Happy Sacred Sunday!
I was sitting with one of the couples I work with, doing a quarterly review of their life and business. We started by noticing what had happened in the last three months: successes, surprises, milestone moments, and challenges.
It took them a minute to jog their memory. It wasn’t that they didn’t have anything to write down. It was that they had too much.
Does this happen to you?
Your life is full. You work a lot. You serve a lot. You keep a million balls in the air between your personal and professional endeavors.
The busy days become blurry months.
No matter how much you achieve, life keeps challenging you. It offers you new ways to grow, new lessons to learn, and new desires to fulfill. If you’re not careful, this tricks you into believing you haven’t progressed much at all.
So back to my couple. At first, the wife was drawing a blank.
Now here is what’s fascinating. I success file with her every single week. And even still, this was happening to her. I get it, because it happens to me too.
But when you do this work, that feeling is only temporary. Because the work works for you.
Once we began revisiting her monthly intentions and taking a bird’s eye view of her months, it started coming back. As we sat together, recalling all the successes we’ve logged over the last few months, I could see her surprise. The glimmer in her eye that said, We’ve done all that? That’s us? Wow, that’s more than I remember.
She remembered not only what she did, but who she has become.
There is always more than you remember. Our brains hold on to the negatives: the disappointments, the upsets, the perceived failures, the moments when we weren’t our best selves. Remembering the good stuff is where the real discipline comes in. The good stuff is slippery. It just rolls off.
That’s why weekly isn’t enough. Success filing every week keeps your wins from slipping away. A reset day lets you see them all at once.
I loved my time with this couple because I got to witness their incredible life unfolding. Regardless of all the hits they take along the way, they continue to choose to write a beautiful story.
Remembering gives you the evidence to move forward with confidence, clarity, and courage.
My theme for September was Remember. I didn’t plan for the biggest lesson of September to land on the fourth day of October, but here it is. An intention keeps teaching us even after we’ve moved on to the next one.
So if you haven’t looked back at your month or your quarter, this is your reminder to do it today. And if you’ve been reading my Sacred Sunday letters for a while, but you haven’t integrated this practice into your life, reply to me and let’s have a conversation.
Sending you love today and always,
P.S. On today’s podcast, we announced the collective intention for October, and I can’t wait to find out if it resonates with you. [Listen here]
Self reflection
Happy Sacred Sunday!
Do you have “a spot” in your home? A corner you use to do something specific like knitting, puzzling, or reading? A space that triggers peace, coziness, or joy signals in your brain?
I used to sit on a black rubber mat, under our squatting rack, in the corner of my garage to journal and meditate. It was random and not fancy at all, but it served me well until we remodeled our home in 2023. That’s when the floral chair and an acrylic end table near a lamp became my morning journaling and meditating spot. I have written many of these Sunday love letters to you from this spot in the last 3 years.
Well, I lost my spot for several weeks while we replaced the floors in my home, and boy did that make a difference in my mornings. There’s something really powerful about having a designated place where your brain is already primed for the activity it’s going to perform.
That’s why it was so exciting to have my home back in order and have my precious chair waiting for me this morning. I sat down with my journals. (I have more than one.) I opened my 5 year journal where I’m committed to writing one entry per day and I realized there were 15 blank pages between my last entry and today’s. It’s normal for me to have one or two blank pages in the middle of a week, but fifteen blank pages was significant for me.
It got me thinking about how easy it is to drift away from a habit when life interrupts your routines, or when you haven’t repeated a routine enough to build a habit. And how tempting it is to discard the practice altogether when you feel like you’re too inconsistent to maintain it. Sometimes we would rather not do something at all over doing it imperfectly.
But here’s the thing. There are some practices that are so important, it’s better that they be inconsistent over nonexistent. Reflection is one of those practices. Specifically success filing.
So this morning I opened my calendar and my camera roll and started slowing September down. I’m actually still in the middle of it. I stopped to write this email to you. But I did notice how in those fifteen days I’ve been a friend, a mom, a wife, a business owner, and a homemaker. Fifteen blank pages didn’t mean I was failing. It meant I had been living without recording it. And recording it is what turns a run on sentence into chapters.
This week on the podcast I’m explaining all things success filing, a practice I learned from Susan Ford Collins. I shared how my best friend Frances success filed for me this week. Opening my journal this morning helped me notice why I hadn’t been success filing for myself. I had drifted from my morning journaling practice.
If you have your own blank pages, go get them back. Open your calendar, open your camera roll, and slow September down before October gets here. And if you don’t have a spot where you do this, look around your house and notice what little space calls your soul. I’m going to finish mine as soon as I hit send.
[Listen to this week’s episode]
Sending you love today and always,
P.S. My chair was waiting for me this morning. That’s what a designated place does. It holds your seat until you come back. Wednesdays at The Well are that for the women inside it.
Happy Sacred Sunday!
Today is the last Sacred Sunday of August, which means today is a perfect day to carve out a little time for reflection so you can move into the new month with clarity and purpose.
As I reflect on my August, I keep thinking about the saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”
There were three intentions that dominated my August.
The first was Simplify August. I chose it because I knew what was coming. My kids were going back to school and we were finally replacing the floors in our house. I sensed this would be a month where keeping things simple and organized would be essential.
The second came up in one of The Well’s weekly calls. Alive August. Even though I’d already chosen Simplify, Alive felt more right. That was the vibe I actually wanted.
And then a friend invited me to join an August challenge, singing a little song called The Happy Cell Song every day for all thirty-one days. I got on that train and I was not getting off.
And then life did what life does. It threw some curveballs.
This month my son ended up with acute appendicitis, landing the two of us alone in an Atlanta hospital facing surgery. And I am currently writing this to you from my floorless home, in the middle of an unexpected and very painful root canal.
The month went from alive to survive. Which brings me back to the God saying and the thought that the Universe is showing off its sense of humor.
On the surface, it looks like my intentions this month were pretty unsuccessful. But I say it’s quite the opposite.
I think they were exactly what a month like this needed.
Simplify is what kept me focused on what matters most all month. Alive was the thought that kept me in gratitude despite the chaos. And The Happy Cell Song brought joy, humor and fun on days when life was otherwise painful.
The intentions did not protect me from the month. They carried me through it.
Here’s what I want you to take from that.
You cannot stop life from surprising you. August proved that to me more than once. But you can choose what you filter those surprises through.
Without an intention, a hard month becomes a story. “This year is a disaster.” “Nothing is going my way.” “I never get a break.” Those stories are how the drift begins, because once you believe them, you stop looking for anything else.
With an intention, the same month becomes something you navigate with purpose. Same appendicitis. Same root canal. Same floors. Different filter.
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That’s the power of naming your intentions. You can choose to believe the Universe is playing a joke on you, or that it has a beautiful way of giving you opportunities to live out your intentions if you choose to pay attention.
I choose the second one. Every time.
Which is exactly why I named September what I did.
Remember September.
On this week’s episode, I’m sharing where the theme came from and what I want us to do with it this month. It came straight out of everything I just told you.
[Listen here]
Sending you so much love today and always,
Happy Sacred Sunday!
When my middle son, Justin, decided to go back to his old school for his sophomore year, one of the first things that came to my mind was: maybe I could go to Warrior Week.
Warrior Week is a week-long retreat held the week before the first day of school for the high schoolers at the school my kids attend. Parents are allowed to apply to volunteer.
I’ve heard many parents talk about what an incredible experience it is to attend this retreat. “It’s a lot of work, but it is very fulfilling,” my friend told me.
I had never applied to go, but this year is Orly’s senior year and Justin’s first time, and it is the only time they will go together. It felt like the best year for me to experience it. And so I submitted my application. But I only got word that I was in a couple of weeks ago.
These weeks have been hectic. So many moving parts and logistics to handle. To name a few, I have a full roster of coaching clients, a group coaching program, three kids to help transition back to school, and some home repairs that have required my immediate attention.
My word for August is simplify, and I chuckle at how complicated it can feel to simplify life!
I even caught myself asking a friend of mine if I would have down time during Warrior Week to get some work done. And then I realized something. I was trying to continue squeezing as much work as I could into every pocket of free time I had, because the energy I’ve been in is go, go, go.
That initial desire of going to Warrior Week was replaced with all the “maybe it would be better if I stay so I can not drop any balls” thoughts.
I got caught in a loop of whizzing by life instead of living it.
That’s drifting.
When you spend so much time focused on being productive, you stop giving yourself time to be present.
As soon as I noticed the trap I had fallen into, I decided to shift the energy. That’s the power of Notice. Name. Nurture. It doesn’t mean you don’t drift. But there is always an anchor to bring you back to what matters most.
So this is my intention this week:
I’m choosing Warrior Week as time to be where my feet are planted. I am going there to serve, in whatever capacity is needed of me. I want to truly experience this place, not manage it within my busy schedule.
So I’m going off the grid. I will disconnect as best I can from social media, technology, and to do’s, trusting that it all can wait until I get back.
Unfortunately, this trip conflicts with my youngest son’s first day of 8th grade and I will miss his first day back to school and our School Year’s Eve tradition. Every year, the night before school starts, we do a five finger reflection together as a family. Missing it this year was a really hard trade off. But it also serves as a reminder that life can be messy and beautiful at the same time. That nothing is perfect, but you can make everything meaningful and purposeful.
I have a deep feeling that this trip is going to be very meaningful for me, and I’m showing up fully for it. I will see you right here in your inbox next week, sharing whatever nuggets of wisdom I gained along the way.
Sending you so much love today and always,
Happy Sacred Sunday!
And Happy August! I don’t know about you but every time I step into a new month I feel stunned that time passed so quickly. How could it be that we are almost done with summer of 2026? My son is entering his senior year of high school this year. How is that possible?
I remember when he was born I had this feeling that time had slowed down. Between the sleepless nights, midday naps, and around the clock breastfeeding, I lost sense of the calendar. It was a time of being, adapting, and total devotion to that season of life. I was wise enough then to understand that one day it would feel like that time flew by. I knew to savor it and I did my very best not to take it for granted.
That experience taught me that you can stretch time in the present moment, even though in hindsight you will realize how quickly it flew by.
Future you will always feel like time went too quickly. But it is also the reason present you must be so intentional about slowing down right now. Otherwise, you end up living in a blur, and that is when you miss the magic altogether.
So how do you intentionally slow down time?
Living with intention. Honoring your rhythms. Creating rituals. Documenting the sparks so you can find them again later. These are the practices that romanticize your life, so that 18 years from now you can be both stunned that time passed and grateful that it stood still when it mattered most.
On this week’s episode of Bliss’n Up, we are reviewing last month, naming our intentions for August, talking about intention stacking, and sitting with one of my favorite distinctions: the difference between being finished and being complete.
I think today is the perfect day to listen.
[https://carolinedeposada.com/
May this practice support you in slowing down today long enough to create memories you can hold on to tomorrow.
Sending you so much love today and always,
Happy Sacred Sunday!
My eyes opened naturally at 9am this morning. A time that was unheard of for me, until the last few months when things have shifted.
To give you some context:
I have been, what my girlfriend and I lovingly call, a morning friend for a very long time. I would typically wake up between 5 and 6am (sometimes earlier), and every once in a while I might sleep in until 6:30 or 7am, which felt pretty rebellious.
Morning time is my time. To think. To journal. To exercise. To read. To spend time with other morning friends.
For me, this is the time I use to recharge my personal battery before the day begins. Witnessing the transition from darkness to sunlight is like your cell phone reaching the 100% green light.
But I have stepped into a new season.
The season of older teenagers.
It feels like there is something every day that pushes their bedtime later and later. Practices, rehearsals, youth groups, homework, football games, weekend parties, sleepovers, and now prom season to name a few.
It has become a game of adaptation and adjustments. Every day a new sleep challenge for me to conquer. Some days I still manage to have my mornings. Other days I don’t.
Last night was particularly interesting.
My son was going to be late.
At some point I was laying in bed with the light on, reading a book, falling in and out of sleep. Every once in a while a text or my brain would wake me up, and I would check to see what the status was. My husband picked him up at around 2:45am and I heard their voices walking in around 3am. I got up to chat with him. Hear some stories. Give him a hug.
And then I went back to sleep. Hence the 9am wake up.
I laughed out loud when I saw my Oura ring’s response to my evening.
It classified my sleep as a nap! 🤦🏼♀️
But seriously, my first thought when I saw the time was, ugh my day is ruined.
I focused on what I dislike about this change. How I missed when my kids were little and home all the time, and mornings were all mine. How I used to wake up and go for a long run before the world woke up and how great I would feel all day long. How different it feels when you wake up and the sun is so bright you feel like the day has already passed.
I felt like when you accidentally leave the phone off the charger all night and then spend the day dealing with a low battery phone, charging it in little spurts.
But I only indulged in these thoughts for a minute.
Because here is the truth.
I do not stay up because I have to. My husband is a night owl and he always stays up to make sure my son gets home safe. Also, if we’re being honest, staying up doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t actually keep my kids safe.
I stay up because I do not want to miss the moment. I enjoy hearing my sons’ stories. I love to sit with my boys and their buddies when they get home from a party laughing, chatting, and grabbing snacks from the fridge. I love giving them a hug and kiss at the end of the night.
This is a season where there is so much life happening after dark that if I go to sleep too early, I will miss it.
I know my boys will be grown before I have time to process this, and then there will be a part of me who would give anything for my Oura ring to classify my night as a good nap.
That is the thing about seasons. We tend to romanticize the past and complain about the present. We pretend we do things because we have to, not because we want to. And we focus on the parts we do not like instead of the parts we will romanticize when this present moment becomes the past.
So yes. I, too, get caught up in those thought errors sometimes.
I did this morning.
But I quickly snapped myself out of it.
One day I know I will re-read this love letter I am writing to you, and I will remember this as the good ole’ days also. God knows I have clearly already forgotten what was hard about the days when my kids were little.
In the meantime, this week’s podcast episode is out and I am announcing the theme I chose for this new month of May. You will have to listen to find out what the theme is, but I will give you a clue. It is inspiring me to reimagine new ways to charge my self battery while I am in the season of teenagers!
That is all I have got for you today. Now I have got to get my day started before the sun goes down!
Sending you lots of love,
P.S. If you, too, want to do the practice of catching yourself in the season you are actually in, of being present for what is happening right now instead of mourning what was or longing for what is next, that is the work we do inside The Well. The first 10 women who join get a free upgrade to The Well VIP, which includes four private 1:1 calls with me throughout the year. The spots are filling and the bonus closes the moment the 10th woman joins. Click here to learn more.
Happy Sacred Sunday!
On this Easter morning, I am about 9,000 feet above sea level, skiing in the mountains of Colorado.
The sun has just started to rise, and I am sitting all by myself in front of the fireplace, reflecting on the meaning of this Sunday.
Whether you are celebrating Easter, Passover, or simply enjoying the sacredness of a Sunday morning… this day collectively symbolizes liberation, redemption, resurrection, and the beginning of a new season.
Today is a day of celebration and joy. A day of hope.
Every year, on this day, I read an affirmation that I wrote back in 2020.
I Will Rise:
To rise is to go higher; to come up from where you are sitting, kneeling, or lying. When we think of rising, we think of ascending toward the sky.
There will be times in your life when you are given an opportunity to rise. Either you’ll be faced with tragedy, pain, or hardship… or with a new beginning, season, cycle, chapter, or adventure.
Sometimes you get to consciously decide to step into a new beginning, and sometimes life circumstances will force it upon you. Either way, in all of these moments, there are parts of you that will die in the process. That is when you get to decide if you will resurrect as a new version of yourself.
Know that no matter what you’re going through — you can rise.
You can rise from the dark. You can rise from pain. You can rise from failure.
You can also rise into a new identity, a new career, or a more self-confident version of yourself.
When you decide to rise, even if you don’t know how or when, you will find the strength and support to overcome your obstacles. And you will grow into a better version of yourself.
Today, I want you to affirm this: “I am a powerful, resilient being. I am in training for something bigger. I am rising.”
Yesterday, I got to the slopes to ski and was confronted with deep fear… once again.
I’ve skied a handful of times since I met my husband at 25. And every time, I start scared.
You’d think that because I’ve done it before, at some point I would feel more at ease… but I don’t.
Maybe it’s because I don’t ski consistently, so every time feels like the first time.
Before I get up there, I visualize myself skiing perfectly. I spend time declaring affirmations. I remind myself that my legs are strong, that I am fit and capable, and that I have done this before.
I prepare myself mentally as best as I know how.
But the one thing I haven’t been able to do… is avoid the feeling.
My heart races. I feel a burning sensation in the pit of my stomach. My chest tightens.
For years, I thought, “If I can just get better, then I won’t feel this way anymore.”
So I would ski with the hope that I would overcome the fear and finally feel at ease.
Yesterday, for the first time, I thought… maybe I just shouldn’t ski.
My husband decided not to ski this year because he no longer enjoys it. He’s done it for so long, and he’s complete with it. So I was tempted to sit this one out with him.
But I decided not to quit. Because I wasn’t complete with skiing. I was just scared.
And for the first time, I chose to handle my feelings differently.
Instead of wishing I felt different, I became the observer of myself.
I noticed my human self feeling so scared. I felt compassion for that version of me. And I gave her permission to feel her feelings… and to have the courage to do it anyway.
I don’t know why this human version of me feels these things.
But I do know that rising isn’t reserved for the fearless.
That realization empowered me yesterday.
I embraced what was. I used the experience as an opportunity to get comfortable with fear. I surrendered to the emotions, understanding that they didn’t have to go away for me to be okay.
I went at my own pace (a true turtle’s pace!), breathed through it, and with every run, it got a little easier.
And today… I’ll be back out on the mountain.
I may not be liberated from the feeling of fear, but I will liberate myself from judging it.
That’s what rising is all about.
It’s rising above the mental limitations that keep us trapped. It’s becoming the observer of the experience instead of believing we are the experience.
The experience is the teacher. The student’s challenge is to surpass the experience.
And that brings me back to this Sunday.
As we commemorate a new season through Easter and Passover, the invitation is simple:
Learn from your experiences — don’t judge them. Allow yourself to rise despite the fear, without needing the fear to be different.
That is the gift of this day.
And on this week’s episode of Bliss’n Up, we are resetting our intentions as we step into April.
A new month. A new season. A new intention. A new day.
May you bask in the glory of a fresh start.
Sending you so much love, and a heart full of hope.
P.S. If something in you is ready to explore what intentional living could look like for your life specifically, I have a few Life Audit Call spots open. It is a complimentary 45-minute call where we look at where you actually are, not where you planned to be. Grab a spot here: [https://app.carolinedeposada.com/widget/bookings/the-2026-life-audit-with-caro]