Wellness Wednesday

This Week's Theme: Who's Holding the Microphone?

Hi Reader,

This week's newsletter almost looked very different. So let's jump right in.

I sat down ready to write about body image. I had pages of notes, stories I wanted to share, and a completely different direction planned. But every time I opened my laptop, my thoughts wandered somewhere else.

So I stopped writing.

I made a cup of tea.

I prayed.

Then I opened my journal.

As I started writing, another lesson slowly surfaced.

This week isn't really about body image.

It's about something much deeper.

It's about the committee.

Inside this week's newsletter:

• A Note From Me – The committee in my head, the voices that showed up during a big life transition, and why one quiet voice has carried me through.
• Wellness Tip – Why journaling has become one of my most trusted wellness practices and how it helps me hear past the committee.
• A Note to My Brides – Why big transitions naturally make the committee louder and how to choose which voice gets the microphone.
• From My Kitchen – A simple, nourishing recipe for those weeks when life feels especially full.
• What's Happening in HFG – Wellness Q&A! I'd love to hear your questions and the topics you'd like me to write about.
• Reflection of the Week – A timeless story that challenged me to ask whether fear has been making too many of my decisions.

My hope is that you walk away with one reminder: you don't have to listen to every voice in your head.

A Note from Me

Can I ask you a question? Who's on your committee? Not the committee at work. The one that lives in your head.

I've realized that whenever life gets really big, everyone on my committee suddenly wants a turn at the microphone.

There's the planner.

The worrier.

The perfectionist.

The people pleaser.

The inner critic.

Most days they're fairly quiet.

But when life gets bigger...

they get louder.

The interesting thing about the committee is that it doesn't always sound the same. It changes depending on what's happening in our lives.

Sometimes my inner critic gets the microphone.

Lately she's been talking about my body again. Picking apart my arms. Wondering if people are judging me. Telling me I'm not where I "should" be.

Other days, it's not body image at all.

It's the worrier.

She starts preparing for every possible worst-case scenario. She rereads documents, imagines conversations that haven't happened yet, and somehow convinces me that if I think about something long enough, I'll be able to control the outcome.

Then another committee member steps up.

The one who freezes.

She gets overwhelmed by how much there is to do and suddenly even the smallest task feels impossible.

If you've ever experienced burnout, you probably know that feeling. It's not a lack of motivation. It's that everything feels so big your brain doesn't know where to begin.

Thankfully, over the years another committee member has earned a permanent seat at the table.

She doesn't yell.

She doesn't criticize.

She waits until everyone else has finished talking.

Then she quietly says,

"Just do the dishes."

It sounds funny, but she's usually right.

Because I've learned something about myself.

When I'm overwhelmed, I don't need motivation. I need motion.

Doing the dishes leads to wiping the counters.

That leads to folding the laundry.

Then answering the email I've been avoiding.

One small action reminds me that I can take the next one.

The interesting thing about the committee is that every member thinks they're trying to protect us.

The worrier wants certainty.

The perfectionist wants us to avoid mistakes.

The people pleaser wants everyone to be happy.

The inner critic somehow believes that if she's hard enough on us, we'll finally become enough.

They all think they're helping.

Your committee might look very different than mine. Maybe you have some of the same members, or maybe yours includes completely different voices.

The real work isn't getting rid of the committee.

It's noticing who shows up, when they show up, and who you've been allowing to hold the microphone.

Lately, I've been trying to give the microphone to the committee member who brings me back to calm. The one who reminds me to pause, pray, journal, take the next small step, and trust that I don't have to solve everything today.

Those are the voices I want helping me make my decisions.

Wellness Tip

This is why.

As a health coach, I don't spend my sessions digging through someone's past trying to uncover why every behavior exists. That's important work, but it's generally the work of a therapist. Coaching is different. We focus on where you are today, where you want to go, and the small, sustainable steps that help you get there.

But that doesn't mean I ignore what's happening inside of me.

When my mind gets noisy...

I write.

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, talks about "Morning Pages," a simple practice of writing stream-of-consciousness first thing in the morning. No editing. No judging. Just getting the thoughts out of your head and onto paper.

I've been journaling throughout this move for almost two months.

Then, just this week, something unexpected happened.

I remembered coming home from school in eighth grade and seeing a "For Sale" sign on our front lawn.

I hadn't thought about that memory in years.

Suddenly, my reaction to this move made so much more sense.

I wasn't looking for that memory.

It found me because I'd finally created enough quiet to hear it.

That's what journaling has given me over the years.

Not all the answers.

Just enough quiet to hear past the committee.

A Note to My Brides If you're planning a wedding right now, I have a feeling your committee has probably gotten a little louder too. Wedding planning isn't just planning one beautiful day. It's making decisions together.

Balancing work, finances, family expectations, and everyday life while preparing for one of the biggest transitions you'll ever experience.

No wonder the committee has opinions.

Maybe your inner critic has gotten louder.

Maybe it's perfectionism.

Maybe it's the people pleaser trying to keep everyone happy.

Maybe it's the worrier convincing you that every decision has to be perfect.

I hope you'll remember this:

The goal isn't to silence the committee.

The goal is to decide who gets the microphone.

From My Kitchen When life feels busy, complicated meals are usually the first thing to disappear. This week, I'm leaning into simple, nourishing meals that don't require a lot of brainpower because, honestly, there are enough decisions to make already. If you can't tell I have been on a Mexican kick lately.

This week's recipe: Meal Prep Taco Bowl.

Sometimes caring for ourselves doesn't have to be elaborate. For me, it often looks like spending a little time in the kitchen so I only have to cook once and have meals ready to go. This has become one of our family's favorites. I usually double the recipe and add some rice to make it a little more filling. Feel free to play around with it, make it your own, or simply enjoy it as is.

Sometimes it simply looks like making sure we eat something nourishing while life keeps moving.

Reflection of the Week

Before I share this story, I want you to know that my faith plays a big role in how I make sense of the world. I know each of us comes from different backgrounds and beliefs, and I hope you'll receive this story in the spirit it's intended. Whether your faith is rooted in God, another spiritual tradition, or simply the belief that there's something greater than ourselves, I think there's wisdom in this timeless story.

A man was trapped on the roof of his house during a terrible flood. As the water continued to rise, he prayed, "God, please save me."

A man in a rowboat came by and offered to rescue him.

"No thank you," he replied. "God will save me."

Later, a motorboat came.

Again, he refused.

Finally, a helicopter lowered a rescue rope.

Once again he waved it away.

Eventually, the floodwaters overtook the house.

When he arrived in heaven, he asked God, "Lord, why didn't You answer my prayer?"

God replied,

"My child, I sent you a rowboat, a motorboat, and a helicopter. What more were you looking for?"

That story stayed with me all week.

This is actually the third opportunity our family has had to move.

The first truly wasn't right for us.

The second... looking back, I think fear had a much louder voice than I realized.

This time, I found myself asking a different question.

How far am I willing to let fear make decisions for me?

I'm really good at imagining everything that could go wrong.

I'm not nearly as good at imagining everything that could go right.

Fear can help us prepare.

But if we're not careful, it can also convince us to stay on the roof.

Maybe this week your reflection isn't about moving.

Maybe it's simply this:

Where might fear be keeping you on the roof... when the boat has already arrived?

Thank you for spending part of your Wednesday with me.

No matter what season you're in, remember that wellness isn't built through perfection. It's built through the small, sustainable choices we make over time, especially when life feels full.

Until next Wednesday,

Mariana

Founder, Humble Foods Guidance