What if moving cities wasn’t just about logistics, but also about surrender? In this episode, Denise and Jackie talk through the whirlwind of Jackie’s big transition—packing up her life in Los Angeles to start grad school in the Midwest—while also reflecting on what it means to practice gratitude and enoughness in the middle of change.
00:03:19 – Movers are coming! Jackie’s countdown to leaving LA
00:06:20 – Midwest weather shock: heat advisories, tornado season, and corn sweat
00:08:39 – Denise’s sober retreat: 42 people, games, puzzles, and community joy
00:10:21 – Walking a labyrinth: stillness, centering, and sacred design
00:11:56 – Planting seeds for future travel: a Sicily trip dream for 2026
00:13:51 – Shifting the grounding breath practice to the end of the episode
00:17:49 – Anger loops, cortisol, and surrendering what you can’t control
00:19:03 – Recording “emergency protocol” from two cities: the podcast evolves
00:21:12 – Community invite: their Sunday morning “12 Steps for Everyone” meetings
00:27:21 – Street safety and women navigating public spaces
00:29:41 – Letting go: activism, overwhelm, and doing what you can
00:33:02 – Closing ritual: gratitude and deep breathwork for the transition
In this transitional and heartfelt episode, Jackie shares the emotional rollercoaster of leaving Los Angeles to start grad school in the Midwest. Between movers, storage units, and navigating summer storms, she opens up about the overwhelm of change and the gratitude she’s finding in the middle of it all.
Denise reflects on her recent sober retreat, where a labyrinth walk and a thousand years of collective sobriety offered her new insights into stillness, play, and connection. Together, mother and daughter weave between the practical and the spiritual: how to handle the stress of moving, how to stay grounded during political and personal chaos, and how to trust that “enough” really is enough.
They remind listeners that transitions don’t just require logistics—they require breath, surrender, and community.
