I love how all the psychology references fit so perfectly in a travel context. I’m publishing a piece tomorrow on another one: learned helplessness, and how to combat it with fierce action. Your piece reminds me of David Whyte’s poem "Start Close In." I’ll share the first stanza:
This is such an impactful metaphor — and I love how you wove the science into something so lived and tender.
“We use ‘chicken’ as an insult for cowardice, but the irony is that chickens themselves are remarkably brave explorers.” That line really stayed with me. So many of us in midlife are quietly doing brave things while still calling ourselves scared.
Your father’s “the road always goes both ways” feels like the kind of permission that echoes for decades. It mirrors something I’ve found in this nomadic season too — most of the leaps that felt irreversible weren’t. They were adjustable. Reversible. Survivable.
I’m curious — do you think watching your children take their own fluttery leaps has made it easier for you to take yours? Or harder?
I’ve found there’s something powerful about mutual flight — parents and grown kids all testing wings at the same time. It feels less like abandoning the nest and more like expanding it.
Kelly thank you for such a thoughtful comment. I agree, we tend to fear leaping a making “big” decisions for so many reasons only to discover we can always change course if needed! Having them leap into their lives with such wonder and excitement made me remember what it felt like to do it when I was their age! I took my inspiration from them to remember this momma bird also has wings and while those wings may have to work a bit harder to help me take flight to leap, they still work 🤍.
Now that we are all leaping together it feels like my parenting has taken on new meaning for them, too. I’m not sitting home comfortably saying “yeah, like can be hard…”. I am out here in the unknown too, guiding from a drivers seat of discomfort and growth as well. It’s win win 🙌🏻
I love this article. Resonates so much right now as our last baby is heading off to college and we're pursuing new dreams outside of our kids. What a fun time of life! If we let it be!
This resonates so deeply, as someone trying something new, a nomad myself, now living in NZ, and mostly as a midlife woman trying to figure out her place now amidst the joys and challenges. You are a beautiful writer. I only had time to scan this morning, but I intend to come back to this. Also, the next three weeks I’ll be exploring just how long it takes to shift with the breath on my fun new-ish newsletter The Breath Break. A few breaths, 7 seconds, 90 seconds, what happens in 3/6 minutes? Come find out with me:)
I’m really happy to find you and will be exploring more of your content.
I love this comment so much! It sounds like you are on your own beautiful journey of discovery. Enjoy every layer that unfolds 🤍. Love incorporating breathing into life and using it as a tool to regulate myself! I would love to read your newsletter 🙌🏻. Bravo you. Deep breath in… exhale. You got this nomad thing 💫
So many lessons to learn (if we choose to) and I'm learning more than I've ever learned at a time when most people would think we're pretty established in who we are! I truly feel as if I'm meeting myself for the first time without having the label of daughter, mum, grandma, teacher.....an opportunity to choose how I want to live my life right now. Just got home from Spain and I'll miss the sunshine Jada! Have a great week 💫💛
Karen thank you for sharing this comment about meeting yourself for the first time. I feel the same in so many ways. Peeling back the layers and finding new parts to love, old ways to shed and constant gratitude for the journey 🤍. I can imagine the boat will feel nice to return to but I do love the sun too! Have a great week! 🙂
This resonated on so many levels for me. I’m personally at a stage where reinvention is going to be necessary (and I’m terrified) and it’s almost time for my children to go to university. Having triplets has been the biggest blessing of my life but there is so slow ease into any stage - it’s always BOOM deal with this as best you can and move on.
I devoured your words this morning because they were so comforting. Maybe it’s time to let go of some of my labels; definitely ‘the responsible’ one and see what else might be out there for me.
Thank you 🙏🏻. You’ve given me lots to think about today
Thank you Jennie for sharing part of your journey. Triplets sound like a lot of joy and work 🙂. Transitions can be hard so take as much time as you need. Trust your gut instincts and you’ll know when it’s time to pivot 💫
I loved this, Jada. As someone who has reinvented myself multiple times, I can attest that it's not just a midlife thing. I really appreciated the part about neuro-plasticity only being functional when we give ourselves something new to work with. That means change is good for the brain!
Thank you for this post. The best part about being on Substack is being in the same place as someone else, feeling the same midlife calling, and yet being half a world away. We’ve got this.
This really resonated - especially ‘stuck is just gathering strength before the next flight.’ I needed that reframe today. Thank you for the reminder that being in the neutral zone is actually doing the work, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Oh I love this comment! Thank you for bringing this to the forefront. I never know what will resonate for someone and I know from my own personal and professional experiences that that “in between” time between stillness and movement is where the greatest work lies. It’s the time we indeed gather the strength we need for the next step 🙌🏻. Leaping is great, but the gathering of that strength is the most important step. 🤍
I love how all the psychology references fit so perfectly in a travel context. I’m publishing a piece tomorrow on another one: learned helplessness, and how to combat it with fierce action. Your piece reminds me of David Whyte’s poem "Start Close In." I’ll share the first stanza:
Start close in,
don’t take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.
Oh I love this! Thanks for sharing and I look forward to reading your next post, Elias. 🙌🏻
This is such an impactful metaphor — and I love how you wove the science into something so lived and tender.
“We use ‘chicken’ as an insult for cowardice, but the irony is that chickens themselves are remarkably brave explorers.” That line really stayed with me. So many of us in midlife are quietly doing brave things while still calling ourselves scared.
Your father’s “the road always goes both ways” feels like the kind of permission that echoes for decades. It mirrors something I’ve found in this nomadic season too — most of the leaps that felt irreversible weren’t. They were adjustable. Reversible. Survivable.
I’m curious — do you think watching your children take their own fluttery leaps has made it easier for you to take yours? Or harder?
I’ve found there’s something powerful about mutual flight — parents and grown kids all testing wings at the same time. It feels less like abandoning the nest and more like expanding it.
Beautiful work here.
— Kelly 💛
Kelly thank you for such a thoughtful comment. I agree, we tend to fear leaping a making “big” decisions for so many reasons only to discover we can always change course if needed! Having them leap into their lives with such wonder and excitement made me remember what it felt like to do it when I was their age! I took my inspiration from them to remember this momma bird also has wings and while those wings may have to work a bit harder to help me take flight to leap, they still work 🤍.
Now that we are all leaping together it feels like my parenting has taken on new meaning for them, too. I’m not sitting home comfortably saying “yeah, like can be hard…”. I am out here in the unknown too, guiding from a drivers seat of discomfort and growth as well. It’s win win 🙌🏻
I love this so much!
There’s something powerful about not coaching from the sidelines but from inside the stretch. “Driver’s seat of discomfort” is exactly it.
Your kids don’t just hear you say, “Be brave.”
They see you practicing it.
And that changes the entire dynamic.
Those wings might work a little harder now — but they’re stronger, too.
Kelly 💛
These older wings are stronger! I forgot that part 🤍
I love this article. Resonates so much right now as our last baby is heading off to college and we're pursuing new dreams outside of our kids. What a fun time of life! If we let it be!
Oh I love this for you Rachael! New dreams are always fun to explore!! 💫
This resonates so deeply, as someone trying something new, a nomad myself, now living in NZ, and mostly as a midlife woman trying to figure out her place now amidst the joys and challenges. You are a beautiful writer. I only had time to scan this morning, but I intend to come back to this. Also, the next three weeks I’ll be exploring just how long it takes to shift with the breath on my fun new-ish newsletter The Breath Break. A few breaths, 7 seconds, 90 seconds, what happens in 3/6 minutes? Come find out with me:)
I’m really happy to find you and will be exploring more of your content.
I love this comment so much! It sounds like you are on your own beautiful journey of discovery. Enjoy every layer that unfolds 🤍. Love incorporating breathing into life and using it as a tool to regulate myself! I would love to read your newsletter 🙌🏻. Bravo you. Deep breath in… exhale. You got this nomad thing 💫
So many lessons to learn (if we choose to) and I'm learning more than I've ever learned at a time when most people would think we're pretty established in who we are! I truly feel as if I'm meeting myself for the first time without having the label of daughter, mum, grandma, teacher.....an opportunity to choose how I want to live my life right now. Just got home from Spain and I'll miss the sunshine Jada! Have a great week 💫💛
Karen thank you for sharing this comment about meeting yourself for the first time. I feel the same in so many ways. Peeling back the layers and finding new parts to love, old ways to shed and constant gratitude for the journey 🤍. I can imagine the boat will feel nice to return to but I do love the sun too! Have a great week! 🙂
Love this!
This resonated on so many levels for me. I’m personally at a stage where reinvention is going to be necessary (and I’m terrified) and it’s almost time for my children to go to university. Having triplets has been the biggest blessing of my life but there is so slow ease into any stage - it’s always BOOM deal with this as best you can and move on.
I devoured your words this morning because they were so comforting. Maybe it’s time to let go of some of my labels; definitely ‘the responsible’ one and see what else might be out there for me.
Thank you 🙏🏻. You’ve given me lots to think about today
Thank you Jennie for sharing part of your journey. Triplets sound like a lot of joy and work 🙂. Transitions can be hard so take as much time as you need. Trust your gut instincts and you’ll know when it’s time to pivot 💫
I loved this, Jada. As someone who has reinvented myself multiple times, I can attest that it's not just a midlife thing. I really appreciated the part about neuro-plasticity only being functional when we give ourselves something new to work with. That means change is good for the brain!
Thank you for your sharing your perspective, Jane! I agree, it’s a whole life thing 🙂. And it’s awesome that we are hardwired for change 🤍
Thank you for this post. The best part about being on Substack is being in the same place as someone else, feeling the same midlife calling, and yet being half a world away. We’ve got this.
What a lovely comment. That midlife pull to spread wings and fly is strong. Yes, we got this! 🙌🏻
This really resonated - especially ‘stuck is just gathering strength before the next flight.’ I needed that reframe today. Thank you for the reminder that being in the neutral zone is actually doing the work, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Oh I love this comment! Thank you for bringing this to the forefront. I never know what will resonate for someone and I know from my own personal and professional experiences that that “in between” time between stillness and movement is where the greatest work lies. It’s the time we indeed gather the strength we need for the next step 🙌🏻. Leaping is great, but the gathering of that strength is the most important step. 🤍