I want to be honest here. I felt like a librarian (from 1982). And not the “sexy she just needs to take off her glasses and wow” kind, but the “old lady with the gray bun and reading glasses” kind. I wanted to shush everybody.

Our childhoods wire us in complicated ways. If that wiring got crossed, the work of adulthood is re-wiring—cycle breaking. And cycle breaking doesn’t just mean facing the big things; it also means meeting the little everyday fears with the same tenacity.

In this post, I share ten practical (and maybe off beat) strategies that helped me overcome procrastination and finish my first novel in the Ruth trilogy—while balancing family, a full music studio, volunteer work, and life’s everyday demands. From finding the right planner to protecting creative time, knowing my “why,” and keeping promises to myself, these tips are for anyone chasing a big creative goal.

I stared at him. It had never occurred to me that we had two significantly different experiences (and therefore two significantly different understandings) of this one creamy soft flower. What was even more striking to me was that we both had deep memory roots attached to it. His gardenias lived in climate-controlled dining rooms by tall windows; mine grew wild in the heat. For both of us, their fragrance reached soul-deep in our memory.

A note of gratitude to a small Virginia town for the best day ever.

What happens when four teenage boys learn to cook Chicken Parmesan? A story of memory, motherhood, and the recipes we carry forward. Sauce recipe included.

Use “When I die” to build connection, not guilt. Learn to talk about death in ways that support healing, honesty, and generational love.

As a parent, I’m trying to accept the times I’ve let my children down (which is so hard). As an adult child, I’m trying to offer my parents the same grace I hope my own kids will give me. It’s all connected: who we were as children shapes who we become as parents, and the cycle continues.

After launching Sugarcane Saint, a debut historical novel rooted in generational trauma and healing, Christy Tallamy reflects on the sacred cycle of storytelling—writing, sharing, listening, and passing stories forward. A moving meditation on community, memory, and the power of books to break cycles and carry us home.

Tag along on a Seattle literary journey: gifting an indie novel, wandering bookshops, sharing stories of women, breaking cycles, healing generational trauma, and finding unexpected magic in human connection and herbal apothecaries.

Discover the beauty of intentional, unruly gardening that defies suburban rules. Explore how planting what you love becomes an act of self-governance and healing—breaking cycles, honoring memory, and tending generational trauma with joyful, deliberate roots.