End of an Era

End of an Era
Every ending is a new beginning’s end

I was listening to a podcast recently and the message landed so squarely that I wanted to share it here. Endings and beginnings are woven into the fabric of life. We can argue with them, wish them away, or… we can accept them.

What once was, is no longer. And as hard as that can be to admit, that’s how life works.

I remember riding in my parents’ blue Monte Carlo—the one with swivel seats—driving home at the end of a magical week of camping, waterskiing, and the blazing heat of Eastern Washington. Kids piled in the backseat, tanned, tired, and still glowing from days of laughter and sun. I dozed off to Neil Diamond on the 8-track, “Sweet Caroline… bum bum bum… so good, so good, so good,” wishing that moment would never end.

And yet… it did. That blissful moment became just one frame in the reel of my life. A sweet snapshot making way for the next scene.

That’s the thing about endings—they rarely ask for permission. They sneak up whether we’re ready or not. Sometimes we’re the last to know we’ve outworn our welcome in a chapter of life.

I see it in myself. I see it in my friends; and I see it in my clients—women who’ve been in decades-long marriages, relationships, or careers that no longer bring joy or fulfillment (and perhaps never truly did). I see it when a partner’s illness shifts everything, and one person is left managing the pieces.

One client, after thirty-eight years of marriage, sat across from me and said, “I don’t even know who I am without him, and I don’t really know what’s next for me—I’m scared.” Her voice was soft, but her eyes, welling with tears, told the truth—she had already outgrown that life, even if her body was still standing in it.

And that’s where we get stuck—clutching the old story, the familiar role, the identity we once built our lives around. Not because it’s still right for us, but because letting go means stepping into the unknown. At some point, you stop rearranging the furniture in a house you’ve outgrown. You walk out the door.

Here’s what I’ve come to believe: the new life waiting for you is always richer than the one you’ve outgrown. It’s the freedom, the clarity, the soul-level alignment that follows the letting go.

As Brianna Wiest reminds us: “Your new life is going to cost you your old one… the people who are meant for you are going to meet you on the other side.”

Yes, there’s a cost—comfort, familiar routines, even relationships. But what’s waiting on the other side? Love, belonging, clarity, and a version of you that’s free to live her truest story.

If you feel the pull of something greater, I invite you to step into your personal “What’s Next.” In just 90 days, we’ll weave together the threads of your ending and your new beginning—creating a life that feels aligned, alive, and undeniably yours.

Schedule your free consultation with me to claim your “What’s Next”