Resilience, Grace, and the Work of Being Honest

Dear friends,

The universe has a funny way of guiding our hands when we least expect it. This morning I reached for my journal—just a simple, cute notebook from Target—and realized yesterday’s entry had been my last. No more pages left for today’s release. Normally I’m stocked with extras, but not this time. Instead, that little whisper inside nudged me: share it here. So this newsletter, often inconsistent, becomes today’s journal entry—one I feel called to let you see.

This week has been challenging. I’m navigating a new rhythm, new offerings, and new ways of showing up in my work and my family. And while I am patient and consistent with you, encouraging you to show yourself grace, it’s not always easy for me to extend that same grace inward. Walking the walk is a practice, not a perfect.

In fact, I’ve literally joined a group called Women Who Walk the Walk,

started by some lovely friends, because I want to embody what I ask of others. For my students, for my children, and for myself. And yet, when I stumble—when I veer off the steady path I’ve been paving—I still feel shame creeping in, like an old blanket that once felt safe.

This week was hard. Dropping six classes at Equinox and launching offerings that feel truer to my soul… it’s scary. I’m a single mom, and my income is vital for our survival. To bet on myself, both personally and financially, carries tremendous weight. For years, fear of success kept me holding myself back. But I’ve made a promise: to shine my brightest light and not let old stories dictate my new chapter.

I call this Chapter 3. For the next 15 years—or however long the universe allows—I intend to live fully in the truth of who I am, letting my light move through me, unapologetically.

The Early Stories

For context: my parents separated four times between my childhood and early twenties. One of my earliest memories is hearing a voice inside my own head saying: don’t cry. No one ever said it out loud, but I internalized it. I believed I had to hold it all in, to swallow emotion. That voice became the pattern that shaped so much of what followed: binge eating disorder for nearly four decades, a complicated relationship with boundaries, and a tendency to numb rather than feel.

It’s not easy to admit, but I share because I believe in truth and transparency. Over the years, many of you have watched me change physically and emotionally. You’ve seen my struggles and my growth. And I want you to know: I am still in process. Still human. Still working.

Confessions

This may surprise some of you: from January to June 2024, I was on Semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic). Yes, I lost weight—but what captivated me most was the quiet. For the first time in my life, the constant noise around food—the obsessive thoughts, the endless negotiations—was gone. Therapy has helped, yoga and writing and meditation have helped, but nothing had quieted my brain like that.

But I came off it too abruptly, without support. Around the same time, I made another abrupt decision: I stopped Prozac cold turkey after decades on and off SSRIs. The result was a wave of deep sadness and depression unlike anything I had felt in years. Eventually, I returned to Prozac. I also went back on Semaglutide this spring—but this time with the intention of doing it differently, of walking through the process with awareness, support, and the goal of weaning off gently.

Alongside this, I quit weed after years of daily use. And what allowed me to put it down was a combination of deep transformative breath work. Breath work gave me a freedom and a high that nothing else ever has. It continues to be my medicine.

What Sustains Me

Breath work has cracked me open, softened me, and helped me connect with my body and spirit in ways substances never could. It’s where my healing lives. But I also want to honor the full picture: it’s not just the breath.

It’s Pilates and strength training. It’s yoga, the practice that has carried me for decades. It’s the walks with friends—those simple, grounding steps where community and movement meet. It’s an unwavering commitment to meditation and journaling. These practices together are what keep me honest, steady, and alive.

Where I Am Now

I am in the work of resilience. I am practicing grace. I am still unlearning shame. And I’m inviting you into this messy, beautiful process with me—not because I have all the answers, but because honesty heals.

At almost 55, I’m finally learning boundaries. I’m raising teenagers who get to see me stumble, get back up, and keep choosing truth. And I’m letting myself believe that this new chapter—this Chapter 3—can be one of light, freedom, and joy.

Today, after a walk with friends, I still came home with a heavy heart from a family situation I’m navigating. I rolled out my mat, pressed play on a guided breathwork track, and had an incredibly cathartic breakthrough. This is why I keep sharing with you. This is the next level, my soul’s purpose — to share both the physical practices and the breathwork that have saved my life and continue to save it.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. If any of this resonates, I hope it serves as a reminder: you’re not alone in your struggles. We all have stories we’re rewriting. We all have wounds we’re healing. And there is grace in the process.

With love and honesty,

Sam

This is not just practice. This is life. And I’m grateful to live it alongside you.

✨ Reflection Prompt for You:

What voice from your childhood still echoes inside you—and are you ready to release it?

Want to go deeper?

For more info on our Women Who Walk the Walk WhatsApp community, or to respond to the reflection prompt in this letter, reach out to me anytime at thehonestyogisam@gmail.com

If you’d like details about our micro-retreat on October 18, I’d love to connect with you there as well. https://fosteryourbiz.kartra.com/page/immersiveretreat

The first four people who purchase tickets and include “Sam” in their order will receive a 15-minute private session with me — we can move however you like: Pilates, yoga, meditation, breath work, or any/all of the above.

And one of the biggest things I’m holding in my heart right now is our

Weekend Breakthrough Retreat with Rich Mancuso (BSR). It’s destined to be a spectacular weekend. All the info is live on my events page!

I’m so grateful you’re here, reading, feeling, growing. Let’s keep walking the walk — together.