Goonies Never Say Die
Your gut isn’t just about digestion — it’s your chatty second brain. This post unpacks how the mind–gut connection shapes resilience, and why having a supportive crew keeps both brains from spiraling when life feels like bad leftovers.
Trust your gut...
Cue palm to the face and heavy eye roll 🤦♀️🙄. Trust my gut? All that gets me is the realization that I might have some variation of IBS… or that I shouldn’t have eaten that last slice of pizza 😅💨. Isn’t my gut meant to tell me when I’m hungry 🍕 or need to use the restroom 🚻? Well, yes… but—(and I know we all hate sentences that start with “yes, but…”) 🙄—that’s not the whole story.
When they say (and by “they,” I mean the sciencey people 🤓) that your gut is your second brain, they aren’t lying. Your gut has its own nervous system—the enteric nervous system 🧠—which connects directly to your brain 🌐. And get this: your gut microbiome 🦠 (aka the bacteria living in your gut) can influence your serotonin levels—the “feel-good” hormone 😊 that helps regulate mood 😌. So, if your gut isn’t packed with healthy bacteria 🥦, it can mess with your emotions and sense of well-being 💪🌿.
Then there’s your body’s intuitive side 👀. Butterflies 🦋 in your stomach, goosebumps 🧊, tingling fingers 🤲—these aren’t random. They’re physical signals ⚡ telling you something. Think of them as alerts from your body’s personal dashboard 💬.
And speaking of dashboards—your car lets you know when the gas is low, the wiper fluid’s out, or it’s time for maintenance 🚗💡. Your body’s the same. Stomach drops, hair standing up on the back of your neck 👀—those are your warning lights 🚨.
So why all the belly talk? 🤔 Because when you’re deciding to make a transition or start something new, it’s not just about what you think you want—it’s about what’s actually right for you. That’s where intuition comes in. It’s your internal sounding board 🗣️ helping you tune into what’s truly in your heart 💖.
The first step to trusting yourself—and your intuition—is to pay attention 👀 and ask questions ❓. This is where the tough part comes in 😬. We don’t always get the answers we want, and that’s often why we stopped listening to ourselves in the first place 🙈. Trusting yourself takes courage 💪 because when the outcome isn’t what you hoped for, there’s no one else to blame 😕.
That’s why I remind myself: Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to 🛑. What we want isn’t always what we need ⚖️. Deep down, we usually know that—but it doesn’t make it any easier to accept 💔.
And here’s the thing—trusting your gut isn’t just about you…..The people you surround yourself with can help you hear it louder…
“Hey You Guys!” 🎬💥 (The Goonies, directed by Richard Donner, 1985)
This is where having a support system is sooooo valuable 💪. Having your crew of badasses 👯♀️ is everything. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that friendship, support, and good energy matter more than anything.
If the Goonies taught us anything, it’s this:
Believe the treasure is real 🗺️
Show up in the tunnels 🕳️
Share the Baby Ruth 🍫
And if you’re lucky, you’ll find your Sloth moment—someone who shows up when you’re chained to the wall, looking like the worst day of your life, and instead of judging you… just says, “Hey you guys!” and busts you out of whatever situation you find yourself in, no questions asked🏴☠️🔓. Tell me you didn’t want a sloth growing up!!
A support system doesn’t have to be flawless. It just has to be there—for the chaos, the victories, and everything in between.
“Goonies Never Say Die!” 🎬💥
Wrapping up August… wait—HOW is next week September already?! 😳 (Go ahead, check your heart rate… it went up, didn’t it. ❤️🔥)
We’ve talked a lot this month about moving forward, building momentum, and taking chances—but here’s the plot twist no one warns you about: sometimes the fear of succeeding can be just as paralyzing as the fear of failing.
Yep, it’s a thing. You hit the goal, and instead of popping champagne 🍾, your brain’s like: Cool… now what if I can’t keep it up? Suddenly, you’re stacking your wins next to everyone else’s shiny highlight reel, and boom—comparison steals your joy faster than a One-Eyed Willy booby trap 🏴☠️💣.
Even the most “successful” people question themselves. That’s why a never say die attitude isn’t just a cute Goonies quote—it’s your survival kit. It’s what keeps you moving when your inner critic whispers, “You’re not ready. You’re not worthy. You’re not enough.” 🙄
So, when doubt creeps in, remember show up in the tunnels, believe the treasure’s real, and for the love of Sloth—share the damn Baby Ruth 🍫. Because your crew matters as much as your courage.
Food for thought… Who’s in your tunnels, and are you showing up for them too?
Further Reading on Mind/Gut Connections (References 🤔)
Gershon, M. D. (1998). The Second Brain: The Groundbreaking New Science of Gut-Brain Communication. HarperCollins.
Cryan, J. F., & Dinan, T. G. (2012). Mind-altering microorganisms: The impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behaviour. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13(10), 701–712.
Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner
“Sit down, be quiet, don’t make waves…” Sound familiar? In Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner, I dig into how often we shrink ourselves — and how that habit will keep you stuck in the corner forever. And let’s be honest, corners are only good for charging your phone, not living your life. Like Baby in Dirty Dancing, sometimes you’ve gotta say screw it, grab your moment, and step into the spotlight (bonus points if it involves Patrick Swayze lifting you over his head 🕺). This post is all about finding the guts to stop apologizing, take up space, and remind yourself you’re not background furniture.
"Nobody puts Baby in the corner," (Dirty Dancing, 1987)
Whose heart doesn’t melt when remembering Johnny’s famous words? 😍💃 I could go on and on about how dreamy Patrick Swayze was, and how his words to Baby transcended age and gender, making us all blush like teenagers. 😳💖 But let’s take a moment to step back and look at this quote through a different lens. 👀
If we’re honest, aren’t there times where we are all put in little boxes by others (or ourselves), just like “Baby”? 🤔💭 How often do we commit to staying stagnant, avoiding risks, and not allowing ourselves to grow? 🌱 Are we unintentionally putting ourselves in the corner? 🚪🙄
Putting ourselves in the corner metaphorically keeps us stuck in the status quo. Everything’s fine, but we’re left always wanting more. I hate the dreaded “What Ifs” that haunt my life. You know what I mean— “What if I would’ve tried the delicious looking cheesecake instead of this dry-ass chocolate cake?” 🍰😂 Just kidding... (sort of)!
But seriously, think about it: What if we started viewing the regret of the "What Ifs" as a motivator rather than something that holds us back? What if we used it as a push to move forward instead of adding another item to our "con list" of should or shouldn’t I? What if we saw it as a second chance? 🤯💡
"You’re a virgin who can’t drive!" (— Clueless, directed by Amy Heckerling, 1995.) 🚗
Picking ourselves up after things didn’t go our way can be tough—especially in a world that often seems to magnify disappointments. Society has a way of making missed opportunities or risks that didn’t go as planned feel more profound than they really are, which can impact how we see ourselves. 🤔💭
How many times have you hidden parts of who you are or your interests from others because you were afraid of what they might say? "They’ll think I’m weird" 🤷♀️, or "What if they don’t like it, or worse, laugh about it?" 😳 Honestly, as I got closer to launching my first blog, I never realized how vulnerable it would feel to put my words out there for others to see. It. Is. Scary 😱 to take chances, to lay your heart out for others 💖.
Let’s be honest: Most of the things we care about are tied to our hearts ❤️. So, taking the chance that others might not support what we love is brave💥. You. Are. Brave 🙌🔥. And taking a risk with no guarantees is admirable—unless we’re talking about bungee jumping or anything with heights. That’s just unnecessary! 😂🙅♀️
Starting anew often means stepping into vulnerability—and let me tell you, it’s scary as hell 😱. But vulnerability is the gateway to growth 🌱. Without it, we stay stuck in the same old patterns 🌀.
"I get knocked down, but I get up again, you’re never gonna keep me down." (Chumbawamba, 1997) 🎶
Resilience—such a dynamic word with so much power 💥 behind it. To summarize Chumbawamba’s epic words: Just keep going. 🚀 Remember who you are, what you want, and KEEP. GOING. 💥 Full stop. Nothing else to be added—just keep going. 🏃♀️💨
Maybe “keep going” means something different to everyone: maybe it’s tweaking a few things 🔧, restructuring the whole thing 🔄, or maybe it’s simply taking a breather to reevaluate 🧘♀️. Whatever resilience means to you, or however it works for you… just keep moving. 💪🌱
“We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!” (Wayne’s World, 1992)
It’s inevitable, somewhere along the way in life, we’ve started to believe all of the wildly untrue things our brain has told us. And of course, we have—after all, decades of evidence 📜 to back up those beliefs, keeping us from giving ourselves the benefit of the doubt. We can sing “Don’t Stop Believin’” (Journey, 1981) at the top of our lungs 🎤, but have we really let those words sink in? 🤔
If you’re like me, and if you're still reading my blogs, there's a good chance you are, maintaining a positive regard for myself wasn’t a belief system I was taught. So, finding grace with myself was almost impossible. 😞 Instead, my brain defaulted to, “I don’t know why you thought you could do that, you failed.” 😔 Self-compassion felt like a foreign language 🗣️, and my mental movie 🎬 played the same scenes over and over, showing me where I went wrong and reinforcing my self-doubt.
How can we be gentle with ourselves when we’ve been conditioned to hold on to the bad? 🤷♀️ The phrase “Don’t be so hard on yourself” exists somewhere, but not in my lifetime. And even if it was, no one ever explained what to do with the emotional toll of being hard on yourself. 🥲 It’s not as simple as hearing those words and thinking, “Yeah, I’ll get it next time.”
Self-compassion is a practice—it doesn’t just happen because someone says, “don’t be hard on yourself.” 💭💖 Being attentive 👂 to the feelings behind negative thoughts, beliefs, and energy 💭 creates a moment to reflect and allows for tremendous growth 🌱.
You don’t need my permission, but I want to validate every emotion you feel. Your. Feelings. Are. Valid 💯. They are okay 👍 and an important place to reflect and make positive steps ➡️ towards accomplishing your goals. 🌟 It is never too late to start over. 🔄
“Good things come to those who wait” (Unknown)
Geoffrey Chaucer once said, “Patience is a virtue.” Well, that may be true, but it’s a virtue that skipped right over me! 😬 To say that patience isn’t my strong suit is an understatement. Whether it’s the ADHD in me or the simple fact that I don’t like to wait (nor handle it well) ⏳, patience has just never been my thing. At least, it hadn’t been. Over the years, life has forced me into a standoff with patience, and there were some moments when patience won! 🏆
Speaking of patience, as my cousin would say, “Bring this baby home!!” I know, I know, I’ve been rambling on for too long, but that’s kind of my point—slowing down 🐢 and taking in life around you, Mindfulness IS a real thing, not just therapist speak, and it is crucial to your growth.
But here’s the thing: patience gives us a chance to think 🤔. When we act impulsively, we often can’t see the bigger picture 🧩. I’m not saying wait forever ⏳ to make decisions or take chances—because let’s be real, something better might not always come along and we’re trying to make change here! 😅
What I am saying is: be deliberate with your choices 🧐. Don’t just act on impulse. I’m strict about my “sleep on it” philosophy 🛏️💭. I always give myself at least the night 🌙 to let things marinate. If I’m still feeling it the next day (sometimes bigger decisions need longer incubation periods! 🐣) I take that as a good sign that it matters to me.
What’s my point?
If we go back to our girl, Baby (Dirty Dancing, 1987), she took so many chances and embarrassed herself (we all remember her carrying a watermelon 🍉), but she kept going. She didn’t give up when things got hard (though I bet she wanted to), and she kept looking for new opportunities and adventures (even though we were probably yelling at the screen at some of them). 😳
She was resilient and patient. And in the end, she waited for Johnny because she knew vulnerability wasn’t a one-way street. He took his time ⏳, but finally came around.
And when her parents shoved her into that corner 🚪, she stood up and took a risk, parents be damned 💖. So, go ahead and take a chance—whether it’s in love, life, or just watching your favorite 80s rom-com. Be brave, be bold, and be like Baby: Go after what you want, even if it means dancing like no one’s watching. 💃💪
"I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! 💬 How do you push past the fear of ‘What Ifs’ in your own life? Drop a comment below and share your story—whether it’s a time you took a risk, embraced vulnerability, or even just what’s holding you back. Let’s talk it out and support each other as we all take those next steps toward our new beginnings!" 🌱✨ And as always, don’t forget to sign up and subscribe for our email list 📨 so you don’t miss anything!
The Space In Between
"The Space Between" explores that often-overlooked moment in life where growth happens—not in the big, flashy milestones, but in the quiet, awkward, and sometimes uncomfortable pause between where you were and where you’re going. In this Comfortably Human Wellness blog post, we talk about the messy middle: the stage that feels too uncertain to celebrate and too far from the start to feel safe. Think of it as the emotional waiting room—equal parts nerve-wracking and full of potential.
Change. It’s a dirty little word.
That’s really what a new beginning boils down to, right? Change. And yet, for something that’s such a natural part of life, it still feels so scary. Why does it hold so much power? Why do we fear it so much? 😨
Change can feel like a choice that has to happen, whether we’re ready for it or not. But it’s the intentional change—that’s where the fear really kicks in. ✨ The realization that we want something different, something more, or even just that we can’t keep going as we are—it’s overwhelming. And the thought that making a change might lead to things going wrong—why does that feel so gut-wrenching? 🤯
“I think I’m just scared. Scared that I might still be nothing.” (Good Will Hunting, 1997). 🎥
Damn you, Matt Damon, you and your “How do you like them apples” type of therapy. 🍏 This is it—the fear of failing, of being seen as a failure, this is at the crux of our dilemma. What if I try and fall flat? What if everyone sees? 😳 Or worse—what if I have to feel it? 💔
When did failing—or, to be more honest, the implied sense of failure—become such a bad thing? 🤔
I know what you’re thinking, and no, I haven’t lost my mind! 🧠 This is a serious question: Who decided failing was bad? Or, even more so, what defines failing? Where is this failure measuring stick? 📏 I’ve never seen it.
I mean, if we look at it objectively, failing and succeeding must be on the same scale, with the assumption that most of us consider one side to be “good” and the other side to be “bad.” If that’s the case, what’s all that space in between? 🤯 It must be important, right? Dave Matthews sang a whole song about “The Space Between” (which is now it’s stuck in my head), so it has to be something. What if the space between was something to be admired rather than dreaded? 🌱
Why do we overlook “the space in between” when trying something new?
To be a master at anything, they say you need to devote 10,000 hours ⏳ of experience and energy into any skill. So, if we look at that dynamic, are all the 9,999 other hours considered failures and a waste of time? 😬 But if we’re spending those hours perfecting our skills and learning, aren’t we growing and getting better every single hour? 📈
Why do we let our investments in ourselves sometimes feel like we’re “sucking”? 🤷♀️ A professional athlete can take decades to become a “professional.” Does the fact that they aren’t a professional during some of those hours of mastery—prior to becoming “great”—mean they’ve somehow failed? Aren’t they still better than the average person? Does that mean they’ve succeeded or failed? And who gets to decide this?
The thoughts that hold us back:
So why does the process of learning and growing feel like failure? 😕 It’s these limiting beliefs, the fears, the “I’m not good enough” thoughts that can take control and keep us stuck. How many times have you let the “What ifs” spiral you into doubt? 🤔 What starts as a genius idea 💡 quickly becomes a slop bucket 🪣 of reasons why you’re not adequate enough to make it happen. That bucket of self-doubt is DEEP. It’s got everything from “Remember that time at 6th grade camp when you sucked at wrapping yarn around those popsicle sticks?” 🎨 to “Who would even want to hear what I have to say? 🗣️” Those thoughts haunt you 👻. And let’s not even talk about bringing others into your ideas—because they WILL have opinions. 🙄💭
Flowers grow in the space in between, why can’t people?
Tupac Shakur once talked about a flower growing out of concrete, which some might consider an enigma. However, we could consider it evidence that growth happens in that space in between. 🌸 Not to sound cliché, but there’s so much beauty in growth, and we, as humans, are often so busy completing our to-do lists 📋 that we rarely, if ever, stop and look back to see where we started, appreciating how far we’ve come.
How can we be proud of ourselves if we don’t look at what we’ve overcome? 🤷♀️Reflection is not just something that happens when you look in the mirror. 👀 It’s an opportunity—it’s a chance to evaluate and determine if you’re on track, if your goals are obtainable, or if you need to change direction. Reflection comes from checking into your progress 📈, being honest with yourself, and adjusting. Discovering things aren’t working out as planned, needing redirection, or even starting over doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re learning. 🎓
Einstein defined insanity as trying the same thing repeatedly expecting different results. 🤯
I’ve named dropped some famous names today. You know what’s interesting? You know who they are—you’ve heard their names before. And guess what? You know their names because they’re amazing, but at one point in time, they too had a new beginning. 🌱 They took a chance. 💥 And guess what else? They all also “failed” or had setbacks at some point in time before their big successes.
So, get to the point already! Besides the point being be like Einstein, obviously! 🤓
Where is this going? Well, the painful truth is that at some point, we are all going to “fail” whether it’s in our own eyes or someone else’s. We’re going to fail to be the best 🏅, fail to immediately succeed 🏆, or even fail to begin 🔴—It’s inevitable.
But reframing how we view those feelings of failure—whether it’s the reality or the implied sense of it—that’s the key 🔑. It’s what we do with the knowledge we’ve learned from it that determines our growth 🌱, our success 💪, and how we feel about ourselves 🧠. In those dark moments of feeling like we’re afraid of our new beginning or starting over, I challenge you (better yet, you should challenge yourself) to look for your flower in the cement 🌸. Look for your growth. 🌱
Don’t let the negative ruin your reflection 🪞. There’s always a flower in the cement, sometimes it’s hard to find 🔍, and sometimes you have to pluck a seed out 🌱 and start brand new. But at the end of the day, your new beginning is simply waiting for your sunshine ☀️.
Let me know how this resonates with you.
In the comments, share how you have reframed some of your limiting beliefs or reflected upon some aspects or choices you have seen through a new lens or a different light. 💬
New Beginnings
In my first post, I talk about why I’m boring you with my words! I discuss my journey through not only my mental health, but my decision to help others, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
This post sets the tone for Comfortably Human — where therapy isn’t about being fixed, it’s about being real. Messy, emotional, awkward real. The good stuff. I also try to get you to jump on my bandwagon and hopefully come back for a second week! So be careful I might just rub off on you.