Wellness Wednesday Newsletter

This Week's Theme: Different Seasons. Same Stress.

Welcome! Every Wednesday, I'll share practical tools, coaching insights, and reflections to help you build a healthier, more grounded life.

Inside this week's newsletter:

• A Note from Me – Different seasons. Same stress.
• Wellness Tip – Completing the stress cycle through movement.
• From the Coaching Room – A beach day that became a breakthrough.
• What's Happening in HFG – Why Coach in Your Pocket has become one of my favorite ways to coach.
• This Week's Thought – A reminder to carry with you.
• Reflection of the Week – One question to help you slow down and check in with yourself.

My hope is that you'll leave each Wednesday with one new idea, one practical tool, or one small reminder that wellness isn't about perfection. It's about taking the next right step.

A Note from Me

One thing I've been realizing lately is that every season of life comes with its own version of burnout. Planning a wedding. Raising young children. Building a business. Caring for family.

The circumstances change, but the stress often remains.

Personally, I'm in a season of motherhood, running a business, and wearing a lot of hats. Some days I reach my limit, and every time I do, I'm reminded that these aren't just tools I teach. They're the same tools I rely on to come back to myself.

When I first started coaching brides and engaged couples, I thought we'd spend most of our time talking about wedding planning. Instead, our conversations almost always lead to chronic stress, work-life balance, boundaries, and learning how to complete the stress cycle.

I've been reading Burnout, The Body Keeps the Score, and Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, and one thing has become very clear: understanding stress is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.

The more I learn, the more I believe that when we understand our bodies a little better, we can care for them with a lot more compassion.

Wellness Tip

“ Wellness is not a state of being, but a state of action. — Emily & Amelia Nagoski

One of the biggest takeaways from Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski is that we don't just need to manage our stressors. We need to complete the stress cycle.

The authors share several ways to do this, including movement, deep breathing, laughter, positive social connection, affection, crying, and creative expression.

The tool I recommend most often is movement.

Instead of viewing your walk or workout as another task, try viewing it as a stress management tool.

As you move, notice your breathing begin to slow and your body start to relax.

If you start your walk feeling like your stress is at a 9 and finish feeling like a 4, you've made progress. You've given your body the opportunity to release some of what it was carrying.

From the Coaching Room One of my favorite moments this week came from a client who shared that she spent three hours at the beach reading her book and relaxing in her bathing suit.

Then she paused and said,

We haven't been working together very long, so this wasn't about a dramatic physical transformation. It was about building awareness and recognizing growth.

Sometimes the biggest wins aren't measured on a scale.

Sometimes the win is simply being present enough to enjoy the life you've been working so hard to build.

This Week's Thought

Take care of it accordingly.

Reflection of the Week

What is one thing you can do today to help your body feel safe instead of simply asking it to do more?

There is no right answer.

The goal is simply to notice.

Thank you for spending a few minutes with me today.

My hope is that you'll leave each Wednesday with one new idea, one practical tool, or one small reminder that wellness isn't about perfection. It's about taking the next right step.

Be well,

Mariana Santiago-Jimenez, HWC