Seasons of Balance: End of Summer 2025 Reflections

Coaticook, Quebec, Canada

It’s been a while since I’ve shared an update, and that’s simply because life has been in a season that required my energy in different places. Over the last six months, I’ve transitioned out of finishing my second master’s degree, redesigned my business to meet the evolving needs of the world as we move into a new decade, and helped a family member navigate a new health diagnosis.

If I were to describe life as a theme park, we’ve been on the rollercoaster for a while and I’m ready for the lazy river for the rest of the year!

As summer wound down, I found myself on the road again after taking some time off beginning in mid-July. The first trip was to explore the charm of the White Mountains, Manchester and Portsmouth in New Hampshire, and Kittery, Maine. It was a wonderful way to slow down and experience the magic of New England in the late summer.

New England, Summer 2025

Later in the month, I headed west for a long-awaited adventure in San Francisco, and it was truly the trip of my dreams. We stayed downtown, explored the harbor, took a sunset cruise, visited Napa and Sonoma, wandered through Muir Woods, and spent time with one of my longtime friends. I love San Francisco and can’t wait to go back.

I feel lucky to have traveled coast to coast this year, spending time in two areas that feel both grounding and inspiring to me. I even had a blast hanging out at Logan Airport while waiting for my partner to return from an extra leg out west in Yellowstone. I can truly have fun anywhere!

San Francisco, 2025

Heath Farms, Quebec, 2025

After the trip, it was time to revisit what my new routine will look like, which I also love to explore. In 2024, I traveled over 75 nights for work, and this year I’ve made a conscious effort to scale that back to focus on the transition out of school and into a new balance. I spent six weeks close to home this fall, supporting a family member through a new diagnosis. It was a season of care and recalibration, serving as a reminder that even when we do our best to create balance, life still finds ways to test our steadiness.

For me, that has meant recommitting to my Wellness Wheel and ensuring I think about all areas of my life with compassion rather than judgment. I love being able to bring this mindset into my work and the communities I serve.

As October unfolded, I looked north to Canada. For World Mental Health Day, I decided to focus on what I love most—reflection, nature, and connection. I visited some of my favorite places with my favorite person and climbed a new mountain—literally and figuratively. It is time to fully embrace the next chapter. A decade of my new career, my forties, a new path as an instructor vs student in higher education, and a five-year anniversary with my partner.

Coaticook, Quebec, 2025

Now, as I move through the rest of October and into November, I have a dozen events, workshops, and speaking engagements ahead, all centered on awareness, connection, and resilience. Together, we can take care of ourselves and others while creating communities of care, both big and small. Sometimes that is between two people, sometimes two hundred.

As we move into this new season, I’m holding onto one truth: balance isn’t a finish line. It’s a practice and a conversation between movement and rest, between giving and receiving, between what the world asks of us and what our hearts quietly need.

For now, take good care, and I’ll see you somewhere out there soon.

Marin Headlands, 2025