IYKYK😂 Let’s be real… marriage is not for the weak. It’s not the highlight reel you see on social. It’s the grit — the 2 a.m. arguments, the silent drives, the moments you question if you’re even speaking the same language. It’s learning to love someone while they’re still learning themselves. It’s growing side-by-side while life keeps throwing curveballs. It’s swallowing pride when you’d rather be right. It’s showing up again after words got messy and feelings got loud. Nobody tells you that real love will expose you — your control issues, your defensiveness, your need to be seen, your triggers from childhood. But it will also heal you — if you let it. The couples that last aren’t the ones who never fight. They’re the ones who fight for each other, not against each other. Who keep learning how to communicate. Who choose curiosity over criticism. Who keep showing up when it would be easier to shut down. The truth? Marriage will test everything you thought you knew about love… and then rebuild it into something stronger, deeper, more human. It’s not picture-perfect. It’s our sacred ground. And if we lean in — the nitty gritty becomes the good stuff. 🤍 #MarriageIsWork #TheGritAndTheGlue #RealLoveStories #EpicYourLife #Marriage #Mindset #Intentionality

It’s subtle. It doesn’t always show up as panic or chaos — sometimes it looks like staying busy, staying safe, or staying small. Fear hides in logic. It masks itself as “I’m just being careful.” But underneath? It’s still control… dressed up as responsibility. When fear takes over, the body slips into survival mode. Your nervous system can’t tell the difference between real danger and emotional discomfort. Cortisol floods your system, the brain narrows its focus, and the part designed for clarity, creativity, and connection goes dim. That’s why when fear is running the show, everything feels off — your thinking gets foggy, your confidence drops, your peace disappears. You overanalyze, replay, assume, and protect — because fear convinces you safety lives in control. But here’s the truth: What you focus on, you feed. And the more you feed fear, the smaller your world becomes. You don’t get free from fear by thinking your way out — you have to move your way through it. Breathing deeper. Grounding in truth. Choosing one calm, courageous step at a time. That’s where safety returns — not from control, but from trust in your own ability to handle what comes. Because courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s proof that fear no longer gets to decide. 🤍 #CourageInMotion #RegulateAndRise #EpicYourLife #MindsetReset #Fear #Courage #mindset #Choice #Decision #ForwardMotion

Sometimes working with the Anabaptist culture feels like starring in my very own “Jerry Maguire” movie moment…IYKYK “Help me… help you!” Because the truth is — growth is slow. Trust requires relationship and even then is squirrelly…. Especially if we’re not “in person”. Assumptions and Offense are normal and Fear is extremely crippling. Often it feels like pulling teeth.. which, if it can be avoided.. it will be. So the Freedom takes huge amounts of time and energy. Walking through layer after layer of unlearning and breakthrough is exhausting. What makes it really wild is how often the growth doesn’t get recognized. Huge shifts happen, but it feels “normal” to them now. They forget how shut down or stuck they were. Meanwhile, we’re on the sidelines like: 👉🏽 “Did you just hear yourself? That’s freedom talking!” 👉🏽 “You made that decision without worrying what others think of you — that’s HUGE.” 👉🏽”You’ve increased your income, gotten married, and are growing your family! *Big Wins!” 👉🏽 “You felt the fear, and did it anyway, well done!” And the list goes on.. Theres nothing glamorous about it… and often its navigating a mess. But when the lightbulb finally turns on and they see it for themselves — that’s the GOLD🌟 Exhaustion turns into joy. And suddenly, the marathon was worth every step. #HelpMeHelpYou #EpicYourLife #amishmatchmakers #trauma #freedom #control #healing #mindset #awareness #growth

This post is inspired by Chantel’s post almost a month ago titled “Social Media.” I’ve been thinking about it ever since, and I’m coming on here to share a bit of my experience and encouragement. 🤗 For years, the amount of time I spent “doing nothing” was concerning at the least, even to myself. As I grew in awareness of what I was doing to myself, I tried so hard to break that pattern. I did multiple social media fasts, but instead of actually breaking the pattern, I would end up on games instead. I made feeble attempts to talk about it, but it felt like no one was concerned about it. But I didn’t like the fried version of me I was becoming: • unable to stay focused on anything for a long time • escaping anxiety instead of processing and releasing • always tired • no schedule outside of work • constantly running behind and then mentally escaping that reality and running even more behind I was also healing from major trauma and had been in cycles of self-harm, so it seemed like the screen time addiction was the least of my problems, so I tried to not worry about it too much. As time went on, though, I went deeper into a version of myself I didn’t like. I was becoming desperate. I brought it up again with a mentor. The response I got was along the lines of “If playing games on your phone is what you need to do to cope, then do that!” I was bewildered, confused. I was asking for help to break this cycle, and instead I was encouraged to stay in it. “Am I simply stuck with this? Am I making too big a deal of it?” Looking back now, I can see how this person might have thought that playing games on my phone is better than resorting to physical self-harm. (I’m wondering now if even this screen time addiction was a form of self harm? I’d love to hear thoughts on this!) Since that time, I have gone deep into many limiting beliefs, released them, received healing, created a new story, and embraced life and FREEDOM! It’s still hard work, but the point is, it’s possible! In the words of a wise person, “What we feed will flourish.” 😉

The new school year has begun and I was beginning to feel insecure and and very unworthy of my new job that I worked very hard to get. I am happy and I feel deeply fulfilled, but I still had this impostor syndrome of not being worthy of the job I have been having the past few months. It got to the point where I started saying that I wasn't professional enough and even going as far as saying that I am so unserious and that I am an outsider at my job even though they have been nothing but welcoming. After a few days of saying this, I asked myself "why was I calling myself unserious?" I thought where did this come from and who told this to me and why am I agreeing with this. After some thought, I realized that it was me feeling insecure and not worthy from previous experiences at work and in life. That thought process is not honoring to me or my coworkers and staff around me because I could internalize this and start acting out to prove a point of me being unserious. I am different, but that does not make me less worthy or ready and available to do my job that I absolutely love. During the last retreat, I really came to the conclusion that I creating a new story is so important for growth. I realized that I did not want to talk down on myself and I created a new story of love and light and that I am capable. I have been feeling so much better after confronting this thoughts and I look forward to walking in my new story. :)