90 No Goals? No Problem! A Midyear Pause for Clarity, Not Pressure

Feeling stuck, foggy, or like you should have it all figured out by now?

In this midyear reflection episode, Carly explores the power of the sacred pause... that blurry space between what was and what’s next, and why slowing down might be the most transformative move you can make.

With soulful stories, grounding practices, and gentle wisdom, this is your permission slip to stop striving and start listening.

✨ No pressure. Just presence.
 ✨ No pushing. Just breath.
 ✨ No perfect plan needed.

Listen now and reconnect with what’s quietly calling you forward.

And if support with this is space feels like something you need, book in for a free 30 minute Clarity Call to uncover what's waiting to be discovered.

Thanks for listening to the Strong Bones Coach Podcast

If you'd like to get in touch to ask a question about today's episode or to find out how you can get support from my coaching, reach out on the following links:

hello@carlykillencoaching.com

https://www.instagram.com/thestrongbonescoach

Thanks for listening to The Strong Bones Coach Podcast!

If you’d like to get in touch with a question about today’s episode or find out how I can support you with coaching, here’s how to reach me:
📧 Email: carlykillenpt@gmail.com
📱 Instagram: @thestrongbonescoach

Do you crave unshakable confidence in your strength from midlife and beyond? Would you love to achieve your goals without sacrificing family time or self-care?

Ready to take your strength to the next level? Start building a stronger body and healthier bones with my Strong Bones Starter Kit—your step-by-step guide to safe and effective strength training at home.
👉 Click here to learn more and access today

🌟 Stay connected and inspired with daily wellness tips on Instagram @thestrongbonescoach.
🌟 For tailored advice or personal queries, email me at carlykillenpt@gmail.com

Thank you for being here, and I look forward to supporting you on your journey to strength, health, and confidence! 💪🦴✨

Transcript

Carly: 0:37

Hello, lovely people and welcome back to the Strong Bones Coach Podcast, where we explore the wisdom of midlife, body, breath, and the quiet moments that often carry the loudest truths. So today's episode, we're gonna exploring another one of my reflections, part reflection, part permission slip, and maybe just maybe the exact pause you didn't know you needed because we've just passed the summer solstice a moment that invites us to slow down, to turn inward and really listen. And if I'm honest, I feel like I'm deep in that space myself, not just because we're halfway through the year, but because I can feel a deeper shift happening hormonally, emotionally, professionally, and spiritually. And let's be real, we can't really shift one area of our lives Without the others putting their hand up too, can we? It feels blurry. Tender and super uncomfortable, but also sacred It very much reminds me of the snake just before she sheds her skin. Her vision clouds, she retreats. Everything feels uncertain. It's all part of the process that soft, sacred undoing. Before we reemerged feeling new. And as a side note, this all came from a recent chat with some of my friends. We were deciding what, what our witchy pets would be. And since I'm allergic to cats, which is the classic choice for most people, I've go for the snake. Of course it's the obvious choice. So this is what I want to explore today. This space, this in-between place, it can feel confronting. We're wired for clarity, direction, progress. We live in a world that applauds decisiveness whether we're ready or not. But what if the pause is not a problem to fix? What if it's a space where something wiser is starting to form? Not a shiny new reinvention, but a deep remembering of who you really are. So if you felt the pull lately to recalibrate, to reassess, to stop striving and start listening. This episode is your invitation. So here's the thing we don't talk about often enough that part, the in between it's often the most difficult part of any personal growth journey. It's like the maintenance phase in a health and fitness journey, but perhaps even the weight loss journey. And not because it's about weight or getting stronger or becoming more adept at some sort of sport, but for some of you or many of you, that has been part of your story totally valid and highly valuable, but it also brings up some other things too. When you've made those changes, you've built that insights, but now you're just here. Not in crisis, but not yet in bloom, just here. And when we don't trust that place, we can start to unravel. We can start to distract ourselves, set new goals just to feel useful. We can confuse rest with laziness. We can call that stillness feeling stuck. But here's the truth. Sustainable change happens in the quiets. Not in the highs, not in the breakdowns, but in the consistent, compassionate space where we choose to stay with ourselves even when it's uncomfortable. This is nervous system work. This is identity work. This is becoming or perhaps a remembering, and by the way, this doesn't just show up in your health. It could be that toxic job that drained you. You're ready to leave, but you dunno what's next. Those old habits you've shifted, but the new rhythm hasn't quite landed yet. Perhaps you've cleared your calendar to make space for what you really want, but the stillness is louder than you expected. This is the part where you ask, is it safe to stay here? And those old patterns will try to convince you that it's not. This is the work I support women with helping you discern the difference between stuckness and that sacred pause, stagnation versus integration, numbing out and truly tuning in because you can hold steady, you can let your nervous system soften. You can stay in the fog and trust that clarity will come, and if that feels like a lot right now, here's something simple to help you anchor yourself. Now, you don't need a big planner or a five step goal for your midyear review. Trust me, I'm a Virgo Rising. I love a list and the spreadsheets, but right now, perhaps you just need space, honesty and a willingness to meet yourself exactly where you are. So here are three practices I return to often and I guide many of my clients through. have a walk and scribble. You can let your body move, let your thoughts wander. Take a journal with you. Take a moment to reflect what's felt good this year? What's felt heavy? What are you proud of? Even if no one else knows, this isn't about productivity. It's about creating awareness and in time, this is a place you'll be able to move from. Secondly, we can breathe into the pause. We can use something like coherence breathing, but inhale for counts of three, four, or five, and then matching that with an exhale of three, four, or five. You can repeat this once, three times, six times, even a few minutes. It all works, and this one really help you regulate your nervous system, and reconnect with yourself. Because breath reminds you you're safe. It reminds you you're here. And thirdly, you can check in with your inner dialogue. You can ask yourself, am I mistaking this pause for failure? Am I calling quiet laziness? Am I rushing to prove my worth again? Remember, you are not broken, you are not behind. You are not stuck. You're just in that space between identities and that is truly sacred. So remember, this is the work. The pause is not a punishment. It's proving ground not of your worth, but of your willingness. Your willingness to stay, to trust, to not rush your own remembering. And if you're a great British Bakeoff fan, think of it like the proving oven of that bread dough. Too long. It goes soggy and sour. Not long enough. It won't rise to its true potential timing matters. So if you feel like you're sitting in that pause yourself and it's all starting to feel a little bit too much. I see you and sending love to you, but let's sit in the quiet together. Not to fix, not to rush, but to gently root back into who you truly are. And if that sounds like something that's calling to you, you can book a free clarity call with me. The link is in the show notes. It's at carly killen.com. Let's explore what's stirring beneath the surface. Let's see what's ready to rise, because your next step doesn't have to be dramatic. It just has to be true. So until next time, take a breath. Trust that pause. Remember, you are not behind, you are becoming. So stay strong, everybody. Take care, and I'll see you next week.