A month of wandering between Augsburg, the Mediterranean, and back again. Collecting small moments, slow discoveries, and the kind of everyday beauty that shows up when I have time to notice.

After a season of endings—divorce, an empty nest, and a high-pressure career—I found sanctuary in a quiet stretch of Carolina Beach. There, with every step along the shore, I began to make space for something new to emerge. This is a story of slowing down, letting go, and making space for something unfamiliar. If you’re standing at the edge of change, wondering what comes next, I invite you to walk with me.

Stress shows up in all kinds of moments—big transitions, everyday tensions, or even quiet doubts. In this post, you’ll meet Hyper and Hypo, two quirky companions learning to navigate overwhelm and disconnection. As they peer into the Window of Tolerance, they offer a playful and gentle reminder: we can learn to recognize our signals, respond with care, and return to our center—again and again.

From leaving Germany to navigating loneliness, burnout, and reinvention, my journey has been anything but linear. Through faith, friendship, and a leap into coaching, I’ve found new purpose—and recently, a life-changing travel and volunteering adventure. As C.S. Lewis said, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

Feeling stuck doesn’t mean you’re not capable—it often means you're overwhelmed by too much noise and not enough clarity. In this story, one professional reclaimed their focus not by doing more, but by pausing, reflecting, and reconnecting with what truly mattered. Discover how small shifts in awareness can lead to powerful, lasting change.

Feeling off-track or unsure? In this post, I share a simple, creative way to check in with yourself using just your imagination. Through guided prompts, you’ll explore your current inner landscape—and maybe discover exactly what you need to move forward.

Discover how to create instant clarity—anytime, anywhere—by slowing down, breathing, and tuning into your body’s wisdom.

A to Z—insights, lessons, and surprises from my first quarter running Move Forward with Renate as my full-time coaching business.

True clarity comes when your heart and mind connect. Learn how self-reflection can help you through challenging moments or life transitions.

Over the last four-ish months, while traveling and now that I'm back, I’ve been developing and promoting my Change Reflection Series—a space for the heart and mind to connect. After all, change happens in the heart just as much as in the mind, if not more. ❤️🧠 What Was Planned... and What’s Changing Today and for the next three weeks you would have received your daily videos. They would have covered Weeks 8 and 9 where we explore overcoming internal and external barriers, wi

🌟 Welcome to Week 6 of our Change Reflection Series! ❤️ A space where your heart and your mind can connect. Last week, we uncovered the surprising good side of hopelessness  and explored how embracing reality can spark urgency and motivation. This week, we’re taking the next step: diving into the neuroscience of urgency and how to harness it to drive meaningful change. 🧠 This week’s article is packed with fascinating insights, including references to Dr. Andrew Huberman’s e

🌟 Welcome to Week 6 of our Change Reflection Series! ❤️ A space where your heart and your mind can connect. This week, we’re diving into the neuroscience of urgency—how it works in our brains and how to harness it to drive meaningful change. In today’s reflection, we’re focusing on engaging our fear circuits to create emotional urgency by using the powerful exercise of playing the movie forward . 📽️ Imagine this: Think about any frustrations or setbacks in your life that yo

🌟 Welcome to Week 6 of our Change Reflection Series! ❤️ A space where your heart and your mind can connect. Yesterday we engaged our fear circuits to create emotional urgency by using the powerful exercise of playing the movie forward . Today we're exploring how visualizing positive outcomes can energize us and create internal urgency. When we focus on the rewards of change, we engage our dopamine system to stay motivated. 📽️ Imagine this: What change have you been pushing

🌟 Welcome to Week 6 of our Change Reflection Series! ❤️ A space where your heart and your mind can connect. Yesterday, we explored how visualizing positive outcomes can create internal urgency. Today we're shifting our focus to external pressure —the kind that helps us move forward and sustain urgency. 🔑 Accountability and deadlines  are powerful tools for creating external pressure. They keep us aligned with our goals and help maintain momentum. But let’s be honest: doing

🌟 Happy Friday, and welcome to the last day of week 6 in our Change Reflection Series! ❤️ A space where your heart and your mind can connect. This week, we explored how to balance our brain’s fear circuits and dopamine system to sustain urgency and stay motivated. Tapping into both fear and reward in harmony is key to driving meaningful progress. Before diving into next week’s practical tools—like accountability systems, milestones, and frequent feedback—let’s pause to refle

🌟 Welcome to Week 7 of our Change Reflection Series! ❤️ A space where your heart and your mind can connect. Last week, we embarked on a journey to create urgency and motivation, helping us move toward meaningful change and our personal better. This week, we’re diving deeper, exploring the powerful role of structure  and measuring progress  in driving and sustaining momentum. ✨ Structure  keeps us focused on what truly matters, offering a clear path to our goals. 📏 Measuring

🌟 Welcome to Week 7 of our Change Reflection Series! ❤️ A space where your heart and your mind can connect. This week, we’re diving into structures and measuring progress —the essential tools for creating and maintaining motivation and urgency on the path to change. Today’s focus? Staying motivated by keeping your long-term vision front and center  and reminding yourself of all the goodness that will come from achieving it. 🖊️ Writing down your goals  and the positive outco

🌟 Welcome to Week 7 of our Change Reflection Series! ❤️ A space where your heart and your mind can connect. Yesterday, we reflected on keeping our long-term vision front and center—reminding ourselves of all the good things that will come from achieving it. Today, we’re taking it one step further by focusing on the practical actions  that will bring that vision to life. ✨ Deadlines and milestones  are the tools that turn dreams into achievable realities. They create urgency,

🌟 Welcome to Week 7 of our Change Reflection Series! ❤️ A space where your heart and your mind can connect. Yesterday, we reflected on how milestones and deadlines  create urgency and guide us toward our dreams. Today, we’re shifting our focus to the structures  that support us along the way. Structure is the foundation that helps us stay focused and keeps us moving forward. It can take many forms: 📋 Plans  that map out our steps. 🕒 Timelines  that keep us accountable. 🤝

🌟 Happy Friday, and welcome to the last day of week 7 in our Change Reflection Series! ❤️ A space where your heart and your mind can connect. Yesterday, we reflected on the structures  that keep us focused and moving forward. Today, let’s dive into something deeper: the role of discomfort  and decisive action  in sparking meaningful change. Let’s be honest—our dreams and desires for change often arise from something that’s not working. Discomfort, while unpleasant, can be a