Today, I turn 50. And like many milestones, it has me reflecting—not just on where I’ve been, but on what it’s all meant. And then, where do I want to go from here?

The truth is, life hasn’t unfolded in a straight line. There have been moments of deep joy. And moments, I didn’t see coming - a life-changing brain injury that occurred back in 2012. And, the death of my amazing husband Jeff to esophageal cancer when I was 43 years old.

One thing is for sure: I don’t have everything figured out. But I do have perspective.

Today, as I celebrate the life I am blessed to have. I wanted to share with you 50 things I’ve learned along the way—through leadership, loss, resilience, reinvention, and everything in between.

Not as rules. But as truths I come back to.

50 Things I’ve Learned…

I am no stranger to overwhelm. As a sole parent who is trying her best to raise her children to live their lives to the fullest (and still take part in activities at the same level as if two parents were supporting this), plus work, and my own life, it can feel like a lot. Add in some perimenopausal hormones and it may seem like the perfect storm of overwhelm.

Lately, I have been doing a lot of reflection and reading about overwhelm. In my line of work as an Executive Coach, overwhelm is something I see often in my clients. It robs us of our quality of life and our peace of mind. When we feel overwhelmed, it can lead us to feel we are in too deep, doing too much, out of control, with a lot of pressure.

We are never going to live our best lives or do our best work from this place. But, overwhelm isn’t all bad. Let me explain