The days when the world seems to be on your side.
Do you ever notice how some people seem to move through life getting little upgrades from the universe? 😆
The speeding ticket becomes a warning.
The impossible reservation somehow opens up.
The upgrade appears.
The parking spot magically clears right in front.
The dessert arrives “compliments of the chef.”
And then there are other people who seem to move through life constantly bracing for impact.
Everything feels harder.
Interactions feel strained.
The world feels slightly against them.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about that dynamic.
Because I don’t actually think it’s just luck.
I think part of what we’re seeing is state.
There are mornings where I wake up and genuinely feel like the world is in my corner.
I’m more open.
More patient.
More playful.
More connected.
More available for life itself.
And somehow… those days tend to flow differently.
People respond differently.
Problems seem to resolve faster.
Conversations open up.
Collaboration feels easier.
Ideas start flying.
The whole day feels a little more alive – almost like an opportunity magnet.
And then there are the ‘oh no’ days 😆
The days where I wake up already irritated.
Overwhelmed.
Subtly convinced it’s going to be “one of those days.”
And unsurprisingly?
Those days usually confirm themselves too.
Because the brain is, in many ways, a prediction machine.
It loves being right.
So once we unconsciously decide: “This day is going to be hard…”
our system immediately starts sorting for evidence to support that story.
But beyond perception, something else shifts too:
Our energy.
Our tone changes.
Our openness contracts.
Our patience shortens.
The way we listen narrows.
The way we lead shifts.
And that ripple effect is bigger than most people realize.
Especially in leadership.
Because the state you walk into a room with influences the room.
It shapes communication.
Collaboration.
Creativity.
Psychological safety.
Innovation.
Trust.
And to be clear, I don’t think every hard experience is self-created, nor do I think mindset magically erases grief, injustice, heartbreak, exhaustion, or genuinely difficult seasons of life.
Some seasons are simply hard.
But I do think the state we repeatedly reinforce influences how we move through those seasons… and what becomes available from there.
I’ve been noticing lately how much easier it is to create momentum, connection, and possibility when I consciously work with my state instead of unconsciously reinforcing the one I woke up in.
Not bypassing reality.
Not pretending hard things aren’t hard.
But noticing how quickly frustration, defensiveness, overwhelm, or expectation can start shaping the experience we end up having.
And also noticing how quickly things can shift when we interrupt the pattern.
Sometimes through awareness.
Sometimes through humor.
Sometimes through changing the question.
Instead of:
“Why is everything going wrong today?”
sometimes I’ll ask:
“What if this day ends up being far better than I expect?”
“What might surprise me today?”
“What would change if I stopped relating to this moment like it was a problem… and started seeing it as an opportunity?”
Not because the questions magically erase reality.
But because they create enough space for something else to emerge.
A different perspective.
A softer reaction.
A better question and, ultimately, a better outcome.
An idea you wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
And over time, those shifts compound.
The more we practice moving from frustration into curiosity…
from defensiveness into engagement…
from “life is happening to me” into “how do I want to meet this moment?”…
the more available those states become.
And eventually, life genuinely starts to feel different.
Not because every circumstance magically changes.
But because we do.
And weirdly enough?
That’s often when the upgrades, parking spots, magical desserts, and metaphorical speeding-ticket warnings seem to show up more too 😉
With love,
Rachel
2026 Women's Executive Retreats Are Fully Booked, and 2027 is in the works!
April was incredible. It was such an honor to gather with this extraordinary group of women as they dug deep, jumped in with open hearts and open minds, and created space to further catalyze themselves, their leadership, and their lives.
While September is currently full, we invite you to join the waitlist in case a spot opens and for priority access to future retreat dates!
Next Retreat: September 25th–27th, 2026
