What if “just okay” was actually enough? In this episode, Denise and Jackie navigate emotional exhaustion, world heaviness, and the full spectrum of being human — from overbooked weekends to overdue rest.
00:01:30 – Denise on burnout and the joy of a full, vibrant life
00:03:10 – Four events in one weekend: dinners, comedy shows, and the village
00:05:20 – Reflecting on gratitude and the gifts of sobriety
00:08:45 – Heading to Hawaii: celebrating five years since launching the company’s island region
00:11:10 – Remembering pandemic Hawaii — the beauty and eerie calm
00:14:20 – Jackie opens up about emotional weight, grief, and global heaviness
00:16:50 – Powerlessness, empathy, and the practice of small activism
00:19:15 – “Just love your neighbors”: finding humanity beyond media noise
00:22:00 – Missing each other, changing rhythms, and long-distance mother–daughter life
00:25:35 – Jackie’s travel stories: a friend’s wedding in Spain and Chicago adventures with Nala
00:28:15 – Returning from vacation and facing grad school fatigue
00:30:40 – Denise’s “HALT” wisdom: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired (and Horny)
00:33:20 – Building new community: finding (or starting) meetings in a new city
00:36:00 – Productivity, procrastination, and perfectionism in grad school
00:39:00 – Rhubarb crisps, curtain rods, and the therapy of small wins
00:40:40 – “Life be lifin’”: grief, loss, and showing up anyway
00:41:35 – Closing meditation: breathe, drink your water, aim for “okay”
In this tender, funny, and real conversation, Denise and Jackie come back together to unpack what it means when life be lifin’. Denise reflects on the joy and overwhelm of a full life, dinners, community, comedy, and career milestones, while Jackie opens up about grad school burnout, post-travel blues, and the search for new community.
As mother and daughter process collective grief, global uncertainty, and the loss of simple times, they remind listeners that even when the world feels heavy, gratitude and small routines - like cooking, laughing, or just breathing - are spiritual practices.
Together, they find wisdom in imperfection: rest is recovery, connection is medicine, and sometimes “just okay” is everything.
Join our upcoming meetings: https://forms.gle/4VxnNUnev1RoRJMCA (Zoom meeting on Sunday at 10am PST, the meeting is password-protected so please fill out the form to receive the link and password!)
