human connection

The Brave Phrase We Cannot Tell Ourselves Too Many Times

This summer, I mailed my first package to Africa. I was repeatedly warned that it would not reach the recipient,…
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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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I Will Go With You: Encouraging Kids to Look Beyond Themselves When Stuck in a Place They Cannot Thrive

I recently received a text message from a dear friend and fellow writer. Kellie was about to publish an article…
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Passed Through Her Hands: A Sacred Exchange with a Recycler of Hope

Within minutes of my feet touching African soil, I met Alice. She was in the welcome party of Changemakers waiting…
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The Song of Empty Rooms for Braving December’s Blues

Don’t hold on to a song. That’s been my motto since I was a ten-year-old-mixed-tape-making, boom-box-loving freckle-faced girl. I spent…
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One Window Is All You Need: Heart Wisdom from a Teenage Wanderer

Guest Post by Natalie Rebecca Stafford, age 15 I was around four years old when I started asking my mom…
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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…