Becoming Comfortable in the In-Between

September 2026

There’s something about September that has always felt like a quiet reset.

Summer starts winding down. The air changes. The days get a little shorter. And whether we realize it or not, life seems to ask us to slow down and take a look at where we are.

This year, that feels a little different for me.

A few months ago, my family packed up our lives in Wisconsin and moved more than 2,000 miles away to Oregon. I left behind a career that I genuinely loved, familiar places, family, friends, routines and a version of myself that I had known for a very long time.

And then suddenly, everything was new.

A new state. A new home. A completely different landscape. A new role as a stay-at-home mom. Building a business. Continuing consulting work in a field I love. Trying to create something of my own while also figuring out who I am in this completely different season of life.

Some days, it has felt incredibly exciting.

Other days? I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.

And I think we need to talk about those days more.

The Part of Growth Nobody Really Talks About

We love talking about new beginnings once they’ve worked out.

We tell the story after the business succeeds. After the move feels like home. After we find our people. After we become confident in the decision we made.

But there’s this whole middle part nobody really prepares you for.

The in-between.

When you know you’re not who you used to be, but you’re still becoming whoever you’re going to be next.

That’s where I am right now.

I can look around at the mountains, waterfalls, forests and ocean here in Oregon and genuinely think, I cannot believe this is my life.

And in the very same week, I can miss having a best friend down the road. I can miss walking into work and knowing exactly what my purpose is that day. I can question whether I’m doing enough, moving fast enough, selling enough, creating enough or becoming enough.

Both can be true.

You can be incredibly grateful for your life and still struggle with parts of it.

You can know you made the right decision and still miss what you left behind.

You can be proud of how far you’ve come and still have absolutely no idea what comes next.

What I’m Learning

I’m learning that not every season of life is supposed to be productive.

Some seasons are for building.

Some are for healing.

Some are for exploring.

Some are for letting go.

And some are simply for figuring out what you actually want before you start running toward the next thing.

I spent a lot of my life knowing what came next. Work harder. Take on more responsibility. Move up. Accomplish the next thing.

Now I’m learning how to exist without constantly measuring my worth by how much I accomplished that day.

That has been harder than I expected.

But maybe slowing down isn't the same thing as standing still.

Maybe there are parts of us that can only grow when life finally gets quiet enough for us to hear them.

A Little Reminder for You

If you’re in your own in-between season right now, I want you to remember this:

You do not need to have the entire path figured out to trust the next step.

You don't need proof that everything will work out before you begin.

You don't need everyone else to understand why something feels right for you.

And you certainly don't need to become a completely different person overnight.

Sometimes growth looks incredibly impressive from the outside.

Sometimes it looks like getting out of bed and trying again.

Sometimes it looks like setting a boundary.

Sometimes it looks like changing your mind.

Sometimes it looks like admitting that what once fit your life doesn't anymore.

And sometimes it looks like standing in the middle of everything you asked for and realizing you're still allowed to be figuring yourself out.

What I’m Carrying Into October

Less pressure to have everything figured out.

More trust in timing.

More creating because I love creating.

More exploring this beautiful place we now call home.

More being present with my family.

More celebrating the little wins instead of immediately moving the finish line.

And most importantly, more trust that the life I'm building doesn't have to look like anyone else's.

Maybe that's what Wander Freely, Live Wisely really means to me.

Wander enough to discover what calls to you.

Live wisely enough to recognize when you've found it.

So wherever September finds you.... in a beginning, an ending, or somewhere messy in between, I hope you give yourself permission to be there.

You don't have to rush through this chapter just because you don't know how it ends yet.

There might be something here worth experiencing.

Until next month,

Nicole

Wander Freely. Live Wisely.