In this episode of Finding Home, I speak to a familiar pain many women carry: the feeling of not being enough. It shows up in the moments we stay silent, tolerate dynamics that diminish us, or slowly forget our own worth.

This episode is part of the Dear Love Chronicles, a series of letters written from Love’s perspective. Through this letter, Love offers a reminder for those moments when self-doubt takes over: your worth has never been up for debate. You don’t need to earn it, prove it, or measure yourself against anyone else.

If you’ve been questioning your value, feeling behind, or struggling to see yourself clearly, may this letter from Love meet you gently and remind you of what has always been true: you are already enough, just as you are.

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• Website: www.franceslacuesta.com
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit franceslacuesta.substack.com

In this episode, Frances shares a spoken poem exploring what love has meant for her across a lifetime. 

A meditation on loving deeply, letting go, and discovering that even after all we’ve lived through, love remains a mystery we are always learning.

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• Website: www.franceslacuesta.com
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• Instagram: @frances.lacuesta

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit franceslacuesta.substack.com

This episode is part of the Dear Love Chronicles, a series of short letters I’m writing from Love’s perspective.

This episode was born from my own tendency to worry, to think ahead, to hold responsibility for the people I love, and to feel the weight of what might come next. If you’re someone who cares deeply, who overthinks because your heart is wide open, this letter is for you.

It’s a reminder to trust a little more and to come back to this moment. 

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Connect With Frances:

• Website: www.franceslacuesta.com
• Substack: franceslacuesta.substack.com
• Instagram: @frances.lacuesta

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit franceslacuesta.substack.com

A spoken reading of I Come From, a poem about lineage, land, faith, longing, and the invisible stories we carry in our bodies.

An invitation to listen, remember, and come home to yourself.

Read the poem here: https://franceslacuesta.substack.com/p/i-come-from

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Connect With Frances:

• Website: www.franceslacuesta.com
• Substack: franceslacuesta.substack.com
• Instagram: @frances.lacuesta

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit franceslacuesta.substack.com

When someone dear asked me, “Why do we have to go through such hard things?”, it opened the door to a quiet reflection — one I hope brings you comfort too.

I share four gentle anchors to hold onto when life feels overwhelming:

• You can do hard things
• Suffering is part of being human
• The obstacle is the way
• Meaning emerges slowly

💛 Take what you need. Leave what doesn’t serve. And may this episode offer a bit of light for your journey.

If it resonated, share it with someone who might need it too.

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Connect With Frances:

• Website: www.franceslacuesta.com
• Substack: franceslacuesta.substack.com
• Instagram: @frances.lacuesta

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit franceslacuesta.substack.com

In a world filled with noise, negativity, and constant overwhelm, how do we make space for joy, wonder, and the quiet goodness still around us?

In this episode, I explore the deeply human experience of forgetting and remembering the beauty of being alive. From our innate negativity bias to the transformative power of awe, we reflect on how to stay open-hearted even when the world feels heavy.

If you’ve been feeling disconnected or dulled by life’s demands, this is an invitation to return to what matters.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why our brains are wired to notice what’s wrong and how to shift toward what’s right
• How nature can help rekindle creativity, calm, and connection
• What aesthetic chills are and how awe can expand your sense of the sacred
• Why celebrating small daily victories can actually build resilience
• a lovingkindness practice to stay inspired and soften your view of others (and yourself).

📩 Let’s Connect

What’s one small thing you’re celebrating today?

I'd love to hear from you. Connect with me via the links below.

And if this episode offered you something meaningful, consider forwarding it to a friend who might need a lift today.

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Connect With Frances:

• Website: www.franceslacuesta.com
• Substack: franceslacuesta.substack.com
• Instagram: @frances.lacuesta

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit franceslacuesta.substack.com

A reflection on nervous system care, creative grounding, and daily hope.

In this episode of Notes from the Tenderverse, Frances invites us to gently slow down and take a breath in the midst of a chaotic world. With everything happening around us, from global crises to personal challenges, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, anxious, and helpless.

But there are ways to stay rooted, to tend to our inner world, and to stay resilient without falling apart.

This episode offers four compassionate, research-informed anchors to help you reclaim your calm, creativity, and sense of connection even when the world feels like too much.

⏱ Timestamps:

00:00 – Opening and welcome
 01:05 – When the world feels overwhelming
 03:40 – Guiding Anchor 1: Create More Than You Consume
08:10 – Guiding Anchor 2: Learn to Self-Regulate
14:25 – Guiding Anchor 3: Move Your Body
18:36 – Guiding Anchor 4: Stay Close to Life-Giving Communities
24:00 – Recap of all 4 anchors
25:45 – Guided Practice: How to Self-Soothe
28:45 – Closing invitation & reflection

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Connect With Frances:

• Website: www.franceslacuesta.com
• Substack: franceslacuesta.substack.com
• Instagram: @frances.lacuesta

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit franceslacuesta.substack.com

A reflection on transitions, inner seasons, and learning to soften into change.

In this episode, Frances speaks to the ever-moving nature of life and on how change can feel both disorienting and full of wisdom. Whether you're in the middle of a shift, an ending, or a beginning, this episode invites you to meet it with curiosity and care.

Timestamps: (10.5 minute listen)

00:00 – Opening & warm welcome
 00:40 – Reflecting on change as life’s constant
 01:25 – Personal transitions: witnessing life’s seasons
 02:45 – Three Guiding Anchors:
 02:45 – 1. Savor the Ordinary
 05:50 – 2. Acceptance is Key
 07:05 – 3. Letting Go is a Sacred Act
 08:30 – A quiet reminder: you are allowed to evolve
 09:45 – Closing reflection & invitation to trust your unfolding

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Connect With Frances:

• Website: www.franceslacuesta.com
• Substack: franceslacuesta.substack.com
• Instagram: @frances.lacuesta

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit franceslacuesta.substack.com

Runtime: ~12 minutes 

In this episode, Frances shares a reflection sparked by a question: What future are you standing for? From shifting ambitions in midlife to collective dreams rooted in compassion, this episode invites you to pause, reflect, and imagine again. 

With three guiding anchors and a grounding practice, Frances helps you explore how to align your evolving self with an evolving dream, not just for your own life, but for the world we’re all part of. 

 Timestamps:

00:00 – Opening & welcome

01:20 – The spiral of returning: changing dreams in midlife

04:30 – Anchor 1: Let Your Evolving Self Shape an Evolving Dream (Crystalline Power)

07:10 – Anchor 2: Root Your Dream in Purpose and Live It as a Practice (Intention & Embodiment)

09:30 – Anchor 3: Let Your Dream Be Big Enough to Include Others (Collective Vision & Hope)

11:30 – Practice: Intention-Setting – What Future Are You Standing For?

13:45 – Closing reflection & invitation to share 

Guiding Anchors from this Episode:

1. Let Your Evolving Self Shape an Evolving Dream Tap into your crystallized intelligence or insight shaped by life experience and create from the values that matter most now. 

2. Root Your Dream in Purpose and Live It as a Practice Set intentions that rise from love and clarity, not pressure or fear. Let them take form in the way you move through the world. 

3. Let Your Dream Be Big Enough to Include Others The most powerful dreams are collective. Imagine futures not only for yourself, but for your communities and the world. 

Mentioned 

• Arthur Brooks – From Strength to Strength 

• Dr. James Doty – Into the Magic Shop, Mind Magic 

• Concepts: Crystallized intelligence, intention-setting, manifestation grounded in neuroscience 

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Connect With Frances:

• Website: www.franceslacuesta.com
• Substack: franceslacuesta.substack.com
• Instagram: @frances.lacuesta

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit franceslacuesta.substack.com

A reminder that all of you belongs.

In this episode, Frances returns to an earlier reflection — There’s a Universe Inside You — weaving together poetry, science, and gentle wonder to remind us that we are vast, luminous beings.

Inspired by a line from Walt Whitman and a moment from the film The Life of Chuck, Frances invites you into a reflection on the spiral of returning and the beauty of containing multitudes.

⏱ Timestamps: (8-minute listen)

• 00:00 – Opening & warm welcome
• 00:38 – Revisiting an old reflection: There’s a Universe Inside You
• 01:18 – Inspiration from The Life of Chuck and Whitman’s “I contain multitudes”
• 02:00 – The spiral of returning: seeing with new eyes
• 02:34 – Three Inner Truths:
• 02:45 – 1. You Are an Enigma
• 03:40 – 2. You Are Not Alone
• 04:36 – 3. You Have a Radiant Inner Light
• 05:45 –  Guided Practice
• 07:02 – Closing reflection & invitation to connect

Mentioned:

Song of Myself by Walt Whitman

The Life of Chuck (film)

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Connect With Frances:

• Website: www.franceslacuesta.com
• Substack: franceslacuesta.substack.com
• Instagram: @frances.lacuesta

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit franceslacuesta.substack.com