<script data-pm-proxy="intercept"></script><?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Wonder into Wisdom]]></title><description><![CDATA[Reflections and Practices for Living with Greater Calm, Clarity, Compassion, and Courage]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bPoi!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd530906d-d651-426c-b267-a3acfe82ff2a_1254x1254.png</url><title>Wonder into Wisdom</title><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 05:30:04 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="/__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Marcy Cole, Phd]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[drmarcycole@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[drmarcycole@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[drmarcycole@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[drmarcycole@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[I have a GIFT for YOU 💝]]></title><description><![CDATA[My dear subscribers,]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/i-have-a-gift-for-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/i-have-a-gift-for-you</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:02:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!STvm!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!STvm!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!STvm!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!STvm!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!STvm!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!STvm!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!STvm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png" width="1456" height="969" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:969,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2215111,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/i/212805932?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!STvm!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!STvm!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!STvm!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!STvm!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5321fb73-e8d0-4dc2-a52a-b61b2f56e90f_1537x1023.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>My dear subscribers,</span></p><p><span>As we enter the season of harvest, I want to support </span><em><span>your</span></em><span> harvest - of healing, possibility, and amplified JOY in your life.</span></p><p><span>One of the lovely things about being here in the early days of </span><em><span>Wonder Into Wisdom</span></em><span> is that I have the opportunity to connect with you in a more personal way - something I may not always be able to offer as our co&#8230;</span></p>
      <p>
          <a href="/__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/p/i-have-a-gift-for-you">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Some Friendships End]]></title><description><![CDATA[Have you ever wondered why some of the most important friendships in our lives have quietly faded away?]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/why-some-friendships-end</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/why-some-friendships-end</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:01:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8e3f01bf-97da-4847-9314-4ac880c2d85d_841x519.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Have you ever wondered why some of the most important friendships in our lives have quietly faded away?</p><p>As a therapist for more than three decades, I&#8217;ve had the privilege of helping individuals and couples navigate heartbreak, disappointment, misunderstanding, and repair. Yet some of my greatest lessons have come from experiences in my own life. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wonder into Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>After a lifetime of feeling blessed by a garden of beautful souls I call friends, with friend break-ups being unimaginable - In recent years, a few friendships that I deeply treasured ended.  Each one left me asking the same question: <em>What happened?</em></p><p>What struck me wasn&#8217;t that we experienced disappointment.  Many close relationships eventually do. It wasn&#8217;t that we saw things differently. Healthy relationships make room for different perspectives. What these friendships had in common was something else: somewhere along the way, there was not a willingness to vow to stay in the conversation. When hurt, misunderstanding, or conflict arose, the opportunity to remain present long enough to speak honestly, listen deeply, and work our way through to the other side - sadly never happened. </p><p>That realization has stayed with me.</p><p>I don&#8217;t believe every relationship has the capacity to evolve. But I do believe that healing, understanding, and repair are only possible when both people are willing to stay engaged, even when the conversation feels uncomfortable.</p><p>My hope is that this short video invites you to gently reflect on your own relationships - not with blame or regret, but with curiosity and deeper insight. </p><p>What becomes possible when we choose courage over avoidance, receptive listening over certainty, and loyalty to staying connected over losing one another?</p><p>Sometimes our greatest heartbreaks become our greatest teachers. </p><p>This is when wonder becomes wisdom.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;fd4d2202-9a18-46e6-ae01-7aaef3ab4b34&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wonder into Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Someone You Love Is Recovering]]></title><description><![CDATA[Recently, someone I love underwent major surgery.]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/when-someone-you-love-is-recovering</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/when-someone-you-love-is-recovering</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 06:28:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XUCZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XUCZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XUCZ!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XUCZ!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XUCZ!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XUCZ!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XUCZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg" width="1206" height="1537" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:1537,&quot;width&quot;:1206,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XUCZ!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XUCZ!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XUCZ!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XUCZ!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66914839-d579-4627-9b03-e8c0fde665fe_1206x1537.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Recently, someone I love underwent major surgery.</p><p>Like so many of us, I found myself wondering:</p><p>What can I offer her that may bring genuine comfort?</p><p>Flowers are beautiful. &nbsp;Cards are thoughtful. A text saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m thinking of you,&#8221; matters.</p><p>But I wanted to offer something she could return to throughout her recovery...in the hospital, at home, in the middle of the night, or whenever fear, discomfort, or uncertainty felt especially present.</p><p>So I wrote and recorded a seven-minute guided healing meditation just for her. &nbsp;And, as&nbsp;I finished recording it, I realized that most of us may likely experience a medical challenge ourselves someday- or love someone who may as well.&nbsp;</p><p>I often remind my clients to notice the way they&#8217;re speaking to themselves - especially during difficult seasons. &nbsp;If your inner dialogue is riddled with fear, criticism, or discouragement, your nervous system hears every word. &nbsp;</p><p>So as I embarked on creating this meditation, for anyone recovering from surgery, illness or injury, it reminded me how profoundly our breath, thoughts, words, and imagery influence the healing process. Research in neuroscience and mindfulness suggest that practices that help regulate the nervous system reduce stress, support emotional well-being, and foster a greater sense of calm during recovery. &nbsp;</p><p>Meditation can be a gentle companion - encouraging the body and mind to rest, soften, and become a portal for healing...with greater ease. &nbsp;When we&nbsp;intentionally offer ourselves messages of kindness,&nbsp;hope and patience - it reminds us that our body is safe, supported, and worthy of compassionate care.</p><p style="text-align: center;">That&#8217;s the spirit in which this meditation was created.</p><p>If you are preparing for a medical procedure or&nbsp;recovering from surgery or health challenge &#8230; I hope these guided meditative minutes will offer nourishing support on your healing journey. &nbsp;And if these words bring to mind someone who is facing surgery, illness, or a long recovery, I hope you'll keep this meditation close - and share it with them when the time is right.</p><p></p><p>A gift for my paid subscribers: &#128155;</p><p>As a thank-you for supporting my work and this growing community, I&#8217;ve included the complete seven-minute guided healing meditation below&nbsp;&#128071;</p><p>My hope is that you&#8217;ll keep it for yourself for whenever you need it - or share it with someone you love who could use a little extra comfort during recovery. </p>
      <p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Harmony Calls ]]></title><description><![CDATA[A simple hat became a prompt for more -walking on the bluffs above Moonstone Beach, in Cambria, California - I found myself wondering what harmony really means.]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/harmony-calls</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/harmony-calls</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2026 18:49:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/207325045.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>A simple hat became a prompt for more -walking on the bluffs above Moonstone Beach, in Cambria, California -&nbsp; I found myself wondering what harmony really means.</strong></p><p><strong>Not perfection.  </strong></p><p><strong> Not the absence of conflict.</strong></p><p><strong>Harmony to me, is remembering who we are, beneath our imperfections and mind&#8217;s critical chatter.</strong></p><p><strong>It&#8217;s feeling connected to the natural world and recognizing that we are part of it, not separate&nbsp; - with responsibility to honor and preserve its rhythms and natural state.</strong></p><p><strong>It&#8217;s remembering the best of what human nature is and can be, beneath the noise and misunderstandings.</strong></p><p><strong>It&#8217;s caring for one another through small moments of kindness, curiosity, compassion, and reverence.</strong></p><p><strong>During our travels,  we have crossed paths with some memorable&nbsp; people - sharing meaningful stories.&nbsp; Each brief encounter reminded me that harmony isn&#8217;t something we find once and keep forever.&nbsp; It&#8217;s something that requires daily attunement and attention -&nbsp; seeking&nbsp; and creating - with intention&nbsp; - one conversation and interaction at a time.</strong></p><p><strong>So perhaps harmony begins with coming home to ourselves. And from there, it quietly ripples outward.</strong></p><p><strong>I&#8217;d love to hear from you &#8230;</strong></p><p><strong>What does harmony mean to you?</strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bye, Bye, Negative Nellie]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes the most meaningful conversations happen when we least expect them.]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/bye-bye-negative-nellie</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/bye-bye-negative-nellie</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:00:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/206243488.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sometimes the most meaningful conversations happen when we least expect them.</p><p>This one began in a grocery store.</p><p>A young woman was helping me take my groceries to my car when our casual conversation took an unexpected turn. She spoke openly about feeling stuck, fearing change, and even called herself &#8220;Negative Nellie.&#8221;</p><p>At one point she said,&nbsp;<em>&#8220;If I expect the worst, I&#8217;ll be less disappointed.&#8221;</em></p><p>Have you ever caught yourself thinking that way - lowering your expectations in hopes of softening the blow of a possible setback?</p><p>But as we talked, something shifted. I could see it in her eyes. She began to recognize that many of the messages in her mind were neither necessarily true nor truly her own.</p><p>Then something delightfully unexpected happened - bright green beetle landed in my hair!  Startled, I looked up its symbolism and discovered it represents new beginnings and transformation. Whether coincidence or perfect timing, it became the perfect metaphor for the conversation we were already having.</p><p>By the time we said goodbye, &#8220;Negative Nellie&#8221; had become someone willing to imagine a different future.</p><p>This short video isn&#8217;t simply about a chance encounter. It&#8217;s about the stories we tell ourselves, the labels we assume, and the extraordinary power we have to choose a different narrative.</p><p>Because the thoughts we choose and words we repeat become the life we create.</p><p>Has there been a story you&#8217;ve rewritten about yourself?</p><p>And if you&#8217;ve ever caught yourself saying,&nbsp;<em>&#8220;That&#8217;s just who I am,&#8221;</em>&nbsp;I invite you to pause and ask:</p><p><strong>Is that true today?  Is this who I want to be?  Or is it simply an old script that&#8217;s ready to be retired?</strong></p><p>With wonder and love &#8230; I can&#8217;t wait to hear what resonated with you&#8230;&#129300;</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[May It Be Bitter Sweet]]></title><description><![CDATA[A client&#8217;s son who had just graduated from high school reported feeling flooded by sadness, knowing he will miss his friends and never return to this time in his life...]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/may-it-be-bitter-sweet</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/may-it-be-bitter-sweet</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 23:19:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QERw!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f265946-39d4-481f-8159-1031eae7ccf3_1280x855.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A client&#8217;s son who had just graduated from high school reported feeling flooded by sadness, knowing he will miss his friends and never return to this time in his life...</p><p>A friend who is launching her twin daughters off to college feels deeply happy for them, while crying herself to sleep, sharing, &#8220;I&#8217;ve so loved these years of taking mama care of them every day and watching them grow.&#8221;</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wonder into Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>A colleague who just lost her father weeps over how deeply she is grieving not being able to hear his voice, hug him, or live life with him...while at the very same time sharing profound gratitude for having had him all these years.</p><p><span>My own experience has included the bittersweet awareness of &#8220;epic&#8221; moments in my career that have now come and gone...while living in the space of wondering,</span></p><p><span>&#8220;What will be my next chapter?&#8221;</span></p><p><span>Recently, I was interviewed on a the </span><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grief-no-one-talks-about-in-midlife-with-dr-marcy-cole/id1506810828?i=1000773881177apple.com/us/podcast/the-grief-no-one-talks-about-in-midlife-with-dr-marcy-cole/id1506810828?i=1000773881177&quot;></iframe>"><span>Liz Svatek podcast </span></a><span>where we discussed the topic of midlife grief. It was a rich conversation about how grief shows up in so many forms - and what we can do to attend to it - with compassion rather than push it away.</span></p><p><span>We acknowledged that, perhaps grief isn&#8217;t just a sign that something is lost - but simply evidence that something mattered deeply.</span></p><p><span>One of the things I also shared is what I wish for anyone going through the natural and predictable transitions of life:</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QERw!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f265946-39d4-481f-8159-1031eae7ccf3_1280x855.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QERw!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f265946-39d4-481f-8159-1031eae7ccf3_1280x855.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QERw!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f265946-39d4-481f-8159-1031eae7ccf3_1280x855.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QERw!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f265946-39d4-481f-8159-1031eae7ccf3_1280x855.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QERw!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f265946-39d4-481f-8159-1031eae7ccf3_1280x855.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QERw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f265946-39d4-481f-8159-1031eae7ccf3_1280x855.png" width="1280" height="855" 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/__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f265946-39d4-481f-8159-1031eae7ccf3_1280x855.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QERw!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f265946-39d4-481f-8159-1031eae7ccf3_1280x855.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QERw!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f265946-39d4-481f-8159-1031eae7ccf3_1280x855.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QERw!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f265946-39d4-481f-8159-1031eae7ccf3_1280x855.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>Bitter in the acknowledgment that there was sweetness in what has been&#8230;and trust in the sweet possibilities of what is yet to come.</span></p><p>To me, this is one of life&#8217;s greatest invitations:</p><p>To honor what is leaving ...<span>without losing sight of what is still possible.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span>What are you grieving?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">And...</p><p><span>Can you give yourself permission to hold multiple sentiments&#8230;the melancholy of letting go of what was&#8230;the appreciation for its existence&#8230;and the grateful wondering for what awaits you&#8230;</span></p><p><span>The former carries so much of the meaning and legacy of your life, thus far.              And the latter holds hope and exciting anticipation&#8230;</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>May every rite of passage be bittersweet for you dear ones&#8230;                                                      and may every tear and smile of anticipation co-exist </strong></em>&#127752;</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;">&#127911; You can listen to Part 1 of my conversation with Liz <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-liz-svatek-show/id1506810828"><span data-color="#0000ff" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">here</span></a><span data-color="#0000ff" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">. </span>                                       And Stay Tuned for Part II &#128521;</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wonder into Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Everything is a Portal ]]></title><description><![CDATA[and so are YOU ...]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/everything-is-a-portal</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/everything-is-a-portal</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 20 Jun 2026 20:19:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0958d0ff-e118-42c1-a37a-5b7b2082060c_874x1158.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;d1141391-4b7a-460c-8c54-fbdf29cafbd0&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Shortly after my parents passed within eleven weeks of one another in 2021 -                 I received a Reiki session.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wonder into Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>The practitioner asked what my intention was for the session. Out of my mouth flew &#8230;</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>&#8220;</strong><em><strong>The portal to the divine</strong></em><strong>&#8221;</strong></p><p>Whoa&#8230;I didn&#8217;t expect that and neither did he. We delighted in this vision and were ready to roll.  I quickly felt the sensation of vibrating balls in the palms of my hands. Then, in my mind&#8217;s eye&#8230;I heard a message from on the other side saying:</p><p style="text-align: center;">&#8220;<strong>YOU,</strong> ARE <em>OUR</em> PORTAL&#8221;</p><p>I was listening, and it moved me to my core.</p><p>Fast-forward&#8230;                                                                                                                       2023 in Portland, Oregon &#8230; I went to a fabulous warehouse, decked in artistic wonderful finds for the holidays. One woman sold baseball caps.                                 And there I saw it&#8230;the message on one of them:    &#8220;Everything is a Portal&#8221;                   and scooped it up in my favorite color.</p><p>Fast-forward&#8230;                                                                                                                            to just last month, when this video above was taken at Antler Hill Village, in a section of the Biltmore Estate, in Asheville, NC.  Who knew the entrance to the winery would be and feel this magical!</p><p>The hall of lights got me reflecting - sometimes it&#8217;s hard to follow &#8220;the light&#8221; - the metaphor often referred to about seeking truth, hope and spiritual guidance during difficult times.</p><p>But we must.</p><p>Because it&#8217;s always there - within us and around us.</p><p style="text-align: center;">What does this idea that &#8220;Everything is a Portal&#8221; mean to you?</p><p>It reminds me that everything we see can be a portal to greater wisdom, love and light.</p><p>We just have to look for it - expanding our discovery lens &amp; deepening our understanding.</p><p>Living from this awakened conscious place means we choose the highest-vibe-love-lane to live in and express from.  And we can return to this state if and when we wander and lose our way.</p><p>And we will sometimes&#8230;because we are human.</p><p>And yet, we must always remember that what created us and where we came from is from <em>Source</em> - made of pure benevolent love and light.</p><p>So when I heard during my Reiki session, &#8220;<em>You Are Our Portal</em>&#8221; I chose to interpret its meaning as a reminder that, on our human journey,</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>we are partners with the divine</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;">While we periodically ask for guidance from &#8220;above&#8221; &#8230; God, Universe, Source, Spirit Guides and the Angels need us to also                                                                      <em>Remember &#8230; Be</em> &#8230; <em>Embody</em> and <em>Share</em> this Portal of light...carrying infinite           knowing, courage, and compassion.</p><p>So Dear Ones&#8230;</p><p>We are being called, right now, more than ever - to hear the wisdom of the ages -       be the messengers of love, light and healing - and grow into powerful agents for goodness on this planet.</p><p>May it be so, and let us do so - together &#10083;&#65039;&#10083;&#65039;&#10083;&#65039;&#10083;&#65039;&#10083;&#65039;</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wonder into Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA["Stay Strong" ]]></title><description><![CDATA[An Unexpected Story of Synchronicity on the Road]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/stay-strong</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/stay-strong</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2026 20:34:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c866d172-421d-4043-86af-d59a7f7e8776_996x1496.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;">Do you ever wonder why you meet who you meet - and when you do?</p><p>Do you ever wonder whether some of the people who touch your life are no longer here in physical form, yet somehow still find ways to connect with you? </p><p>Today I want to tell you a very special story about a very special man who, I believe, was with me - from across the veil - while we were in Asheville, North Carolina, last month.</p><p>It was in cyberspace&#8217;s kismet algorithm that first led me to him.</p><p>On April 18, 2024, I was scrolling late at night when a beautiful man&#8217;s face appeared on my screen. Though we had never met and were not Instagram friends, I felt strangely drawn to him.  And within minutes, <strong>I learned that he had passed away that very day,</strong> at 61 years of age.  Just five weeks earlier, he had been diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer.</p><p>I lingered on his page well into the wee hours of the night.  I read his posts, the heartfelt tributes from friends, family, students, and fellow musicians who were devastated by this loss.  I felt like I was getting to know him, and understood why the outpouring of love was so extraordinary and palpable. </p><p>I kept reading, wanting to know more about this man named <strong>David Newman.</strong></p><p>David was a singer-songwriter whose music blended folk influences, sacred chants, world music melodies, and spiritual teachings. He traveled extensively, sharing music inspired by yogic traditions and kirtan, always emphasizing love as a pathway to healing, connection, and awakening.</p><p>The night he passed away, and ever since, I have spent many hours listening to and downloading his music.</p><p>One project in particular caught my attention: The Stay Strong Project, a recording and video that brought together respected voices from the chant, yoga, and conscious living communities to support environmental and humanitarian causes. As I watched, I recognized some of the performers I knew personally and who had performed at Life Enrichment events in LA I had produced over the years.</p><p>With these folks in common, and because he just felt like a soul-brother, I couldn&#8217;t believe David and I had never crossed paths while he was alive.</p><p>Yet I felt profoundly grateful and honored in fact that we did meet, on the very day his soul made its transition to his higher state of being. </p><p>Fast forward to May 2026.</p><p>One of the planned stops on Michael&#8217;s and my nomadic journey was Asheville, North Carolina - a place that had long sparked my curiosity. Somewhere along the way, I had also learned that David had moved to Asheville, and I secretly hoped I might feel some connection to him while we were there.</p><p>As it turns out, I did.</p><p>Three times.</p><p>The first happened the very night we arrived.</p><p>We checked into our VRBO around 7 p.m. and decided it would be fun to hear some live music. I quickly searched online and found a venue located just doors away from where we were staying. We walked over and arrived moments before the performance was about to begin. </p><p>Before entering, I casually asked the attendant, &#8220;Do you happen to know which music venue David Newman used to manage?&#8221;   She smiled and said, &#8220;This one.&#8221;</p><p>I couldn&#8217;t believe it.  We had unknowingly walked into AyurPrana Listening Room, where David had served as Director and Curator during the final two years of his life. I had completely forgotten the venue&#8217;s name. Asheville has countless music venues, yet somehow we ended up there on our very first night.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!faZM!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Febdaf12e-e3a9-4643-83ac-7b84b499b9f7_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!faZM!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Febdaf12e-e3a9-4643-83ac-7b84b499b9f7_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!faZM!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Febdaf12e-e3a9-4643-83ac-7b84b499b9f7_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!faZM!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Febdaf12e-e3a9-4643-83ac-7b84b499b9f7_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!faZM!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!faZM!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Febdaf12e-e3a9-4643-83ac-7b84b499b9f7_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The performance that evening was by an instrumental improvisational trio called Setting. The music felt soulful, hypnotic, and deeply immersive.</p><p>As I sat listening, I closed my eyes and imagined speaking with David.  I told him how happy I was that we had immediately been guided to the place where he had shared his gifts and supported other musicians. I asked him to stay close during our Asheville adventure and help connect us to the people, places, and experiences we were meant to discover.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R4g4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74e4037a-61ea-4ca3-831e-c33b14239dcb_4032x3024.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R4g4!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74e4037a-61ea-4ca3-831e-c33b14239dcb_4032x3024.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R4g4!, 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/__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74e4037a-61ea-4ca3-831e-c33b14239dcb_4032x3024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R4g4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74e4037a-61ea-4ca3-831e-c33b14239dcb_4032x3024.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R4g4!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74e4037a-61ea-4ca3-831e-c33b14239dcb_4032x3024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Whether it was coincidence, synchronicity, divine orchestration, or simply a heart paying attention, the connections kept coming.</p><p>A few days later, I felt called to spend a day by myself - a day devoted to solitude, restoration, and self-care.  I attended a yoga class, visited a salt room, and treated myself to a vegan meal.  The yoga experience was exactly what I needed: gentle movement, restorative poses, and a beautiful crystal bowl sound healing meditation to conclude the practice.</p><p>As I was leaving, I turned back toward the woman at the front desk and asked, almost as an afterthought, &#8220;Did David Newman ever come here?&#8221;</p><p>Her eyes lit up.</p><p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; she replied. &#8220;This is the studio where David practiced and taught.&#8221;</p><p>She went on to explain that the studio and the listening room were owned by the same people, and that David&#8217;s photograph still hangs in their office.</p><p>Wow, Again?  Really?</p><p>Between the nourishment of the class and that unexpected discovery, I walked away with a smile  that lingered. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dEX5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0e812ca-471e-465d-afde-5e1cba496c22_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dEX5!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0e812ca-471e-465d-afde-5e1cba496c22_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dEX5!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0e812ca-471e-465d-afde-5e1cba496c22_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dEX5!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0e812ca-471e-465d-afde-5e1cba496c22_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dEX5!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0e812ca-471e-465d-afde-5e1cba496c22_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dEX5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0e812ca-471e-465d-afde-5e1cba496c22_5712x4284.jpeg" width="1456" height="1941" 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/__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0e812ca-471e-465d-afde-5e1cba496c22_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dEX5!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0e812ca-471e-465d-afde-5e1cba496c22_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dEX5!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0e812ca-471e-465d-afde-5e1cba496c22_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dEX5!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0e812ca-471e-465d-afde-5e1cba496c22_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>Then came the third connection.</p><p>As some of you know, I recently <a href="/__u/open.substack.com/pub/drmarcycole/p/wondering-about-the-end?utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web">wrote a substack article </a>about our discovery and stay at Emberlight: Center for Conscious Living &amp; Dying in Asheville.  It was one of the most meaningful experiences of our trip.</p><p>What I later learned was that David had also been connected to Emberlight through his friendship with founder Dr. Aditi Sethi, who had performed music at the AyurPrana Listening Room.</p><p>Another thread.  Another connection.  Another reminder that we are often being guided in ways we cannot fully understand.</p><p>Was David truly helping to orchestrate these encounters from beyond the veil?</p><p>I cannot know for certain.</p><p>But I do believe that&#8230; </p><p>Life becomes infinitely more magical when we remain open to wonder.</p><p>When we pay attention.</p><p>When we trust our curiosity.</p><p>When we notice the patterns, synchronicities, and unexpected connections that appear along our path.</p><p>Sometimes the people who touch our lives are not always those we meet face-to-face.  Sometimes they arrive through a song.  A book.  A story -  or perhaps through an on-line post that appears on an ordinary evening and quietly touches something profound inside us.</p><p><strong>So the next time someone or something repeatedly appears in your path &#8230;. pause long enough to </strong><em><strong>wonder</strong></em><strong> why and be open to the </strong><em><strong>wisdom </strong></em><strong>it is offering you. </strong></p><p>David reminded me to believe in the unseen, to follow my heart-led curiosity, and that </p><p>&#8220;<em>Love Wins</em>.&#8221;  </p><p>Never more important these days to remember that.</p><p>So, my GIFT for you today is to share this link to the video I referenced above. I have played (and danced) to it countless times - and now, so happy to share it with you&#8230;</p><div id="youtube2-pNFGKfBhtUk" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;pNFGKfBhtUk&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/pNFGKfBhtUk?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/TTbEJrPm7AI?si=YfAF-1r9JvA43kp3">Stay Strong Video </a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wonder into Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wondering About How It Can End …]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the spirit of Wondering into Wisdom - exploring how we want to live our lives -I invite you to consider a question many of us avoid:]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/wondering-about-the-end</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/wondering-about-the-end</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2026 18:18:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/199778798.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gX7U!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf9ffe7a-d917-4e5b-8df0-97967bb20cb8_2344x1314.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gX7U!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf9ffe7a-d917-4e5b-8df0-97967bb20cb8_2344x1314.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gX7U!, 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class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dpy0!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a646fe7-d194-4312-85d7-62c20cf279ad_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dpy0!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a646fe7-d194-4312-85d7-62c20cf279ad_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dpy0!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dpy0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a646fe7-d194-4312-85d7-62c20cf279ad_5712x4284.jpeg" width="5712" height="4284" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8a646fe7-d194-4312-85d7-62c20cf279ad_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:4284,&quot;width&quot;:5712,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dpy0!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a646fe7-d194-4312-85d7-62c20cf279ad_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dpy0!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a646fe7-d194-4312-85d7-62c20cf279ad_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dpy0!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a646fe7-d194-4312-85d7-62c20cf279ad_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dpy0!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a646fe7-d194-4312-85d7-62c20cf279ad_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>In the spirit of&nbsp;<em>Wondering into Wisdom -&nbsp;</em>exploring how we want to live our lives -I invite you to consider a question many of us avoid:</p><p><strong>How do you want your life to end?</strong></p><p>At first glance, the question may feel morbid. Yet it's curious, isn't it? Death is one of the few certainties we all share. Someday, when our time comes, each of us will release our physical body and transition into whatever comes next.</p><p>And yet, for many people, death remains one of life's greatest fears.</p><p>Why?</p><p>Perhaps it is because we fear letting go of what we know, and trusting the unknown.</p><p>Perhaps we fear pain, discomfort, dependence, or losing control.</p><p>Perhaps we fear being alone - without family, friends, or compassionate support to comfort and guide us when we need it most.</p><p>Or perhaps we fear death because, as a culture, we spend so little time talking about it. There are few rituals, conversations, or communal experiences that help us prepare for what is inevitable.</p><p>This past week, I had the privilege of discovering a place that profoundly shaped my vision of how - and perhaps where - I would want to die someday, when my time comes. &nbsp;Finding was without a doubt, divine intervention.</p><p>This place is called&nbsp;<strong>EmberLight: A Community-Based Center for Conscious Living and Dying</strong></p><p>Founded by Dr. Aditi Sethi - a hospice and palliative care physician, musician, and end-of-life doula - EmberLight (formerly known as CCLD) was created to offer something many people long for but rarely receive: compassionate presence, community support, and dignity during life's final chapter.</p><p>The home itself is beautiful, warm, and inviting. Within its lower level are three "sanctuary suites", where individuals with a hospice support and a prognosis of two months or less can spend their final days. &nbsp;It is here they are surrounded by 24 hour support from community volunteers (on 5 hour shifts) trained in end-of-life care. Whether someone needs assistance with daily basic needs, gentle touch, music, solitude, conversation, or simply a loving witness to their journey...dependable presence is there.</p><p>As death approaches, EmberLight offers meaningful rituals that honor the sacredness of the time before transition. One such ritual includes a fire ceremony inspired by Native traditions, where family, friends, volunteers may gather to in reflection and prayer - focusing on the soul about to soar into the great mystery of what awaits them.&nbsp;</p><p>After death, families may choose to participate in a vigil where their loved one "lies in honor" for up to three days, allowing time for presence, sorrow, gratitude and farewell.</p><p>What moved me even more deeply is that EmberLight offers this extraordinary level of care entirely free of charge - a values-based commitment rooted in the belief that no one should face the end of life without this level of tender loving care and community. &nbsp;</p><p>The organization is supported in part through three beautiful guest rooms available for visitors seeking a peaceful retreat experience. &nbsp;Friends of ours, who volunteer there, spoke so passionately about EmberLight that we extended our stay in Asheville and spent our final two nights there.</p><p>The property is filled with beauty and quiet wonder. &nbsp;Birdsong fills the air. Animals wander peacefully through the landscape. &nbsp;A labyrinth invites contemplation and reflection. &nbsp;Art throughout the home nourishes the senses, while helping sustain the vision through fundraising efforts.</p><p>The other inspiring aspect to Emberlight is that it focuses on LIVING &#8230; as the home also hosts educational and social events for community members and volunteers, fostering &nbsp;opportunities for deeper conversations and connection. &nbsp; &nbsp;</p><p>To say I was moved by this experience is an understatement. It touched something deep within me about what it means to be human.</p><p>It reminded me that creating and participating in a community is essential for optimal living, and dying. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>We instinctively gather around new life, surrounding a newborn with tenderness, protection, and care.&nbsp;</p><p>Perhaps we are meant to offer the same focused devotion at the end of life.&nbsp;</p><p>Perhaps the wisdom to remember is that we are not meant to arrive or depart alone. &nbsp;</p><p>We are meant to hold and be held through every stage of life&#8230;with extra special care to help us thrive into life&#8230;and feel carried into our next great adventure. &nbsp;</p><p>As for you dear ones&#8230;what conversations about dying, caregiving, or community have you had - or avoided? And if you could design your final chapter, what would matter most?</p><p>To learn more about EmberLight, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.emberlightway.org/">www.emberlightway.org</a>.</p><p>For a beautiful exploration of conscious dying, I also recommend&nbsp;<em><a href="https://www.thelastecstaticdaysmovie.com/">The Last Ecstatic Days</a></em><a href="https://www.thelastecstaticdaysmovie.com/">&nbsp;documentary.</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wonder if it's True? ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Are Your Loved Ones Really Visiting You?]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/wonder-if-its-true</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/wonder-if-its-true</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 12:01:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CIPL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CIPL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CIPL!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CIPL!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CIPL!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CIPL!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CIPL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg" width="1456" height="1941" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1941,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:4516979,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/i/197301831?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CIPL!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CIPL!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CIPL!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CIPL!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f0533f9-2492-4b7d-a49f-171e47a21471_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cd995723-1d28-446c-bd0e-aa103252d022_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cd995723-1d28-446c-bd0e-aa103252d022_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p></p><p>STORY FROM THE ROAD...</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wonder into Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>As my friend Kathy Eldon would say, my Dad is a &#8220;noisy spirit&#8221;.  Which is ironic since he was so very fearful and skeptical about the existence of an after-life. Since he transitioned in April 2021, the way he proves his continued presence is to keep showing me his name (SY) out there and everywhere.  It showed up on a neon sign in the elevator at the Titanic museum in Belfast when we visited summer of 2023:  SY, SY, SY...moving vertically up and down!   And we were speechless when visiting Luang Prabang in February 2025, and our waiter&#8217;s name at the very special restaurant -  Manda de Laos - was &#8220;SAI&#8221; (pronounced SY) which he said meant &#8220;strength and truth&#8221;.  </p><p>The two letters SY most frequently show up in license plates...like seriously, all the time.</p><p>This past week, I was missing my Dad &amp; and asked to see his name, in new places.  </p><p>              I am excited to share this one with you, that happened just last night!   </p><p>We stumbled on this cool Folly Beach bar in Charleston, SC - for their weekly open mike night on Mondays.   Huge crowd, very sweet scene.  We got there late and I had to stand and scoot close to see.  Finding my way to lean against a railing - I glanced down and saw this small sticker with the 2 letters - SY - glaring at me &#128558;</p><p style="text-align: center;">Then...ready for this???   I saw a dog that looked like my beloved 18 year old furry girl, who passed last March 2025.  I went to the front to meet and pet her.  </p><p style="text-align: center;">Her name...DAISY!!!   Yes, that&#8217;s right&#8230;my doggies name was indeed &#127804;</p><p style="text-align: center;">Random say you?  Nawww....no way.  </p><p style="text-align: center;">You see what you believe...and I believe </p><p style="text-align: center;">Do you?  </p><p>If so, please comment!  I would love to hear about any stories from the beyond that have delighted and inspired you.    </p><p>Let&#8217;s keep wondering about and sharing the magic&#8230;&#10024;</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wonder into Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Turn Your Worry into Wonder]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you think about it, we can trace just about everything to the state of wonderment&#8230;where our desires, daydreams, visions, fears, and triumphs are first conceived.]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/turn-your-worry-into-wonder</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/turn-your-worry-into-wonder</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:44:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c7Ej!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c7Ej!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c7Ej!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c7Ej!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c7Ej!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c7Ej!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c7Ej!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png" width="1280" height="670" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:670,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1432457,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/i/195906452?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c7Ej!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c7Ej!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c7Ej!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c7Ej!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F908ee7ad-c001-4e43-8e49-44ba26667f88_1280x670.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>If you think about it, we can trace just about everything to the state of wonderment&#8230;where our desires, daydreams, visions, fears, and triumphs are first conceived. </p><p>As children we lived in our wonder bubble.  But as we grew, external information over-load came in from family, schools, religious institutions and society. Values were taught and sometimes imposed - distraction hijacked play and space to wonder.  In this cumulative vacuum - confusion, despair and worry found their way into our psyche, hearts and nervous systems.  And we wonder why stress and burn out permeate our culture. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wonder into Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>But today, dear ones&#8230;I invite us all to pause, and turn our worries&#8230;</p><p style="text-align: center;">     <em> INTO WONDER</em>&#8230;.</p><p>This phrase and meaning came to me when I was creating some Social Emotional Learning curriculum (SEL) for an independent elementary school.</p><p>So many precious little ones were approaching me saying &#8220;<em>Dr. Cole, I feel anxious</em>&#8221;. &#8220;<em>Dr. Cole, I&#8217;m worried about &#8230;&#8221;</em>. &#8220;<em>Dr. Cole,&#8230;.what if&#8230;</em>&#8220;</p><p>I sat with them as they began to check in with how it feels in their body to carry the weight of worry.  Did it make their tummy hurt? Did it feel like there was a lump in their throat? Did their mind worried chatter make it hard to fall asleep? </p><p>In classrooms, we first identified and discussed what some students were worried about.  Secondly, we reframed the anticipated problem as possible versus inevitable.  We also practiced thinking about best case scenario versus the worst. </p><p>Examples included:</p><p>From: <em>I&#8217;m worried about how I&#8217;m going to do at my tennis tournament next week</em>.               To: <em>I wonder how I will do in the tournament and what the take aways will be? I am imagining a great game!</em></p><p>From: <em>I&#8217;m worried about the test tomorrow.                                                                                </em>To: &#8220;I wonder how I&#8217;ll do on the test tomorrow. If there are things I don&#8217;t get right, I wonder what I can learn from that. I am imaging my body calm and mind ready and clear.&#8221;</p><p>From : <em>I&#8217;m worried that we won&#8217;t go to my favorite place Spring Break.                                     </em>To: &#8220;I wonder where my family will end up going on Spring Break. I&#8217;m excited and grateful we get to be together, wherever we are.&#8221;</p><p>From: <em>I&#8217;m worried about my Grandma, because she is sick                                                         </em>To: &#8220;I wonder how my GM is today and how I can make her feel loved. I am imagining her feeling better everyday.&#8221;</p><p> This works for us grown ups too.</p><p>I spent this past weekend with some great gals at a spa. One of them left all of her jewelry in the pocket of the robe when she went for a massage. As you can imagine, she felt a rush of worry.  Another wise one in the crew said &#8220;Let&#8217;s not worry twice&#8221; - similar idea to &#8220;let&#8217;s not worry till there is something to worry about.&#8221; It was a powerful pivot for us all - to choose to assume it would be OK&#8230;and it was.</p><p>Neuroscience research estimates we have roughly 6,000 to 6,500 thoughts per day.<br>The brain also has a well-documented <em>negativity bias</em>&#8212;meaning we are wired to notice and remember negative experiences more strongly than positive ones.</p><p>In clinical psychology, concepts like Aaron T. Beck&#8217;s &#8220;automatic negative thoughts&#8221; (and what Daniel Amen later called &#8220;ANTs&#8221;) help explain why worry can so easily take hold.</p><p>And yet&#8212;most of what we worry about never actually happens.                              Imagine how much precious time we have wasted in worry.</p><p>Whatever worries are hijacking your mind, you can begin this shift right now.             So here is my invitation today&#8230;</p><p>1: Tune into to identifying one thing that is worrying you.</p><p>2: Pivot your perspective on it and turn it into Wonder</p><p>I&#8217;ll go first&#8230;</p><p>My beloved Michael and I are now home-free - beginning a nomadic adventure to visit places of interest and also places of curiosity of where we may someday want to live.</p><p>Worries still sometimes enter my mind: &#8220;How long will this take&#8221; &#8220;Where will we end up?&#8221; &#8220;Are there beautiful coastal places in the US, that are actually still affordable?&#8221; &#8220;Will our preferences align enough to settle in a place that feels great to both of us&#8221;?</p><p>I am, in real time, actively using this worry into wonder technique to pivot to &#8220;I <em>wonder</em> how long&#8221;, &#8220;I <em>wonder</em> where those places will be&#8221; &#8220;I <em>wonder</em> if and how our choices will align&#8221;.   And more importantly: I envision new discoveries through adventure and alignment&#8230;choosing to trust&#8230;that we will find our way&#8230;will enjoy the journey&#8230;and all will be better than we can even imagine.</p><p>Reframe and re-wording our focus takes the edge off of debilitating worry, and opens the portal of possibility to focus on the GOOD.</p><p>Nothing stays the same. Life is uncertain. And there are twists and turns that we can anticipate, and some we don&#8217;t see coming.</p><p>So let&#8217;s keep wondering about the takeaways from the past, the positives of the present, and the infinite possibilities for our future.</p><p>Worry is wasted mental real estate. Here&#8217;s to investing in what carries growth potential and delivers consistent dividends...</p><p>Let&#8217;s go!</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://drmarcycole.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wonder into Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[It's Never Too Late...]]></title><description><![CDATA[to Begin]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/its-never-too-late</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/its-never-too-late</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:01:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!td9j!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33895924-f4c2-4cca-bfc4-ec20d345ca60_418x304.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When I set up my Substack art and first intentional post, I was shocked to see that the account showed that it had been set up in 2023 &#128562;!!</p><p>I recalled that a friend advised me to participate in the platform way back and completely spaced that I had actually begun the process! I also had some of the &#8220;<em>woulda, coulda, shoulda</em>&#8221; thoughts cross my mind about how it would have been great to have begun earlier - providing more value to more beautiful and receptive hearts.</p><p>I tried to change the launch date on my substack profile, to no avail. So I chose to transform the mild gnawing regret into a decision to <em>celebrate</em> the reality that I am so glad to be here, right NOW.</p><p><strong>What have </strong><em><strong>you </strong></em><strong>been dreaming about, wanting to do, or promising yourself you were going to do? Name it, and when you&#8217;re ready </strong><em><strong>enough</strong></em><strong>, decide - to claim it.</strong></p><p>There&#8217;s always a fine line in the sand, when we step over and out of procrastination, distraction and delay. We decide to &#8220;<em>Just Do It</em>&#8221;. And the beauty is, starting whenever we choose to is GOOD, and often, in hindsight, feels like divine timing.</p><p>So let&#8217;s cheer each other on, shall we?!</p><p>Thank you for connecting with me here. And thank you for sharing this perfect timing launch, and what is to come, with those you feel will benefit and enjoy the flow we co-create here.</p><p>I truly want to support you too. So I invite you to comment one thing you&#8217;d like to begin TODAY. Reconnect with a friend, sign up for those yoga classes, book the trip, submit the article, start the project, begin a morning practice, take daily walks in nature, let go of ??, hire a therapist or coach &#8230; whatever has been calling you and that makes your body feel alive and heart inspired.</p><p>I&#8217;m in your corner and can&#8217;t wait to hear about it!!</p><p>And PS&#8230;.remember that if you see this post months from now and chime in then&#8230;it will be PERFECT TIMING !</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!td9j!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33895924-f4c2-4cca-bfc4-ec20d345ca60_418x304.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!td9j!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_424, 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Wisdom]]></description><link>https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/welcome-to-my-world</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://drmarcycole.substack.com/p/welcome-to-my-world</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[DrMarcyCole]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:15:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wreq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12057f89-cd8b-41e6-b929-87f887349746_7360x4912.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wreq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12057f89-cd8b-41e6-b929-87f887349746_7360x4912.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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/__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12057f89-cd8b-41e6-b929-87f887349746_7360x4912.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wreq!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_848, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12057f89-cd8b-41e6-b929-87f887349746_7360x4912.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wreq!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12057f89-cd8b-41e6-b929-87f887349746_7360x4912.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wreq!, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/drmarcycole.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12057f89-cd8b-41e6-b929-87f887349746_7360x4912.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 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know what to think, what to do, what to say, or how to move forward.</p><p>And yet, something within us is always seeking clarity, connection, and meaning. That space, between uncertainty and deeper knowing, is where <em>Wonder into Wisdom</em> is activated, discovered, and expressed.</p><p>I&#8217;ve spent much of my life sitting with people in those moments - as a holistic psychotherapist, personal development and relationship coach, wellness educator, and friend - supporting individuals, couples, and families as they navigate life&#8217;s complexities, turbulence, and triumphs.</p><p><strong>                      What I&#8217;ve learned is this:</strong></p><p>We don&#8217;t need to have all the answers. But we can learn how to pause, reflect, communicate, and respond - with intention.</p><p>This space is an extension of that work, through a kaleidoscope of life-affirming stories, mindset tools, and wisdom you can apply and carry with you - and share with those you care about.</p><p>Here, I&#8217;ll be offering reflections and insights to support your growth and well-being: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.</p><p>You&#8217;ll find a blend of:</p><ul><li><p>Universal Lessons from the Proverbial Couch</p></li><li><p>Everyday Alchemy and Transformational Wisdom</p></li><li><p>Holistic Health and Wellness Insights</p></li><li><p>Finding &amp; Keeping Love Alive Discoveries </p></li><li><p>Courageous Communication Tools</p></li><li><p>Discoveries from my Nomadic Journey</p></li><li><p>Simple Words of Wisdom for the Moments in Between</p></li></ul><p>For those who choose to go a bit deeper, I&#8217;ll also be offering subscriber access to:</p><ul><li><p>Recorded conversations with inspiring luminaries, authors, and guides</p></li><li><p>Personalized responses to your questions</p></li><li><p>And more to come, as this space evolves</p></li></ul><p>I&#8217;m so very excited and grateful to meet you here - because this is what we need most right now: inspired connection, with ourselves and with one another.</p><p>In wonder &amp; with love always</p><p>~Marcy~</p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>