The Quiet Rise Chronicles

What Raising a Puppy Taught Me About Navigating Change When my husband and I decided to expand our family by welcoming a dog we knew life was about to change. What we didn't realize was just how much. Up until that point, we were free to go anywhere at any time without thinking twice. There wasn't another little life depending on us to get home, go outside, be fed, exercised, or simply showered with love. Then we intentionally welcomed our sweet Bernedoodle, Sprinkles, into o

How do you know if what you're doing is working? Facing Reality, Information I Couldn’t Ignore May 13, 2023, I'll never forget that date. It was the day I sat in my primary care physician's office to review my lab results. I was terrified to go to that appointment because deep down, I already knew the news wasn't going to be good. Sometimes we know when the things we're doing aren't serving us well anymore. We know when our habits, routines, or circumstances are moving us fur

What losing my dad taught me about responding to life's unexpected changes. It was 2012, and I had just graduated from college. Ten days later, I moved from Massachusetts to New Hampshire and started my first "big girl" job. It was daunting. Growing up, I always worked hard in school and set goals for myself. The formula seemed simple: do well in school, get a good job, build a career, get married, have a family, and live a happy life. I had planned for all of the big milesto

While you can't choose every change, you can choose how you pivot. Change is one of the few things every person on this Earth experiences. You could even argue it’s one of the simplest things that binds us all together, we all experience change. Some changes are exciting. Some are heartbreaking. Some we choose and others are chosen for us. One thing is certain, change is inevitable. This idea wasn't born from one big life event. It has been cultivated over years of navig

Why feeling off might be the first sign you need to pivot I remember sitting in my car, parked in a Dunkin’ parking lot, trying to compose myself before going in to grab my iced coffee. On paper, everything in my life was going well. I was in my early 30s. I had recently gotten married. My husband and I had a lovely home and stable jobs. It was the kind of life I had always imagined, the kind I thought I was supposed to feel happy in. However, I didn’t feel like myself. Worse