s about making room for clarity, for resilience, for the full spectrum of being alive. It’s a gift we can give ourselves, over and over again.
What if you could step away from the noise of daily life and give yourself the space to truly be? The Rest, Reflect, Rewire Retreat is designed for women who are ready to slow down, listen inward, and shift the patterns that no longer serve them. Through guided practices and supportive community, you’ll reconnect with yourself in a way that feels both grounding and transformative.
- Rest: Create space between you and your emotions – Step away from the constant demands of life and allow yourself to simply be. When you rest, you gain the distance needed to see your emotions more clearly rather than being consumed by them.
- Reflect: Discover what’s really going on – With gentle guidance, explore the deeper currents shaping your thoughts and actions. What is pushing you? What is pulling you? What patterns are you ready to shift?
- Rewire: Open the door to joy, even in hard places – Joy isn’t just about feeling good—it’s about finding meaning, integrity, and alignment in your life. This retreat will help you cultivate joy in ways that feel sustainable and true to you.
Come as you are, leave with a renewed sense of clarity, resilience, and self-trust. Your path forward begins here.
Notes on why space for feelings matters
Ie, space to feel what you feel and keep breathing, be loved and accepted
Acedia > spiritual sloth > spiritual weariness > doing too much with spirit!!!
Labour, logic, loss < complement of irrational joy
Test really, this is where to still feel joy.
It’s a practice.
From immersion to floating
Lost in what i feel
Easy enough to do
And yet there is awareness.
Eventually the awareness has a little more influence
I was in a very sad, tired, exhaused place following cyclone recently.
Very dark.
I no longer spiral too far into this.
I’m aware that i am tired
That this too will pass
That no one is coming to help me, mostly
That there is not so much wrong with me
I just feel bad.
I simply feel bad.
This is not fun.
Not fun at all.
But there is a sneaky amount of fun in knowing that, even while i’m in it.
Especially when i’ve just learned a new emotion name – acedia
Spiritual sloth (but imho laziness is not a thing)
So spiritual fatigue/weariness.
Then the realisation that if i’m spiritually tired, i have been leaning on spirit too hard.
Oof truth
Elizabeth gilbert, big magic ?
I never leaned on my gift to feed me.
I worked ordinary jobs to feed me and my gift.
So my gift was free to do what it needed to.
Cure for acedia – the shadow of joy/happiness for no good reason – labour, logic, loss
That make it meaningful, and also challenge me to find joy in these hard places,
How flighty is joy?
There is no substitute for a job well done.
Or for figuring out the sensible path.
Or for letting go of what no longer serves.
Joy also takes more forms than giddy happiness.
The paradox.
There is not the feeling that someone should be helping me any more.
I’m simply feeling bad.
I can manage my emotions!
Hurrah.
There are other things i need help with for sure, but now i can manage my emotions.
Gosh.
That’s a gift right there.
Space between me and them.
They are not me.
They colour my world view.
And inform.
And give me access to action that is less accessible from positive valence.
This sounds like emotional intelligence to me.
Gosh that’s been a long time coming.
From buying the book second hand in the little book shop across the road from cronulla station one evening on my way somewhere…. Why i was even out on my own is a mystery. But this book opened my mind to astonishing previously unconsidered possibilities.
Imagine not being in thrall to emotion!?!?!
Experiencing without becoming significantly incapacitated.
Long term anyway.
One of the reasons many of us stay busy is because it is by far the easiest way to avoid feelings.
Momentum. Going places.
Still running, as my father used to say.
My mother too, always busy
Never took a sickie – like her father before her.
But if we never stop running, how can we know where we are going?
Three reasons to stop and notice feelings.
What is pushing me?
What is pulling me?
What am i moving toward?
What am i escaping from?
Is this what i want?
Where do i want to be going?
What do i want to be doing/
Otherwise it’s nothing but mindless habit.
Plus reactivity.
All of which has its place. Love a mindless habit.
But it seems irresponsible to not check in.
Because habit has a will of its own, that might not align with your evolving experience or changing situation.
More about making space for more of you
There are a heap of reasons to take space and time for you especially as a woman with AuDHD in your life.
“I need a holiday!”
– Momentum, Transitions and Capacity
Fill your own cup first
– Energy leaks, guilt and lack of practice
Tending the quiet flame of joy
– compass, anchor, connection
Why open ended conversations matter
– dream, connect, explore
Step away to find your way
– separation, honesty, satisfaction
