Ever notice how the same thing keeps happening until you finally pay attention?
For me, it was spilling water, knocking things over, dropping everything. At first, I thought I was just being clumsy. But when a pattern repeats, I’ve learned it’s not random. It’s a message.
What I discovered during these last two months surprised me, delighted me, and ultimately realigned me.
An Unplanned Hiatus
Rather than intending to take a break from writing on Substack this summer, it just happened.
Part of it was the 2025 World Series of Poker® with 100 live bracelet events spanning more than six weeks.
Coaching two women who both cashed — one during the early weeks, the other during the Main Event — was exhilarating and exhausting. The kind of deep, present work I love, but work that takes everything out of me.
After that, my body said: pause. And I listened.
Busting Out and Letting Go
At the same time, I stepped back from playing online tournaments myself. I’d been running deep, then suddenly busting out over and over without cashing.
After every session I always asked: what did I do well, what might I have done differently, can what can I do next time?
This time, I realized my problem. I was trying too hard.
And that’s the very thing I warn my poker clients about: in tournaments, the key is to stop trying. To stop forcing. To wait for your authentic game to come to you and find the sweet spots to take calculated risks.
When I finally let go, opportunities came rushing in.
From Busts to Back Covers
One of those opportunities was an ad in a conference program.
I wasn’t looking for publicity. A mastermind friend offered a tiny ad at a giveaway price. But I don’t do tiny. I’m a full-page ad person. So I upgraded, then upgraded again, and landed the back cover for a fraction of what it was worth.
Suddenly people were asking me for help. “I don’t know how to create an ad. Can you show me?”
Two days later, I threw together a session on how to write ads fast. No prep. Just pulling from years ago when I sold ads on the spot — walk into a cold call, walk out with a check and copy in hand.
It was exhilarating. Freeing. Pure fun.
The woman running the conference then asked me to come teach it on Zoom leading up to the event. So I did.
And again, it was fun. I rediscovered how much I love teaching in the moment.
Spills as Wake-Up Calls
All of this was happening while the spills and drops kept showing up in my daily life. Water, coffee, even the dogs leaving surprises on the floor.
So I asked: what’s the spiritual meaning here?
Here’s what I found:
Dropping things is a wake-up call — slow down, pay attention, be here.
Spilling water symbolizes emotions that want release.
Repeated clumsiness often signals misalignment — your spirit is running faster than your body can keep up.
In other words, these weren’t accidents. They were invitations to realign.
Lessons From My Body
That realization reminded me of something I learned early in life about my own body.
God gave me a body that stands out — 6’5” as a woman. People notice before I ever speak. I’ve come to see that as a gift, not a burden, because it forces me to carry a message bigger than myself.
But when I was growing so fast, my body couldn’t keep up. My bones outpaced my muscles and tendons, and I slumped. Not because I wanted to, but because I couldn’t quite stand tall.
And Mama Peggy wouldn’t let me get away with it.
She’d say, “Stand up. Shoulders back. Stick ’em out. Be proud.”
That was my first lesson in realignment. In valuing myself, even when it felt uncomfortable. In embodying presence until it became real.
And that’s exactly what dropping things is: a reminder to realign, to stand tall, to come back to the presence.
Surprised and Delighted
The surprises didn’t stop there.
One of my online poker clubs featured me in a Q&A piece on Facebook. I thought I’d dash off a few answers, but instead, I wrote in detail.
The response floored me — the admin even wrote a three-paragraph introduction about me that left me humbled and delighted.
Then another poker club reached out, asking to talk about promoting what I do. I haven’t followed through yet, but the fact that they asked told me something: publicity was finding me, even without seeking it.
And the conference organizer took the 100-word bio I sent her and turned it into a recorded video. Hearing someone else speak my words back to me was unexpectedly moving.
All of this during the same time I’d invested in a six-month program, Next Level Speaking.
I’ve spoken, coached, and taught for decades. I even coached my real estate agents back when my business partner, who was my husband, tore them down with tough love and I had to put their souls back together.
But this program reminded me: regardless of my age, I’m still growing. I’m still stepping into the next level.
The Deeper Thread
At first, I thought this summer hiatus was just about rest. But looking back, it was about more.
It was about noticing how often we try too hard. How often we spill or drop things — not because we’re clumsy, but because we’re misaligned.
It was about realizing that our bodies are vehicles, our minds are drivers, and our subconscious is full of leaks siphoning away our value. Every spill is a reminder to patch those leaks.
It was about the power of the pause, which is the foundation of MindShifting™.
A Simple Reset
So here’s what I invite you to try:
Next time you drop or spill something:
Pause before frustration sets in.
Ask, “Hmm… isn’t that interesting?”
Let it reset you — laugh if you can, realign, and return to the presence.
That tiny shift can transform accidents into awakenings.
Living Each Day Awake
What all of this has shown me is simple: life is fragile, fast, and precious.
At the end, the only thing we carry are memories. Maybe someone will be there holding our hand, but when we leave this body, we go alone.
That’s why I want to live every day as if it were the last day of my life — not frantic, but awake. Not clinging, but present. Finding the peace and joy that are already here.
And that’s why I create this safe space for you.
A space where you can bring your real stories, even the messy parts. A space where you can lay down your “uglies” for a moment, then rise up and move forward lighter.
Because my gift — the thing I’ve honed through poker, coaching, and a lifetime of listening — is seeing what you don’t yet see. Seeing the leaks that siphon away your value. Seeing the shifts you’re ready to make before you make them.
This newsletter, these words, are one way I offer that. My private coaching is another. Before every session, I clear my space and my energy so that when you arrive, it’s safe. Open. Focused on you. And I always begin with one question:
What do you desire?
Not what do you need — because need speaks to lack. Desire leads to joy.
If you desire more of this kind of space, there are several ways to step closer. Become a paid subscriber or founding member here on Substack to support and receive deeper, more personal work. Reach out to explore coaching with me, one-on-one.
And because so many have asked about learning in a shared setting, I’m also exploring ways to offer this work one-to-many — a cohort or mastermind where we shift together. It’s still forming, and I’d love your thoughts. How would that interest you?
Either way, my intention is the same: to help you see what you cannot yet see, and to walk with you as you shift into who you already are.
Because spilling, dropping, pausing, and even starting over aren’t the end. They’re invitations.
And since you’re reading this — or listening to my voice — you’re already answering the call.
