life’s purpose

That Time I Saw You Leave Behind the Things That Held You Back

Exactly one week ago, I took a photo of the room I stayed in during my three-day Soul Shift retreat in…
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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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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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How You Handle Humankind’s Most Powerful Emotion Can Build or Break Life

“And then I realized that to be more alive I had to be less afraid, so I did it. I…
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When the World Feels Awful: Wisdom from the Gap Dressing Room

“I can feel you with me in the darkness Reaching out a hand to pull me through Sadness used to…
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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 December 7, 2019

“Had I stayed the person who was hard to be around— I’m not sure my daughter would have welcomed me into her room t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
@handsfreemama November 12, 2019

"The world will be heavy… Days will be hard… Stress will be real… But if snow globes become lighthouses, Songs… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
@handsfreemama November 4, 2019

Our children need to see us failing and messing up and making mistakes, and see how we own it and how we use it as… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…