When I’m at the gym I find thought distortions creeping in. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, these are the thoughts that are either untrue or unhelpful. Or, in my case both. So I ask myself, “What other lies am I telling?”By Mary Rarick

What do you wish you would have known sooner? I’ve made a list. A whole lot of it looks like leaning more into myself and less into perfection. What would you add?By Mary Rarick

Remember that job I was asked to apply for? It starts today! In today’s episode I explain how I handle stress and disappointment. Here’s a link to a photo of me with my goats.By Mary Rarick

I’ve been feeling very unsettled this past week. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but it probably has something to do with uncertainty. And there are several reasons for that, but for me it all comes down to fear. So what’s the antidote to uncertainty? I have a couple of strategies, and they all revolve around taking action.…

Yesterday I hopped onto my new health insurance’s website. As I poked around I came across a health assessment test, and I took it. What pushed me right over the edge was they asked for a waist measurement. So I got out the tape measure and pulled up my t-shirt. 39 inches! You’ve gotta be kidding me! I guess these health assessment people know what…

Remember how in the last episode I talked about being a recovering perfectionist? Well, you’ll never believe what happened while I was in Virginia. I was asked to apply for a job. And my perfectionism reared its ugly head. I talk about how I’m overcoming it.By Mary Rarick

What does being a recovering perfectionist look like? I remind myself that it doesn't matter what I did yesterday. It doesn't matter what I did ten minutes ago. My future isn't written yet. It's not decided by my past. It's decided by what I do today. Right now. Small steps count.By Mary Rarick

How could a person be tired when they didn’t go to work? When they didn’t have responsibilities. When they spent their days golfing, working out at the gym, hiking, fishing, and happy hour-ing with friends. It’s taken me two weeks of my husband being retired to remember that feeling tired isn’t odd. It’s part of being human. What is it about our cu…

“You’ve gotten funnier over time.” I was taken aback when my husband said this to me after what I acknowledge was a particularly witty exchange. “I think that’s because I’m more myself than I used to be.” He agreed. And that gave me pause. What does it mean to be more myself? I’m not entirely sure, but I remember deciding to stop pretending to be s…

Unbeknownst to us we’ve “put everything in place that we needed.” And not only did we save enough money to retire but retire early, and buy a fucking condo. We’re buying a condo! Can you believe this?! So what else do I want? When you’ve just gotten more than you ever could have imagined, it’s hard to think bigger. Ironically. Right? It feels like …

I guess I expected everyone would be happy for us when my husband announced that he was going to be retiring next month. Or maybe that they would at least pretend to be happy? I don’t know. But that has not been the case. In this episode I talk through what I've learned about friendship.By Mary Rarick

When I rebooked my departure flight to Iowa, called my mother-in-law and canceled the week’s plans, there was also a whole lot of discomfort around the disruption. I mean so much! I felt nauseated in my body, and incredibly anxious. But I figured out how to flip that feeling, and I learned a lot from this visit about practicing being present.…

This was supposed to be the episode where I talk about my Iowa trip. What I learned–some of it I’m still unpacking–and an update on my liver. But that’s going to have to wait until next week. Because our landlords have made us an offer to sell the condo to us, and I am shooketh.By Mary Rarick

Today I'm joined by Renee Spears. She shares how she moved from mortgage company owner to spirit guide channeler and spiritual, life and business mentor at Abundology.com. I ask her what we should do when we don't know what's next. Spoiler alert: eat chocolate and do puzzles. If you are someone who wants to live her best life and are looking for cl…

We all know people who can support us. And they want to support us. Some may be generalists, some specialists. Or it may just be someone who sees you. Who gets you. We know people. Create a list. Ask them for help. This group of people is your personal board.By Mary Rarick

I bring you up to date on all of the things. I also share your comments and suggestions, and reflect on what I’m feeling. See my blog at MaryRarick.com for before and after photos of my eyesBy Mary Rarick

My husband resigned from his job today. He’s retiring. And he’s only 58. No, we didn’t win the lottery. I talk about how we got here and answer some questions like, “How are you able to do this?”By Mary Rarick

Before I heard Cathie Black say, “Make difficult decisions sooner,” I had this idea that difficult decisions, “BIG decisions,” should be pondered, considered, weighing the pros and the cons. But upon further reflection I realized I was pretty good at making smart decisions quickly. Eventually, I realized that it’s not so much making a difficult dec…

No matter how uncomfortable I am now in this space of not knowing and being open to what’s next I comfort myself with the knowing that this is not as uncomfortable as I was when I was recovering from a broken ankle. And this time, unlike other times in my life, I’ve chosen discomfort. It’s my choice to stop sleep walking through life, to examine wh…

A dozen years ago I learned that work isn't hard if I show up as myself and turn on my success patterns. I also identified what I want and was able to achieve it in a couple of years. And here I am again, asking myself, “What do I want now?”By Mary Rarick

Today’s episode detours from our regularly-scheduled content. I talk about the results from MRI scans of my liver and my two black eyes. No, the two things aren’t related, but they sure make for an interesting teaser.By Mary Rarick

When I heard that Keith Wilson had thrown his hat into the ring to run for Portland mayor I was encouraged. When he announced, at his campaign’s election kick-off event, that he had a concrete plan to end unsheltered homelessness in Portland within his first year as mayor, I was elated. In this episode I talk about how I chose my level of involveme…

When did I first decide that certain things weren’t for me? That they were for other people? In what ways did my shrinking impact who I became and the subsequent choices I made?By Mary Rarick

Episode Description: Remember how last week I said, “I’m learning that even when I’m terrified, there's a huge payoff in showing up, making mistakes, and doing my best”? Jennifer Pastiloff lives by this mantra only better. Because she finds beauty along the way. So when the opportunity to take her writing workshop presented itself, I signed up, bec…

There's nothing quite like your best friend dying of a disease at the age of 42 to make you realize that you have nothing to lose.By Mary Rarick

Mary Rarick is at a crossroads. She knows she is ready to pivot, but she has no idea what it looks like. So she's launching a podcast to figure it out.By Mary Rarick