The Whisper Before the Change

For a long time I thought big life changes came from big moments. A breakup. A job loss. A diagnosis. A breaking point. But that’s actually not how it happens. It starts quieter than that. A thought you can’t shake. A heaviness you can’t name.

A life that technically looks fine… but doesn’t feel fine inside your body. I wasn’t unhappy in a dramatic way. I was functioning, teaching, working, taking care of Bella.

Doing the things I’m supposed to do. But underneath all of it, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Not physically. Nervous-system-wise. Everything felt loud. Every task felt heavy. My patience was thin. My creativity was gone. I wasn’t in crisis. I was drowning slowly.

And what scared me most was this: Nothing was actually “wrong.” Which meant I could have stayed there a very long time.

The Moment I Knew

The thought kept coming back: Go to Nicaragua. I ignored it at first.

Because adults don’t just leave for six weeks. Because mothers don’t do that. Because work doesn’t pause. Because responsibilities exist. But the thought didn’t leave. It got louder. Not dramatic — just persistent. You know that feeling? When your life looks stable but your soul keeps tapping you on the shoulder?

That.

I finally realized something important: The whisper in your heart becomes a scream in your body if you ignore it long enough. And I could feel where I was headed if I didn’t listen.

Burnout. Resentment. Disconnection. From my work. From my daughter. From myself. So I did the thing that made no logistical sense. I booked the plane ticket.

What Changed When I Got Here

I didn’t come to “escape my life.” I came because I wanted my life back. I’ve now been in Nicaragua for two weeks.

In that time I have:

• taught ten yoga classes

• led sound healings

• watched Bella try new foods and grow literally daily

• held her while the sun sets over the ocean

• laughed more than I had in months

• slept deeper

• felt creative again

• felt myself again

And here’s the part I didn’t expect: Nothing magical happened. No huge breakthrough. No ceremony that fixed me. What changed was much simpler. I am not alone here.

People check in. We eat together. We talk after classes. Someone holds Bella. Someone makes coffee. Someone asks how I actually am — and waits for the real answer. My nervous system softened.

And once my nervous system softened…my thoughts softened, my mood lifted, my patience returned, my joy came back. Not because I found the right practice. Because I found the right environment.

The Lie We’ve Been Taught

We’ve been taught happiness comes from fixing ourselves. More discipline.
Better routines. Better time management. More productivity. More healing work.

But sometimes the problem isn’t you. Sometimes the problem is you are doing life without enough support. Humans regulate through relationship. We think we need motivation. We actually need connection.

Why I’m Changing TEW 

This is the real reason I’m creating the TEW online community. Not because I want another offering, but because I watched what happened to me in just two weeks when I wasn’t carrying everything alone anymore. 

Retreats work because you are surrounded by people. Then you go home… and real life returns… and the support disappears. So in March 2026, the TEW Online Community Portal opens. A private Facebook space. Two live community calls every month. A place to stay anchored when life gets loud again. Not another program. A place to land.

And for those who feel the pull to experience it in person first… The TEW Reunion Retreat here in Nicaragua is that environment in real life — and there are still two rooms left.

The Real Message

This blog isn’t telling you to move countries. It’s asking you a different question: Where in your life are you ignoring the whisper?

Because the whisper is rarely dramatic. It’s:

I need rest.
I need help.
I need change.

I need different people around me.
I need to stop living like this.

The scary part? You don’t get clarity before action. You get clarity after movement. Booking the plane ticket didn’t fix my life. It just interrupted a path that was slowly draining it. And sometimes that’s the bravest decision there is.

You don’t need to do something huge. You just need to listen — before the whisper becomes a scream. You don’t need to do this alone. You were never meant to.