Shelly Sowell, M.Ed., LPCC

08/21/2026

We are in the whirlwind of school starting and I keep thinking about my summer walks. More like strolls…. These long, lazy meanderings through my beautiful neighborhood, checking on all my favorite gardens, noticing how the sunlight filters through the trees differently at different times of day, chatting with the neighbors I normally don’t see, allowing the natural world to set my rhythm of time.

Which all feels very different from this season we are walking into where there’s a very strict schedule in order to protect our sleep, accomplish what needs to get done, manage our responsibilities.

So I’m smiling remembering Summer and how I gave myself a full season to fill myself up with a certain quality of energy that is slow, bright, curious, meandering, unfolding, aesthetically rich, and literally warming. I carry this energy with me into fall, which has a more focused energy, and make a commitment to myself to be intentional about carving time to drop the agenda in the schedule and just be. Also, respecting that each season has a different rhythm and a different purpose.

What are you holding onto from Summer? How did you fill yourself up? And if you feel at a loss there, no worries. In any season, we can slow down, connect with loved ones and nature, and help our systems to recalibrate back to a natural rhythm instead of the go go go of the world.

08/05/2026

Where is the line between responding to a genuine risk and responding to old pain, old stories and nervous system that simply want certainty? This post examines this very human moment. Find it in the links.

05/11/2026

For Mother’s Day we did a YES day. Whatever I wanted to get into my guys made it happen. They cleaned and fixed things around the house while I read a book and journaled. They walked in a botanical garden at a snails pace while I took pictures of every flower possible and spent at least 15 minutes staring out at a lookout. We sat outside at picnic tables eating tacos. At night we curled up and watched a show we’ve been binging (His Dark Materials on HBO…SO good!!!). It was the most relaxing, beautiful restorative day.

I’m so aware that this is my YES day in my 40s. It would’ve been different in earlier chapters of my life. Not too far off from this, but probably a lot more doing less being. Younger seasons of life, I felt an urgency to not miss out, to soak up the world, to have big experiences that broke me open and helped me to feel like I’m in the pulse of something vibrant and powerful.

I still love a good day walking on cliffs over the ocean and taking in an art exhibit. But I find in this season there’s more of an internal space that’s developed. There’s more spaciousness for being present and content in my life, taking profound joy in the people I love.

What would your YES day be?
How has it changed through the different seasons of your life? And where is it the same? Where can you find a thread that has existed the entire time? That thread is frequently a medicine we can return back to.

05/07/2026

I mentioned little kids, but this also applies to teenagers (and adults). There’s still space to join in Louisville for the workshop in the morning. Thanks to the generosity of the Earth and Spirit Center, you can bring someone along for free. Which makes sense because raising a child is a group effort!! message me if you want the direct link for registering.

04/27/2026

04/24/2026

Let us vow to bear witness to the wholeness of life, realizing the completeness of each and every thing.
Embracing our differences, I shall know myself as you, and you as myself.
May we serve each other for all our days, here, there, and everywhere.
Let us vow to open ourselves to the abundance of life.
Freely giving and receiving, I shall care for you, for the trees and stars, as treasures of my very own.
May we be grateful for all our days, here, there, and everywhere.
Let us vow to forgive all hurt, caused by ourselves and others, and to never condone hurtful ways.
Being responsible for my actions, I shall free myself and you.
Will you free me, too?
May we be kind for all our days, here, there, and everywhere.
Let us vow to remember that all that appears will disappear.
In the midst of uncertainty, I shall sow love.
Here! Now! I call to you:
Let us together live
The Great Peace that we are.
May we give no fear for all our days,
here, there, and everywhere.

“Blessing for the Journey” Wendy Egyoku Nakao

I used a quote from this incredible poem in my latest blog post, The Energy of Emergence. This photo is from my neighborhood this week..see Venus?

04/23/2026

I work throughout the lifespan. To keep things real, I make sure I always have a class with teenagers going. They are so brave and brilliant and teach me so much about what it means to be human. It’s a real gift to get to work with them. If you want more and working with teens, follow me here or sign up for my newsletter. I’m working on a resource that will probably launch sometime in summer. Meanwhile, I have a class coming up at Earth and Spirit Center. That’s for helping kids and teens.

04/12/2026

Latest post is on the blog!! Go to links and I’d love for you to follow me here if you would like to build a mindful life with me.

04/08/2026