Sit With Me

What if the parts of yourself you were taught to hide are the very parts you need to learn how to embrace?

In this episode of Sit With Me, Francesca Reicherter reflects on perfectionism, ambition, self-worth, and the lifelong process of learning to accept yourself without constantly trying to prove your value.

From growing up believing achievement was a measure of worth to pushing through physical pain, academic pressure, and years of emotional exhaustion, Francesca explores how the desire to be successful and make a difference can become entangled with the need to feel good enough. She shares what changed when she began questioning the beliefs behind her drive and separating her worth as a person from what she could accomplish.

Together, we explore what it means to be ambitious without abandoning yourself, care deeply without taking responsibility for everything, and pursue personal growth without treating yourself as a problem to fix it.

If you have ever been called too intense, felt responsible for making everyone else happy, struggled with perfectionism, or wondered whether you need to become a different person to be worthy of love, this conversation is for you.

You do not have to become less of who you are to build a life you love.

Take a breath, get comfortable, and sit with me.

Mentioned in this episode: Pieces of You: The Reflection Game

Purchase The Game: Pieces of You | Mental Health Conversation Game — Francesca Reicherter

Read more blogs by Francesca Reicherter: What If You’re Not Too Much? | Francesca Reicherter — Francesca Reicherter

You Will Bloom Again is a children’s book about hope, resilience, big feelings, and learning that difficult moments do not last forever.

In this special episode of Sit With Me, Francesca Reicherter reads her children’s book You Will Bloom Again aloud.

When a big storm rolls through the garden, Ava the sunflower feels scared. When the other flowers turn toward the sun the next morning, Ava isn’t sure she can trust that the light will return. Through Ava’s journey, children are gently reminded that it’s okay to feel afraid, uncertain, or overwhelmed—and that even when we cannot see the light, it can still be there.

Written for children ages 5–10, You Will Bloom Again is a gentle story about emotional wellness, hope, resilience, self-trust, and navigating difficult feelings. It can be enjoyed as a bedtime story, classroom read-aloud, or quiet moment between a child and the adults who care for them. 

Francesca wrote this story for children who may be wondering if another difficult moment is coming, whether they are falling behind, or whether things will ever feel better.

Sometimes storms come. Sometimes they stay longer than we want them to. But storms don’t last forever and you will bloom again.

Come sit with Francesca and listen to You Will Bloom Again.

Purchase the book: You Will Bloom Again | Children's Book with Positive Messages About Hope — Francesca Reicherter

What if the parts of yourself you’ve spent years hiding are the very parts that deserve a place at the table?

In this episode of Sit With Me, Francesca Reicherter reflects on her experience in a psychiatric unit, the pieces of herself she didn't know how to understand, and the tools she wishes she had been given to navigate her healing journey.

Through powerful encouragement messages written by individuals navigating their own challenges, Francesca explores what happens when we create space to understand ourselves, connect with others, and offer someone else the words we may need to hear ourselves.

This is the heart behind Pieces of You—a space where you don't have to pretend to be okay, have everything figured out, or share more than you're ready to. A space to discover who you are, one piece at a time.

Because every piece of you belongs at the table, even the parts you don't understand yet.

Come sit with Francesca for a few minutes and remember: You don't have to hide pieces of yourself to be worthy of belonging.

Mentioned in this episode: Pieces of You: Guided Edition

Purchase The Game: Mental Health Conversation Game for Groups & Professionals — Francesca Reicherte

Read more blogs by Francesca Reicherter: Mental Health Blog | Wellness, Growth & Connection — Francesca Reicherter

Sometimes, surviving is the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do. And sometimes, after we’ve made it through, we begin to wonder what we’re going to do with what we’ve been given.

In this episode of Sit With Me, Francesca Reicherter reflects on turning pain into purpose without pretending that the pain was somehow worth it. Through a conversation with adolescents in an inpatient psychiatric unit and the candle metaphor from her keynote, Francesca explores what it means to protect your own light, share it with someone else, and recognize that your experiences can become part of the way you show up for others.

Your pain doesn’t have to become your purpose. Sometimes, healing is simply healing. And sometimes, we discover there is something we want to do with the life we’ve been given.

Come sit with Francesca for a few minutes and ask yourself: What can I do with my light? 

Mentioned in this episode: NAMI Florida Annual Conference Keynote 2025

Listen to the Keynote: From Pain to Purpose: Francesca Reicherter’s Mental Health Keynote | NAMI Florida Annual Conference - YouTube

Read more blogs by Francesca Reicherter: ⁠Mental Health Blog | Wellness, Growth & Connection — Francesca Reicherter

Growth doesn’t always feel like moving forward. Sometimes, it feels uncomfortable, uncertain, and even painful.

In this first episode of Sit With Me, Francesca Reicherter reflects on five signs that you may have outgrown a version of yourself—from no longer feeling the need to explain every decision to becoming more protective of your peace, recognizing when relationships have changed, leaving something behind, and redefining what success means to you.

Growth doesn’t require you to become someone else. Sometimes, it simply asks you to become more honest with yourself.

Come sit with Francesca for a few minutes and reflect on the life you’re building today—not the life you outgrew yesterday.

Mentioned in this episode: Setting Boundaries: The Workbook © by Francesca Reicherter.

Purchase the workbook: Setting Boundaries: The Workbook © — Francesca Reicherter

Read more blogs by Francesca Reicherter: Mental Health Blog | Wellness, Growth & Connection — Francesca Reicherter