Creating Spaces Where You Can Be Human

Last week, one of my clients called between sessions. Something had happened with her roommate that left her shaken. She's still relatively new to working with me, so she was caught between her old pattern of justifying other people's inappropriate behavior and making a decision that honored herself.

She didn't call for advice. She called because she needed to feel seen and heard while she figured it out. By the end of our conversation, she made the choice that felt right for her. The results surprised even her.

This is why I don't rush people toward forgiveness or gratitude or whatever other quick fix someone thinks they need.

The Spaces That Aren't Safe

I know what it's like to sit in a "healing" space where you're only welcome if you stay positive. Where you're told to be vulnerable, but then that vulnerability gets used to pressure you into more classes or sessions. Where you never really feel safe to open up, but you can't figure out why.

You notice subtle remarks that make you uncomfortable, but you've been taught to ignore your instincts. I've been there.

One of my clients walked into our first session and said, "If you're going to ask me to forgive my abuser, I will walk out of this office immediately." My heart ached that she had experienced such harm from other wellness professionals who were supposed to help her.

Another client had been interrupted her entire life—by family, friends, even past wellness professionals. She felt invisible. In my office, she cried. She screamed. She let it all out. Now she's doing things she never thought possible and walks into rooms feeling confident in her own skin.

What Actually Helps

Healing doesn't happen when you're being managed or fixed or pushed toward someone else's idea of progress. You need space to be where you are.

You need to say "I'm struggling" without being handed a gratitude journal.

You need to feel angry without being told to find the lesson.

You need someone to sit with your pain instead of trying to make it smaller or more comfortable for them.

Why This Matters

When people finally experience what it feels like to be genuinely seen—not fixed, not redirected, not told to "choose joy"—everything changes. They stop apologizing for taking up space. They quit pretending to be fine when they're not.

They remember that their feelings make sense, even when those feelings are messy or inconvenient.

This is what I create in my practice. Not a place where you have to get better on my timeline, but a place where you can be exactly where you are and figure out where you want to go from there.

Your healing doesn't need to look like anyone else's. It just needs to be yours.

If you're tired of spaces that feel more like performance than healing, I get it. In my mindfulness and somatic coaching practice, the only agenda is yours. Ready to experience what that feels like? Book a session here.