emotional wellbeing

Courage, Please Step Forward: The Advantage of Being a Human Who Does Hard Things

“My friends on the cross-country team had to get up at 5am to go to their meet,” my 16-year-old daughter…
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The Discovery of a Disappointed Parent & How it Led to Limitless Love

“Do the things you always wanted to Without me there to hold you back; don’t think, just do More than…
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Kicking Shame to the Curb by Connecting Our Dots

{This morning, I posted the following piece on social media. My hands were shaking. I can’t remember ever feeling quite…
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When You Find Yourself Wanting to Fall off the Face of the Earth, Start This Search and Finish Strong

“I walked across an empty land I knew the pathway like the back of my hand I felt the earth…
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Not Sure of the Next Step? Begin With What You Knew at Age Eleven

“Hold your own Know your name And go your own way.” -Jason Mraz, Details in the Fabric I had forty-five…
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Finding Harmony With Loved Ones Whose Temperaments Are Different from Our Own

“You think I’d leave your side, baby You know me better than that Think I’d leave you down when you’re…
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I want to make memories, not to-do lists. I want to feel the squeeze of loving arms, not the pressure of over-commitment. I want to get lost in conversation with my favorite people, not consumed in a sea of unimportant emails. I want to be overwhelmed by sunsets that give me hope, not by overloaded agendas that steal my joy. I want the noise of my life to be a mixture of laughter & gratitude, not the intrusive buzz of mobile phones & text messages. I’m letting go of distraction, perfection, & pressure to grasp what really matters. I’m living Hands Free. Will you join me? (Read More)

“After attending one of Rachel’s speaking events, I am finding myself pausing more and re-setting my reactions to my spouse and children as a result of reflecting on the situations and lessons Rachel shared. Her decision to reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly, and what she’s learned as she’s worked to transform herself, has lasting impacts on her audience. Rachel’s lessons are like ripples in the ocean as they help others like me move towards choosing love and coming as we are. Rachel works wonders by helping others work wonders.” –A Hands Free Mama in progress

@handsfreemama April 19, 2019

Facebook keeps telling me I have not written to you in a while… like I don’t know. The last blog post I wrote was J… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
@handsfreemama March 28, 2019

I will never forget how my daughter described the hardest thing about moving to a new place. She described it as no… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
@handsfreemama January 19, 2019

Grateful to be part of the #PhelanLucky family and to help spread awareness and support for a resilient group of ki… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…