Fearless in Pursuit of HappyHer

In this episode, Renée returns after a few quiet Mondays and shares what travel, storms, slow technology, Mount Rainier, and a full life are teaching her about flexibility in midlife.

Sometimes the plan changes because life interrupts us. Sometimes the plan changes because we choose to be present, honor our capacity, and stop forcing the old version of the plan to work.

Renée reflects on how Mount Rainier can look different depending on the angle, light, season, and perspective — and how midlife can feel the same way. The core of who we are may still be there, but the structure of our lives can shift as roles, expectations, time, and purpose change.

This episode opens the door to the next stretch of HappyHer conversations around purpose, joy, and abundance — and what it means to build a life that actually fits.

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One year. Fifty-five episodes. And I'm still wondering.

In this anniversary episode, I'm looking back at the woman who sat down a year ago to record Episode 1, The Power of "I Wonder…" — and at everything curiosity has taught me since.

This isn't a highlight reel or a neat list of lessons learned. It's a conversation about celebrating what counts, changing your mind without calling it failure, trusting yourself without having all the answers, and realizing that HappyHer isn't some finished version of yourself waiting somewhere in the future.

HappyHer is the woman who knows herself, trusts herself, and keeps choosing a life that fits — even as she changes.

As I look toward Year Two, I'm thinking less about having everything figured out and more about what we choose to build from here: more joy, more purpose, more abundance, and a life that feels aligned with who we are now.

And if this podcast has ever made you think of another woman, this episode comes with one simple request: send it to her. There are women who need these conversations and simply haven't found us yet.

Want to go back to where it all started? Listen to Episode 1: The Power of "I Wonder…" here: https://pod.link/1839730104

Happy birthday, HappyHer. 💛

Journal Prompts for all episodeds are HERE: https://canva.link/2i48hk4zxgekoev

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If you're the person who notices the problem, steps in first, and figures out what everyone else needs, this episode may feel very familiar.

Renée shares a conversation with her sister, Stephanie, about the family "dance" of fixing, helping, rescuing, and being needed—and what can happen when we begin learning new steps.

They talk about parenting adult children, control, guilt, letting people struggle, and the uncomfortable question underneath it all:

Who am I when I'm not the one fixing it?

This episode is for moms, grandmothers, wives, sisters, friends, and anyone who has ever wondered where helping ends and taking over begins.

Journal Prompts are HERE: https://canva.link/2i48hk4zxgekoev

When Dolly Parton's nephew shared the words, "Dolly never saw a door she could not open," it struck a chord in my heart.

In this episode, I'm reflecting on what Dolly represented to me as a little girl, what I see differently now, and how easy it is to let "being realistic" slowly turn into limiting what we believe is possible.

Sometimes the barriers in front of us are real.

And sometimes the biggest limits are the ones we've quietly placed around ourselves.

Maybe there are still doors in front of us we haven't even tried to open yet.

Want to get a jump start on opening your doors? Grab this free lesson: https://www.reneejanes.com/blankpage

Journal Prompts for each episode are here: https://canva.link/2i48hk4zxgekoev

Two years ago, I thought I needed to have retirement—and what came next—completely mapped out.

Podcast. Coaching. Business. A plan for replacing income. A plan for the plan. 😂

What I didn't expect was how much I would change while I was building it.

In Episode 52 of Fearless in Pursuit of HappyHer, I'm talking about what happens when the plan that once made perfect sense starts to evolve—not because you got it wrong, but because you know more now.

We'll talk about changing your mind without making your past choices a mistake, the difference between being indecisive and being willing to explore, and why I'm learning that I don't have to know exactly where every opportunity will lead before I'm allowed to try it.

Sometimes the old plan did exactly what it needed to do.

It got you far enough to see what comes next.

You weren't wrong. You just know more now.

And you don't owe your past self the same answer forever.

Stay informed and join the HappyHer Email List HERE: https://rj-coaching-creations.kit.com/e36de5c8a3

Journal prompts for this episode are HERE: https://canva.link/2i48hk4zxgekoev

Sometimes it's not what someone did that hurts us most. It's the story we create about what it meant.

In this episode of Fearless in Pursuit of HappyHer, I'm sharing a real situation where I filled in missing information, got hurt and defensive, and almost treated my first interpretation like a fact.

We'll talk about how quickly our brains create stories when we don't have the whole picture, why those stories can feel so believable, and how to pause long enough to ask:

What do I actually know?

Because sometimes we need more information before we decide what someone meant, how we feel about it, or what we want to do next.

And sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is trust ourselves not to make a permanent decision from a temporary story.

Want to check out a free lesson with me? Here it is: https://www.reneejanes.com/blankpage

Here are the journal prompts for each episode: https://canva.link/2i48hk4zxgekoev

You make a plan.

It feels good. You chose it. You wanted it.

But somewhere along the way, that plan can quietly turn into something else—something you should do, have to do, or are supposed to do.

So when does a choice become a rule?

In this episode of Fearless in Pursuit of HappyHer, I'm wrapping up my Making Space series with a conversation about plans, expectations, changing your mind, and what it looks like to leave room for the life you're actually living.

Because maybe making space isn't just about what we clear out.

Maybe it's also about what we finally give ourselves room to choose.

Listen in, friend.

Keep Going

Want to journal through this episode? I've created journal prompts to help you take what you heard here and explore what it might look like in your own life. Journal Prompts: https://canva.link/2i48hk4zxgekoev

Want to see how I work? Start with The Blank Page, my free lesson where I'll walk you through the process I use to get curious about what's keeping us stuck, question the stories underneath it, and find a way forward—without needing to have everything figured out first.

Watch The Blank Page: reneejanes.com/blankpage

How did I get from forgetting one thing... to questioning my character?

That wasn't the episode I planned to record.

After forgetting to do something I told you I was going to do, I noticed something surprising happening in my own mind. Before I ever had the chance to simply acknowledge what happened, I'd already started creating a story about what it meant.

And that made me wonder...

How often do we confuse the facts with the meaning we've assigned to them?

In this episode of the Making Space series, we're exploring perfectionism, overthinking, curiosity, and the surprising stories our minds create from ordinary moments.

If you've ever been hard on yourself for making a mistake, this conversation might help you see it differently.

🎁 Download my free lesson, The Blank Page, at reneejanes.com/blankpage if you're ready to quiet the expectations, question old stories, and get curious about what might be true for you now.

Journal Prompts are here: https://canva.link/2i48hk4zxgekoev

What do I want now?

It sounds like such a simple question… until you actually try to answer it.

Whether you're navigating retirement, becoming an empty nester, moving through midlife, or simply wondering what's next, having more space in your life doesn't always bring the clarity you expected. Sometimes it brings more questions.

In this episode of Making Space, I'm sharing what I'm discovering as I try to figure out what I want in this next chapter of my own life. We'll talk about why having more choices can feel overwhelming, how all-or-nothing thinking keeps us searching for the "right" answer, and why we may not need to have everything figured out before we begin.

What if you don't have to choose the one perfect thing?

What if you could start smaller… follow your curiosity, try something, change your mind, and let the experience teach you what you want next?

I'm also taking a dose of my own medicine and trying something that makes me more than a little nervous. I don't have the roadmap, the step-by-step plan, or the play-by-play figured out—and that's exactly the point.

If you've been asking yourself, "What do I want?" "What's next for me?" or "Who am I in this season of life?" this conversation is for you.

You don't have to figure out the rest of your life.

You just need enough space to try something… and see what it tells you.

The Blank page Lesson is HERE: www.reneejanes.com/blankpage

Journal prompts are HERE: https://canva.link/2i48hk4zxgekoev

Have you ever stopped to wonder where that little voice saying, "I should..." came from?

The questions we ask ourselves don't appear out of nowhere. More often than not, they're rooted in stories we've been living for years—stories shaped by our experiences, expectations, and the beliefs we've quietly accepted as truth. After we've lived with them long enough, those stories stop feeling like stories and start looking like the truth.

In this episode, we're exploring how to recognize the hidden stories shaping your life, why not every belief you've inherited still deserves to guide you, and how one simple question can help you begin creating space for a truer story.

Grab The Blank Page lesson here: www.reneejanes.com/blankpage

Journal Prompts: https://canva.link/2i48hk4zxgekoev

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